#web design Archives - Page 10 of 19 - Analyze. Create. Achieve.

March 16, 2020March 16, 2020

Will Your Business Survive the Coronavirus?

Will your business survive the Coronavirus? Nope, this is not a health-related blog. No, we are not health experts or doctors. However, hopefully this blog will find those interested in securing the success of their small business through the tough economic times ahead. We are talking marketing, finances, and brand awareness here.

The Obvious

It is pretty obvious from the stock market, closures, and the craziness happening that we are about to go through a monstrous economic downturn. As a result, many will suffer if they are not prepared. You cannot argue that fact logically. It WILL happen. It may be a few weeks (hopefully) or it may be longer term. What must your company do to avoid falling into an abyss and suffering the fate of other ill-equipped businesses?

Design of a small business owner shackled to a weighted ball in blue with gold coins. Will your business survive the Coronavirus?

To clarify, the cancellations of trade shows, seminars, schools, business trips/meetings, sporting events, and many other high-profile large events will undoubtedly affect us all. In addition, restaurant, bar, and other establishment closures are imminent. Other small businesses are no exception. They will feel the heat also. In fact, many small businesses will be facing very turbulent times ahead. You need to prepare!

If you don’t want to hear anymore, go ahead and click the X button at the top of your screen. Consequently, what we say about preparation won’t matter. Don’t worry, we won’t hold it against you.

You’re still reading. So, what can you do as a small business owner to ensure that your company survives?

History

Throughout history, there are some fantastic stories of business success during or after an economic downturn. The story of Proctor & Gamble during the Great Depression is a great example.

To make a long story short: Proctor & Gamble doubled down on their advertising and marketing while other companies were cutting ad budgets. P&G understood that even during the Great Depression, people would still need soap. They started new radio ads and targeted homemakers with other new marketing avenues. They faced difficult financial times during the Great Depression, but never wavered on their marketing campaigns. When the recession ended, P&G came out on top as one of the leading soap companies in the world. These ads led to the creation of “soap operas.” Because they continued to stay in front of people. They were well recognized and created a brand awareness that other companies lacked. We’ll keep the story short. Look it up. See here for other success stories: https://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/smallbusiness/0901/gallery.founded_in_a_recession.smb/3.html

Moral of the story: don’t get left behind. Tough economic times require a HUGE push on your marketing. Scrape together what you can and get your message out. Not just any message, but the right message. Make your business known and visible. Cutting your marketing/advertising budget is a recipe for disaster.

Recommendations

Will your business survive the coronavirus outbreak? Well, that is entirely dependent on you, the business owner. We do have some recommendations though.

Woman checking phone while wearing a Coronavirus mask. — COVID-19 has already disrupted every aspect of our lives.

Now that events are being cancelled, and working remotely is being encouraged, online marketing and social media will be more important than ever! Consumers will be home and will also be on their desktops, TVs, laptops, tablets, and phones even more.

We recommend looking into paid Google ads, consistent social media marketing, Geofencing, and/or pushing your business’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization) RIGHT NOW! Currently, we still have Facebook. Instagram and LinkedIn are still up. We still have Google. Cell phones are still working. Additionally, make sure that your company website is updated often and optimized. TV or radio ads will do wonders, too.

The creation of an interesting and visual marketing campaign is vital. Start thinking about it yesterday. Because, it will separate you from the competition. Your competition likely will cancel ads or downplay the importance of their marketing and advertising. They will suffer.

Conclusion

The cream will rise to the top. Prepared businesses will reap the benefits. The Coronavirus could be a serious hinderance or a unique opportunity to separate your business from the rest of your competition. The question is, how will you use this moment?

In conclusion, as a local marketing firm, we feel it is our obligation to help other local small businesses as much as possible. We are deeply concerned about the success of our colleagues within Westmoreland County, Pa. and the surrounding areas. The United States of America, our citizens, and the millions of small business owners here are a resilient bunch. We will get through, but it will be hard. Nothing new for any of us.

