To Partner or Not to Partner? Follow these 5 steps to make your decision easier

Small Business Owners:  How to prepare for a partnership 

Thinking of adding a business partner to expand your small business?

What steps will you take to make this important decision? 

Strong research skills are vital to getting the results you want: 

1) a partner that helps you grow your business and

2) a partner that matches your small business' & customers' needs  

 5 Research Steps for a Successful Partnership:

Step 1    Do your due diligence

Investigate the potential partner thoroughly before creating a partnership agreement

• What is their brand?  What do they stand for?  See my post on Brand Strategy for easy to follow fill in the blank sections.
• Who are their target markets? Competitors? Suppliers?  See my post on target marketing for more detail.
• What are the parameters of their business: products, geographic, online/offline?
• What are their financials:  check general public knowledge before you request company access?
• Where is their marketing strategy?  Traditional, Trade, Direct Marketing, Social Media, Public Relations
• Complete a full SWOT analysis:  Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats 

Bonus: Here are a few free SWOT templates from Smart Sheet, Business News Daily and Creatly (powerpoint ready).

Step 2 Your turn

Answer the above questions about your own business as if you were an outsider

Step 3 Compare Step 1 & 2

Create a side by side chart for each area.  Use a large white board or multiple poster boards or if you prefer project management software or Excel spreadsheets. 

• Where are the inconsistencies or differences?  
• Is the potential partner filling gaps in your portfolio or markets or adding more?
• Are the differences deal breakers or a solution waiting to happen?

Step 4  Think beyond the initial partnership

Consider how your business will grow

• Where will the partnership be in a year? 3 years? 5 years?
• What terms must be included to mitigate risk for both parties?
• How will the partnership impact the overall market for your business?
• What changes are you willing to make to make the partnership work?
• Financials, financials, financials….

Step 5 Gut check

How do you feel about this partnership? 

• Is it right for your business?
• Is the timing right for your business?  

 Protect the small business you created. 

Take time to do thorough research before jumping into a new partnership.  

Start your research and get excited about the opportunities to grow your small business into the future. 

Heather is the creative brand coach, a marketing consultant helping businesses & professionals build strong brands to connect with their target market. Her prior experience includes Research & Development and Brand Management Marketing for global consumer products goods companies.  For over a decade, she has helped small business owners focus on their passion and their products, while creating strong brands and solid business plans.

Find Heather via Twitter @creativebrandch or the blog SmallBusiness, Big Brand.

Target Marketing 101

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The mission of Small Business, Big Brand is to give small business owners easy to use brand & marketing techniques to strengthen & grow their business. 

Target Marketing 101: 

Basic techniques to find your high value customers

Given that marketing is becoming more personalized, the key to success in business is reaching your high value target market.  So how do you find your target market?     
Use these Basic techniques to get closer to your target market… so you can give them what they want…
and grow your business. 

FIRST List the qualities of your ideal customer

• Who are your most loyal customers? 
• What problem does your product/service solve & who needs your product service most?
• Where can you find customers that use your product/service?  Locations offline/online, geographic, industry
• Why do they love your brand & who else is similar?
• Who else could become part of your target market that isn’t already?
• Think beyond basic demographics of age, location & industry to include life stage, hobbies, & values

NEXT  Create a target market communication plan 

• What forms of media do they enjoy and use regularly? 

• What advertising are they motivated by:  types of content, message type & form of media? 

• What is the cost of reaching your target market for each media type? 

• Which ones are in budget & likely to succeed? 

• Use a small sample to test your communication in multiple forms of media & with multiple messages. 

• Choose the one that works the best. 

FINALLY  Listen to your target market

Now that you are sending out your message...

• Use comments, social feeds, social media listening, your sales team & customer service to:
• Hear what your target market thinks of your brand, product/service, & marketing communication. 
• Adjust your campaign with this input as needed to stay 1) relevant & 2) ahead of what your target market needs.  Anticipate what will make them value your product even more. 

Let these techniques help you find your target market so you can reach them with the products and services they want and need for better business results.

