by Karen Petrauskas | Dec 23, 2022
When you’re creating your marketing strategy, especially as we come into a new year… a customer journey is SO important. The way a consumer is looked after and treated throughout their experience with your brand is absolute key. If they love you, they’ll want to talk about you and recommend you to others. And that is the result we are looking for. Have you heard of word of mouth marketing?
As a business owner, you can spend so much [wasted] time creating content after content, scheduling up your social media channels, creating free content or giveaways, and everything else in between – but if it is not noticed, this is wasted time and resource.
A strategy holds the key to creating content and an audience that will love your brand.
Lots of small business owners, start-ups and anyone who doesn’t necessarily understand marketing thoroughly can struggle because they lack direction, knowledge and wisdom. But with a little steering and guidance this can change dramatically and amazing outcomes can be born.
Money can be poured into advertising campaigns, staff, experts and more – but for someone starting out, a good business plan is to utilise the most cost-effective strategy there is… word of mouth marketing.
WOMM is not a new thing, in fact it is the most original and basic strategy we have, and also the most effective, but not many focus their efforts on it.
Word of mouth marketing relies on customers sharing their experiences and recommendations with their networks, friends and family. They are bringing their own feelings and thoughts to the table and giving people an opportunity to trust their views. An extremely powerful process – and one that when done correctly, can impact massively.
And the facts speak for themselves; according to Nielson, 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising. WOW!
How can we utilise word of mouth marketing?
We can stop thinking about our needs and what we need to achieve and start to connect with people on their level.
Engage: Drawing people into conversations, understanding their pain points and creating relationships and rapport that can be nurtured and developed.
Solutions: Providing the solutions to what people are looking for and understanding what would work for them. Empower them with the answers that makes sense.
Emotion: Everything has an emotional value. If you can trigger an emotion in a consumer, you can start to relate and bring them on a journey.
Influential marketing
WOMM has influence and can trigger the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ of anyone’s decision making process. Its powerful effectiveness is often not known to outsiders, however, when you can take hold of this, and incorporate it into your business and marketing plans, you’ll see big results.
How can you influence the people you want to work with, or the types of people you want to love your brand?
Customer experience
Success with word of mouth marketing starts right at the beginning of a customer’s journey. Before they even know you exist.
You want to get to know your ideal customer [persona], understand what they are looking for, how they engage, who they talk to, where they hang out, what their pain point is, what would be the ideal solution, their budgets, their lifestyle, their demographics… research.
You also want to know what attracts, what looks good, what sounds good, styles, colours, feelings, what brands do they already engage with – this all play a part in the process.
When you have all the information you need, you can formulate a plan of action incorporating all these aspects, making sure you tick every box. When your ideal customer comes along, they will be attracted to your message and want to find out more. Their journey has begun…
Bring them through a process. Not many people will buy on the first message. They need to know, like and trust you. They will want to see proof that you are legit and when they get to a point where they trust you, they’ll start engaging with the things you say.
The more you can nurture and build a relationship, the better your chances of winning that customer.
That customer will then be happy to share their experience with others. When family members ask, when a friend is looking, a recommendation can be a powerful action.
If you’ve fallen down within the process, that review may be tainted, so it is essential that everything part of their journey is 100% good.
Have you experienced word of mouth marketing in your business and has it helped push your brand forward?
If you’re looking for exceptional results in your business marketing and would like to make the most of WOMM, we’d love to chat with you and get you started. Get in touch today, and let’s talk.
by Karen Petrauskas | Nov 30, 2022
Struggling to create engagement on social media?
Are you wondering what the secret is to gaining engagement on social media – if you’ve tried everything and nothing works, if you’re fed up with going round in circles and not getting the results you desire – it’s time to stop and take stock, re-evaluate, and regain focus. There is no magic formula to get the engagement flowing on social media, but there are things you can do to encourage it and to build your network.
It’s no secret that videos on social media are a good for business, but what happens when you don’t like to put yourself out there in front of a camera?
– Do what feels right for you.
Yes, videos do help build on engagement, but they don’t have to be cheesy. Video marketing is number one for social media marketing, if you’re not already using it, we encourage you to build it into your marketing plan. If you are already using video in your marketing, there are always ways to grow and improve to get a bigger and better impact.