We must all be prepared though for the coming weeks, months, or hell…even years. As a result, you can plan to position your business for stability now. Will your business survive the Coronavirus?

Stay healthy. Stay smart. Don’t panic. Don’t let failure occur. We all need to stick together. Let us know how we can help. For a free consultation in creating a strategic marketing plan, feel free to touch base with us.

Reach out to us by phone at 412.889.3495, or rob@77designco.com or bobby@77designco.com.

Analyze. Create. Achieve.

March 6, 2020March 6, 2020

Bad Business-Don’t Do It

Bad business, don’t do it! Don’t be that business owner others talk about…negatively.

by Email Marketing Girl.

We’re generally an upbeat, optimistic crew here at double 7’s, but sometimes we see (or unfortunately at times deal with) bad business. Focusing on the negative is NOT what we do. We help businesses get better through positive marketing tactics and reputation.

Rob Hoffman at the Narcisi Winery. — Be positive. Be on time.

Oh, we’re sure you’ve seen it too!

We all know them. We’ve all dealt with them, bad business owners. Maybe they aren’t aware of it. Perhaps, inexperience leads them into making poor business decisions. Likewise, cash flow could be an issue.

There’s an array of situations that this topic could cover. However, we’ll just discuss a few things we have seen from our own marketing experiences. Consequently, we hope this blog will help SOMEONE out to avoid making bad business choices. Further, we also hope this will allow consumers (all of us) to be aware of what to look for.

Follow up! Communication is key!

First one I can think off the top of my head is not having a good lead system. Show up when you say you will. If someone calls you about an inquiry for your services, make sure you call them back! We all understand people are busy but you should reach out within 24 hours. A 24 hour response should be a maximum time frame. At least say, we have received your request. We are gathering some information and will reach out to you shortly.

Have a client meeting? Don’t show up late. I think that is pretty self explanatory, especially if this client is paying you money for your services.

77 Design Co business card, keyboard, and flash drive. — Call, email, or text if you are late or have to cancel. Customers appreciate this!

Don’t bite off what you can’t chew. If someone wants a certain service that you don’t feel comfortable with doing, or you do not have the necessary resources for, make sure you are up front with the client. Either you lower your overall price or do not do that service. That is to say, refer them to someone who can. You do not want to put your name on subpar work.

Don’t overcharge or change pricing without first notifying your customer. Talk to them first about an unforeseen situation/cost on a project. This happened to one of us last year on a home project. Needless to say we were not thrilled with how it was handled. Subsequently, we reviewed this local business negatively on several platforms. They have yet to respond to the review, and did nothing to remedy the situation. Bad business, don’t do it!

There’s that word again, CONSISTENCY!

Make sure your brand is consistent. You need flyers, cards, emails, a website, brochures, etc., all branded with your logo and colors. Consistent brand identifiability is key. If this is something you do not have currently, find a print shop or marketing professional that can help you with this. Branding is huge!

Be social, NOT socially unacceptable!

Above all, behave on your social media channels. That is to say, don’t get involved in political debates, foul language, controversial topics, or bad mouth competition. Definitely don’t be posting drunken photos and videos while you are out. If your personal page can be tied to your business, make sure its also acceptable content. All of the above are things we’ve seen in the past by business owners, and recommend NOT DOING.

For example, post fun, informative, and creative information. Sure, everyone likes to have fun once in a while and this can add personality to you and your business. Most noteworthy, make sure what you share and post is clean and inoffensive.

Reviews

Finally, online reviews. Reputation is everything in business. If you get a bad review on Yelp, or Google (to name a few) don’t ignore it. Respond kindly and accordingly. Explain a little about the situation and what you may have tried to do to right the wrong. DO NOT get mad and respond in anger. Be courteous in your response. Believe us when we say potential customers will see these reviews if they are thinking of using you, and many will appreciate your amiable response to the review.

