OK, so that is probably a strange title for today’s Purple Diamond Marketing Blog, but as I listened to the news talk about Groundhog Day and if the Groundhog will see his shadow to help us know if winter will soon be over I laughed and realized it is much like the trends in marketing. In the past couple of years, small business owners have scrambled to keep up with ALL the latest and greatest marketing tools to promote their business. My clients and many business owners continue to struggle to know what works and what doesn’t and how to spend their time and money. The questions are constant…“What is social media, have you heard about Facebook, do I really have to “tweet”, why do I have to have a listing on Linkedin? How about Blogging, will it really help my business? I just heard about Google+ and what is that new thing on Facebook? Should I be doing video and posting on YouTube? By the way, how many sites on the internet do I need to list my website? Hey, my web designer said my site is not coming up on searches so he suggested I use some Word Press format and add content daily so I guess I now need to sink more money in to doing a new website? By the way, do you really think that QR Codes are the latest and greatest and helping my print marketing?” These are just a handful of the barrage of questions I get from small business owners who have no time to research the trends in marketing, but really just want to know if they sink time and money in to these that it will result in sales.
Much like Groundhog Day and the old belief that if the little critter sees his shadow there will be 6 more weeks of winter, business owners are trying these new marketing trends hoping they will lead to more clients. But, for a small business or sole proprietor testing these new trends can exhaust resources quickly. Ten minutes on Facebook leads to hours and the cost to maintain Blogs and other social media sites with creative content that supports your brand and brings customers closer can be challenging. So, do you refuse to participate and hope that the reports about companies growing their business with the help of these trends is all a crazy superstition like Groundhog Day? Or, do you join in the fun and get some help from professionals who can help you to decide the best way for YOUR business to use the tools without wasting time or additional money?
Well, I just heard on the news that the Groundhog saw his shadow and we will now have 6 more weeks of winter. Hard to believe with the mild weather we have had in Massachusetts this year, but that is what they predict. And, the prediction about the latest and greatest marketing trends is also that this is how businesses will continue to gain customer loyalty and sales. So, if you are reading this Blog and you still haven’t created a strategy for how to work all of this in to your marketing portfolio, please contact Purple Diamond or another marketing/social media specialist. Purple Diamond specializes with small businesses and helping them make some sense of all the new things that come their way.
All my best to your success!~Charlene