Video marketing will help increase leads, get your audience talking and interacting, give more opportunity for your content to be shared and overall will be a good strategy to use for a small businesses looking to scale.
Our top tips for creating engagement goes way beyond a 60 second dance or lip sync and will keep your professionalism looking good! *Note, you do not have to be a copycat and look silly on TikTok to increase your following (unless you want to of course!) – stay sane with our more manageable strategies!
Plus, these can be engineered to work both on camera and through static graphics – pleasing both worlds and giving you the option of mixing things up and getting a little creative.
Top Tips for increasing engagement on social media
#1️ Be consistent.
Always show up when you’re expected. If you create daily content, create daily content. Don’t try it for a week and give up the next. Always find a balance to what you can do and what works, and stick to it. If you’re starting with video marketing for the first time, create a plan of what you intend to do over the course of a week / a month. Plan the days you’re going to create the videos, as well as the days they will be posted. You can ‘batch’ create if it’s easier and spend a chunk of time producing lots of content, which can be split up and made into individual posts for a period of time. Or you can create one video at a time as you go.
Social media videos do not need to be polished, they just need to be authentic – be you 🙂 Know what you want to say, make notes if you need to, and hit the record button. Choose a filter or sticker which goes well with your image, and be consistent in using those in subsequent videos.
Tip: Don’t go all in too quickly. You can build up to more content, but make a realistic plan of how much content you are able to produce so that it’s not too much pressure to keep up.
#2️ Add value.
This goes without saying. Everything you produce, say or do, should add value to the recipient or the audience. Your followers follow you for a reason, why do they keep coming back? Because they know what they’re going to get and they appreciate what you offer. By going above and beyond their expectations, you give them more reason to show up.
Always give more than expected; under estimate, over produce. You audience will grow and be receptive when they realise the value they get from your content.
#3️ Keep on brand.
Your brand is your identity, it makes you unique and stand out in a crowded room. Create content that is easily recognisable and true to your mission.
How can you showcase your brand?
What can you share that promotes your brand?
How can you incorporate your brand into everyday life without a pushy sales line on every post?
What makes you unique?
What’s your mission and what visions do your have?
#4 Solve problems.
People are searching and seeking for answers. Here’s your chance to help someone. Understand your audience and give them answers or solutions.
Use video to talk about the pain points people are going through, how you can help them see a solution?
Demonstrate work-arounds, problem solving, ideas and inspiration.
Showcase your wins – how they have happened and what you did to get there.
Be relatable to your audience and let them see that they are not alone.
#5️ Create eye-catching content.
There’s no point in creating content that no one sees. It’s a waste of your valuable time and it benefits no one. So, how do you create content that people notice?
What would you want to see if you were on the other side? What would make you stop and look? This is where you start, step into their shoes and visualise what it is that would make you stop scrolling.
Stickers, filters, music, captions, colour, branding… all these things come together, when done right, to create eye-catching material that is ready for your ideal customer.
Find your style, find what works for your audience, research what other people are doing and make your own version in line with what you do.
#6️ Be passionate.
Absolutely! If you don’t love what you’re doing, why should anyone else? This is your chance to share your passions, your ambitions, your desires, your visions, your goals… and to make a difference. Love your social channels, the followers, the people who interact – and give them a reason to love your brand too.
Be enthusiastic in your videos, smile in your photos, let the happiness bounce off the post. When you love what you’re doing, you give your audience reason to love you too! They’ll want to interact and engage, they’ll want to get to know you and build rapport, and they’ll want to share what you have to say with others who are looking for the same.
***
When you start to implement a dynamic strategy into your marketing, and follow these basic rules about how to find relevant and interested parties – then you will see results happen. And if you’re not sure where to start or how to do any of these things… ask!
Are you ready to take action?
If you’re still unsure about how to get started, now is the perfect opportunity to schedule a call and talk to us. We’re here to help your business get off the ground, gain exposure and get positive recognition. Let’s go – get in touch today!
Speak soon.
by Karen Petrauskas | Oct 21, 2022
How to create a basic marketing strategy
If you’re looking to grow your small business and see explosive results in the months and years ahead, there’s something you need to focus on right now… goal setting and a marketing strategy.
Often we can be afraid to move forward for fear of going backwards – if you’ve found yourself feeling like nothing works in your online marketing efforts – let us tell you that you are not alone.