Analyze. Create. Achieve.

March 3, 2020March 3, 2020

What is the Best Thing About Your Business?

What is the best thing about your business? Do you show this to the world?

By Email Marketing Girl

When we ask this question, we hope it starts to generate some thought. Gets those creative juices flowing. Why are you in business? What is the best thing about YOUR business? What are you doing to display this in your marketing?

So, we stand by the initial thoughts we had when we began this partnership. That is to say, in order to effectively market your business, you have to show personality. Likewise, show customers why you care, or how you help. Generally, people will be more likely to purchase from you if you SHOW them who YOU ARE as a company or individual.

Photo of Rob and Bobby. — Yes, we like to drink beer…and bourbon. However, we work our butts off before enjoying either.

Could it be company culture?

Do you have a high retention rate of employees and they absolutely love working for you? You need to showcase this on your companies social media platforms, especially LinkedIn, where a large amount of people find their jobs nowadays. Photos and videos! Share them.

Is the best thing your product?

Make sure this product is front and center on your website to showcase it the most. Also be sure to post about it on your social media. Similarly, share photos and videos!

Are you the best at social media?

Whether it be you personally, as your company, or a service you provide to customers. This is huge since we are living in a social media world. Everyone looks to social media platforms and everyone, almost everyone, is on social media. You can’t hide…

Customer experience top notch?

This is wonderful! Make sure that you are putting customer reviews on your website, in your emails that you send, and on social media. People look to reviews for everything. That is to say, they trust those reviews, so make sure they are easily accessible. Reviews are becoming increasingly more important because it’s sometimes the only thing customers look for.

Is your office space super hip, or tech savy?

This is great for millennials. The more hip, the better. But be sure to update your office and show it on all platforms! People want to see what kind of office you work in. So, whether it be a person that wants to work for you, or a customer that is intrigued, it would do best to explain and show your space.

Analyze. Create. Achieve.

December 31, 2019

Marketing with a Small Budget

Email marketing Girl here. Hola, and Happy New Year! How do you market your business with a small budget?

When you think of small budget, let’s start real small…like free. Therefore, what are some marketing tools that are free? Social media, email marketing, networking, blogging, webinars, ebooks, etc.

Email Marketing Girl and pup.

Numero uno. Social media.

If you are a business, you need social media. One of the first things people do when they research are Google and most likely Facebook. Depending on the company and demographic, it could be Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or some others. Be consistent on social media. Engage people on social media. Be proactive instead of just reactive on social media. By proactive, for example, I mean look for the audience you wish to make business with. Likewise, look up hashtags and follow those people who are liking or posting those awesome pictures you wish were your content. (Consequently, learn from those cool profiles).

Email marketing.

There are a bunch of free email marketing tools out there that can do some cool stuff. Most popular from my experience, would be Mailchimp. However, all you have to do is go back to your friend Google and type in free email marketing and do some research on what best fits your needs.

Web mail computer keyboard button for business contact concept. Email envelope icon key in blue color.

Networking.

I know, talking to people can be scary. That is to say, if you find yourself at a free marketing happy hour, talk the talk! Have your elevator pitch ready and go into it with a positive attitude. Even if you don’t get a sale or a client right there, you have planted a seed. Continue to follow up and make a relationship. Certainly, networking can be a powerful way to grow your company.

Blogging.

Like what I am doing now? Yep! Have a landscaping business? Blog about the newest trends you are seeing for the summer. What about some fun tips for your garden? I mean, that sounds interesting to me!

Free downloadable resources.

There is so much free stuff on the internet. If you don’t know much about SEO, download a free ebook about it or register for a one hour webinar on it. Likewise, it’s the same thing with literally anything marketing. Like I’ve said before, just Google.

There are a lot of free marketing things and resources you can get away with to start off your strategy. Have any questions? Reach out!

Analyze. Create. Achieve.