Or perhaps you have bursts of great things that work, and then you hit a dry period. You think you’ve found something good, but then it doesn’t work again. Sound familiar?
Let’s look at the definition of a strategy: a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim.
This means that when you map out exactly what you want to achieve, inclusive of your overall business aims and goals, you can create a plan that will help you execute and deliver the goods.
There is never a better time than NOW to put plans into place to see an end result. Whether we’re coming into the busiest time of the year, coming to the end of the year, starting a fresh year, or are halfway through – there is always a time to put a strategy in place. Without a plan how do you know where you are going?
It’s the same as if you were on holiday, stick Google Maps on and enter your destination. You don’t know the area or where you should be going, but the device will point you in the right direction and make sure that you get there. You can tweak the route or ‘recalculate’ if you need to, and you will still end up in the right place.
This is a great analogy for online marketing too. The digital world is a busy place, there’s so much constantly going on around us and we can get distracted with just one click. It’s easy to jump on your favourite social platform to check or post something and come away an hour later with nothing to show for your time. We know where we’re supposed to be going but without a clear plan of what to do, we can get lost very easily.
So, how do we get away from this and find the clear path?
5 steps to creating a basic marketing strategy:
1) Identify and Set Goals
2) Understand your audience
3) Communicate your USP
4) Select your tools
5) Execute
#1 – Identify and Set Goals
Your marketing goals should reflect the goals that you’ve laid out in your business goals. If you’ve not done this, take a step back and have a think on your overall business expectations first of all. When you know where your business should be heading, you’ll have an idea of the direction that you expect it to go in.
Using these goals as a foundation, identify how you can make them come to life through marketing. For example, if your business goal is to have £XXX of revenue by the end of the year, your marketing goal may be to increase sales by 10% each month.
Identify the target, create the goal.
#2 – Understand your audience
Are you marketing to the whole world, or to the people that need to hear your message? If you’re not clear on who you are targeting, then you’ll end up with a wishy-washy message that gets lost in translation.
Identify the people who you want to target – create a persona. You may have more than one persona, but each goal can be directed to a particular one. It’s a snapshot of who your ideal customer would be.
Here’s a closer look for example: “A woman between 30-45, who lives in the city, who loves to shop, is looking for an outfit for work”.
This is a clear and definitive picture of who we can target. From this we can get to know her a little, where she hangs out online, what types of people are in her network, where she might like to shop, what types of content works best…
Understand the ideal persona.
#3 – Communicate your USP
USP – unique selling proposition, or unique selling point. There is always going to be competition, whether you’re aware of it or not, so learn to love your USP and use this to get over and above the crowd.
What makes you stand out, what makes your product or service the perfect choice? Why should someone buy from you?
Knowing how to position yourself will become part of your secret weapon!
Be unique and authentic.
#4 – Select your marketing tools
Wow, this is a big one, with so many online marketing tools to choose from, you could easily get lost in just this point. So, do some research. It may take time, but it’s better to do it before hand rather than during or after.
How can you measure what you’re doing and how can you create a systemised approach to your marketing?
Do you have the right equipment to see what works and what doesn’t, can you measure each step along the way?
Can you find a marketing tool that makes life easier?
Different areas of the marketing process will require different tools, so think about planning, communication, execution and measuring. Can you combine any of these, do you want to pay for premium platforms or go for free versions?
Find the tools that work for your business.
#5 – Execute
Once you’ve got everything laid out – you’re sure on who your ideal customer is, you know what your goals are, you understand what sets you apart, and you have the correct tools to get started – now it’s time to put the factors together and formulate a plan of action. You should by now know which direction you’re heading in! You need to get SMART!
It’s time to take action, it’s time to put into practise everything you’ve collated together and plan out a way to bring it to life. This needs careful consideration. You could look at all your data and still not use it to create the perfect marketing plan (please don’t do this!) – instead, use all the research you have pulled together to start your marketing journey on the right track.
Take the necessary action steps to move forward
Organisation can be a great asset at times like these – and with our Yearly Social Media Planner you can be sure that you can track all your goals; weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly, all together. It even includes a calendar to map out your monthly content too. Something this simple can be extremely effective in helping you stay on focus throughout the year across your online marketing channels.