November 12, 2019

Client Interview with a Marketing Coordinator

Hi all,

Recently, while on a product photography shoot, we conducted a quick Q&A interview with a recurring customer. Chelsea is a marketing/sales coordinator for a local company we’ve worked with frequently over the last few years. A great company making fantastic one of a kind products. We candidly asked her what she likes about her role and some general marketing questions.

What’s your role in marketing?

Chelsea: “So, I’m the sales and marketing coordinator here. I help coordinate trade shows. I help with photographic shoots, and I also manage a product line with our company. It’s really exciting because we’ve gained some new customers recently. We have a trade show in Pittsburgh and then one in New York in a few weeks too.”

What’s the hardest thing about marketing?

Chelsea: “Umm, so, probably finding out what people will like. Trying to grab their attention. Seeing what gets peoples attention and why they’d want our product. Since we have a new product line, I’m trying to find out what’s going to make them want our products over our competition. Learning about what sets our products apart. There’s other products that are similar, well, more simplified versions, but ours are unique and I have to show that.”

If you had to put a number on it. What percentage about marketing, do you think, is related to creativity?

Chelsea: “Wow!…Honestly? A LOT! You have to be creative. I would say, wow, 70-80% really. Even if you are writing a simple email blast you have to have it creative. What’s going to make them NOT want to delete your email? Finding that creative niche, that attention grabbing moment is super important!”

How important are the images, or photography, to your marketing plans?

Chelsea: “Oh my!” Extremely important. So, yes. Crucial! You have to show our products in many ways, even in lifestyle settings. For example, we even found that we had older product photos and once we had new photos taken by you guys, we sold them! I mean we sold many older products that weren’t selling once we had new images of them. They were updated, better focused, and started selling a lot better.”

That’s fantastic!

Chelsea: “Yea! Honestly. We’ve found that really high quality pictures are really really important!”

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned about marketing in your time here?

Chelsea: “Wow, I’ve learned a LOT. So, I came right out of college and I had no idea hardly what I was doing. College isn’t real world, it’s all like books, studying, book knowledge, and tests. It was hard at first. For instance, you take the concepts that you learn in school and apply it to your work in the real world. Getting a customers attention, like I first said, is probably the biggest thing.”

So, in conclusion, if your local business has a need for updated photography, design work, or a new website…drop us a line! 77 Design Co is here to help you grow your business and increase sales the only way we know how… through creative visual marketing!

Analyze. Create. Achieve.

October 30, 2019October 30, 2019

A Brief History of Halloween!

Halloween is here! It’s one of our favorite days of the year!

Why do we dress up? What’s trick or treating all about? Why do we carve pumpkins? Have you ever wondered why Halloween started and what traditions continued through the years, changed or have been phased out? Read further to find out more.

History

So, Halloween technically began as the festival of Samhain. Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the “darker half” or winter as we know it. The festival takes places October 31 – November 1. Celts believed that on the night before the new year (November 1), the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred or thin. Scary stuff! Most importantly, they would have big parties or feasts and dress in costumes because they believed it would scare away the ghosts and spirits. Do you see the correlation?

Consequently, we then get to America, where we traditionalize everything and make carving pumpkins and trick or treating super popular. Meanwhile, let’s talk about trick or treating. So, young women believed that on Halloween they could divine the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks with yarn, apple parings or mirrors. Subsequently, it then trickled down to young children dressing up and getting candy from neighbors.

Did you know? One quarter of all the candy sold annually in the U.S. is purchased for Halloween.

So, do you carve pumpkins? Do you go the traditional scary route or do something fun and different? Are you the type of person that will hand out candy to little kids or keep the light off?

Speaking of modifying traditions, there are parents that have a basket of candy for kids, and a basket of beer for the parents that go around with them. In conclusion, that is a modern twist on a tradition that we can get down with!

Costumes?

What’s the coolest costumes you have? Send us photos and we’ll share them on social media!

77 Design Co owner, Rob Hoffman and his Halloween costume.

Analyze. Create. Achieve.