If you’ve read all this, know it’s something that you need for your business but simply don’t have the time, knowledge or skills to put it together, we can help! Schedule a free consultation to introduce yourself and let’s see how we can create a great marketing plan for your business.
In the meantime, feel free to download our FREE social media checklist “Don’t forget the basics” to make sure you’re ticking all the boxes 🙂
by Karen Petrauskas | Sep 16, 2022
How do you retain customers? How do you scale and grow a business?
A great customer service, experience, and open communication is key.
We’ve been thinking a lot lately about the ‘customer journey’, not just for KJP Creative and our other interests, but for all the other people who we are surrounded by too. This includes our clients, our friends, the businesses we come into contact with through our networks… everyone. There’s no question that a good customer experience has a positive affect.
How?
- It’s boosts confidence in the customer.
- It gives them a positive experience.
- It makes them know that they are valued.
- It gives them reason to recommend your services or product.
- It builds trust and relationship.
These are all GREAT for growing and scaling a business!
When you’ve got a proven track record for customer satisfaction, it’s much easier & cost-effective to keep a current client and to work with them long-term, than it is to having to keep finding new ones.
Would you rather work with 5 well-paying, happy and easy clients who value your expertise and skills, or 20 low-paying, nit-gritty clients who ask questions at every decision?
It comes down to what your end goal is and the types of clients you prefer to work with. If it’s volume you’re after, then the latter is probably what you’re after – as many clients as you can get.
However if it’s value & desire to help and add value you’re looking for, you’d probably rather nurture your existing clients and scale and grow through a similar type of persona.
How do you create customer satisfaction?
#1 – Communication
Communicate with them at all times. Find out what makes them tick, what they like or need, and work with them to create what they are looking for, whether that be through a service or a product, communicate on all levels.
It doesn’t hurt to over-communicate, it’s when they’re left feeling alone or not knowing what you’re doing that gives a bad impression.
#2 – Check Ins
Check in regularly and make sure everything is ok. This could be in the form of an email – by newsletter if you’re talking about your customers as a whole – or a personal email just to let them know you’re thinking of them and are there to help.
Make it a regular exercise if possible to send an email at a certain day & time, so they get familiar with when to expect your correspondence. This also opens up the doors if they have questions, they know they’ll have an opportunity at this given time.
#3 – Reassurance
Give them a call, or arrange a video call. Hearing your voice can create reassurance. How often do you actually speak to your clients? If this is something you’re not comfortable with, partner with someone who can do this for you!
Clients like to know they’re getting the best value possible. By giving them a call and keeping them in the loop regularly, you’re letting them know that they’re in the forefront of your mind, and you’re doing all you can to help them.
#4 – Social Media
Use your social media channels – yes that’s right. Your social media can be used to create a positive vibe for your clients. It can help keep them in the loop with what’s happening, what’s coming up, offers, tips & tricks, feedback – and so much more. Your social media is a great place to build those relationships before the client journey even begins.
Nurture new followers, reach out to people who are engaging with you, schedule a call to see how you can help, send them a gift even! It’s about standing out and standing above the competition and letting your customers know that you care about them personally.
If you’re a small business who is struggling to grow past a certain point, perhaps customer service could be one of your sticking points. Take a closer look at the above points and see how you can better incorporate them into you business strategy. And in turn, bring it into your marketing strategy that enables you to scale.
If you simply don’t have the time to put so much effort into the customer service side of things through your online marketing, we’d love to have a chat with you to see how we can partner with you to help. Drop us a message and let’s have a conversation.
by Karen Petrauskas | Aug 3, 2022
Struggling with balancing summer holidays / family / running a business and social media?
It’s the summer holidays for many – so as a business owner, how do the school holidays effect your business life – and how do you work your marketing around the holiday season?
Getting to the summer is an achievement, many looking forward to a well-earned summer break with the family, however this does and can have repercussions on your social media channels if you’re not careful in the planning stages.
We talk about this so much, and probably sound like a broken record, but having a content plan and calendar really does help get your marketing organised so you can see clearly, laid out in front of you, what you need to do and plan how you’re going to do it. A content calendar helps you plan ahead for as long as you need; planning campaigns, showing gaps, or just placing content strategically over a time period.
So, if you’ve got to the beginning of the holidays and you’re struggling to think how you’re going to manage your social media while you’re off on your hols – NOW is the time to get it all in place so you can enjoy a few weeks of calm and fun.
And do you know what? Customers understand that August is holiday season. Most people are accommodating when they’re communicated to effectively. It’s when communication drops, that people lose trust in a brand. If you’re out of the office for a week or two, stick it on your email out of office. There’s nothing worse than a customer trying to get in touch from something they’ve seen on social, and then don’t receive a response from their email. A gentle out of office lets them know that they’re valued and you will be in touch as soon as you return.
You’re allowed to have a holiday!
It’s ok to take a break!
Don’t feel guilty and like you need to be working on your business 24/7, 365 days a year. It’s not realistic and it’s not healthy.
What is realistic is that you create great systems which help you to be productive and efficient when you are working, to cover for the times that you are not.
Get started on content planning
>> Grab a blank piece of paper, split it into 7 columns wide and 5 rows deep and write down the dates for the next month in each box, like a calendar.
Now you’re ready to plan, plan, plan.
#1 – start with what you know
Start to write in the content you know you need to share over that month.
Don’t make it complicated, you don’t have a whole load of time to get beautifully designed graphics prepared or perfectly worded copy written up. If you’re doing this last minute, make it as simple and easy as possible.
#2 – inspire others
Next, find some meaningful quotes and inspirational verses that you could share – make sure they will resonate with your audience.
#3 – get the conversation started
Why not try some light-hearted content that will fill in some of the gaps? What would make your audience laugh or smile? Pick some of the awareness days which fall into the month and create content around those.
#4 – curate content
Lastly, look for articles which have been written by other people that will work well for your audience – curated content. This maybe be blogs which you’ve recently read, or publications that you know are good for your readers.
All these things together can fill up a whole month’s worth of content. Once it’s all written on the calendar, it’s time to put it into action and use your favourite scheduling tool to get them ready.
#5 – schedule
** We only recommend tools that we have personally used – we suggest any of the following:
If you can isolate a day, or break it up into bite size chunks you can manage, you’ll have your holiday season covered in no time across all your social channels.
Hey, don’t sweat it though. If you have left it to the last minute and really don’t have time to think about all things social – we can do it for you! Plus we’ll be around to manage all the community engagement too if you’d like us to 🙂
… Connect with KJP Creative – just drop us an email with some details about you and your business and we will be in touch.
Happy holidays – And enjoy the sunshine!
by Karen Petrauskas | Jul 8, 2022
How are we in July already – The time certainly flies when you’re having fun!
Quarter 2: are you ready for the next season of the year?
It’s no joke that as a small business owner it can be hard to manage everything, especially when you prioritise and know that you have certain targets to meet. Social media can be hard to juggle and fit in to the pattern and to do it well creates even more stress for some.
How can you make a difference to the outcome of your social media efforts? ENJOY it! 😉
If you’re not creatively minded or don’t have a flair for design, perhaps you find it hard to create eye-catching graphics or posts that grab attention. But there is another way… tap into the emotion of your readers – make them laugh!
Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine. — Lord Byron
It’s ok to smile and laugh – in fact laughter is good for the soul, it motivates us, inspires us and gives us the energy to persevere and carry on. If you pass that onto your readers, you’ll give them that same boost and lift in confidence.
When you start to hit an emotion, people start to resonate, people start to enjoy your content, start liking or sharing, and before you know it, you’ve got a knock-on effect of engagement on your channels.
ALWAYS have fun with your social media content, it doesn’t matter what type of business or industry you are in, everyone’s human and enjoys a laugh every now and again.
Most people go on social media to check in with friends or family or to see what’s happening in the world – if you can brighten their day and give them something to smile about, even better!
So, as we delve into the second half of the year, be serious about the goals and targets you have for your business, but find creative ways to make them successful.
If you’re looking for a way to manage your marketing strategy, or are fed up with post-it notes everywhere and hundreds of tabs open on your laptop – why not treat yourself to a copy of our Social Media Planner, just £7.99 over on Amazon.
Whatever the season, whatever the day of the week, give your social channels the happiness they deserve.
If you’ve got anything to add, please drop a comment or below, we value your opinions also.
** Struggling to hit the emotion with your audience to see growth? Why not give us a call and let us work with you to create a social media strategy and plan to help you get the results you need to finish the year on target.