Repeat this process with any new products to make sure you invest wisely in successful advertising, social media and marketing.

“Target Marketing means you are putting your customer and their needs at the center of your focus and attention.  You are making your customer the most important aspect of doing business, so your products/services are the best they can be. “ 
- Heather Bennett, Creative Brand Coach

Here are a few expert resources to keep in mind for more information about target markets. 

The Future of Marketing: 90% ofMarketers Say It’s All About Getting Personal 

from @MobileMktrDaily

My take: Marketing is moving to individualized message,  therefore it is important to know your audience to get the individualized message right.  

Don't Spoil Secrets with Retargeting: 5 tips 

by Bryan Pearson Simply collecting information isn’t the answer to understanding your customer and building a lasting relationship. Marketers need to use this data wisely and keep their customers’ needs and desires at the center of the business. The post shares 5 tips about how to do that.  My take: Clear tips to understand your target market.

Four simple steps todefining and reaching your target market

by Paula Hutchings & @TalentedLadies 

My take: This group sets the bar high for useful, helpful & practical business knowledge.  A terrific set of steps to help guide you to your target market

How to Use Laddering By Henk Hoets
Quote: "You use laddering to develop unique selling propositions in your ads. "

My take: Using laddering to better understand your target markets, useful to creating content specifically for your audience

Heather is the creative brand coach, a marketing consultant helping businesses & professionals build strong brands to connect with their target market. Her prior experience includes Research & Development and Brand Management Marketing for global consumer products goods companies.  For over a decade, she has helped small business owners focus on their passion and their products, while creating strong brands and solid business plans.

Find Heather via Twitter @creativebrandch or the blog SmallBusiness, Big Brand.

Need help finding real world design inspiration? 4 steps to get inspired

So your small business has an empty shop window to fill, a trade show exhibit to build, or a product launch party to plan...how do you create a physical environment that gets your customers attention?  With solid set design skills, of course.  

Set Design:  How to Get Inspired

                Over the years, I have been designing sets for theater productions and events.  Each project starts with an inspiration session that can last weeks before the actual set is drawn and construction begins.  My personal process for getting inspired has evolved over the years, but a few specific sources have remained.  Many of the techniques I use can be applied to making a business space stand out.  I would like to share these to inspire you, whether you are designing a storefront window, planning an over the top party or event, creating a trade show must-see booth, or simply creating a unique space for your customers to enjoy your products.  

Grab a sketch book & pencils, and get started!

Step 1:  Go see a movie. 

Hollywood has provided us with a lifetime of visual inspiration.  Watch a period piece to see how fabric and knickknacks have changed over the years.  Use the brilliance of CGI to imagine color and size combinations that will make your design memorable.  Immerse yourself in the story to understand what elements are expected.  For example, I reluctantly forced myself to sit through a horror movie in preparation for a haunted house design and was shocked at how much it helped me with details like lighting, staging and props.   

Step 2:  Break out the crayons and coloring books. 

The simplicity of coloring books focuses on lines, angles and curves and are a great jumping off point for big picture design.  Besides, spending a few minutes coloring has been shown to relax adults, allowing their minds to open and think tangentially about a situation, problem or design.  Comic books and cartoons also offer clean, efficient images. 

Step 3:  Take a hike.  Look for Art and Architecture. 

Take a walk around a city.  Look at the statues including their bases.  Examine fences, bridges, walls and buildings.  Look at details like trim and windows to see layers of pattern.  Walk in nature.  Note the way water changes color.  Compare the texture of different bark, leaves and stones.   

Step 4:  Grab your passport. 

Ok, not literally.  Go to Netflix, Amazon Prime, a library, thrift store or bookstore and find travel films, books and DVDs.  Seeing somewhere far away can open your eyes to create a mind blowing space.  I especially love House Hunters International, Better Late than Never, the Rick Steves videos, and anything in the Visions travel series.  These companies take a lot of time to get lighting and composition just right.

After I have compiled a stack of drawings and notes, I sit down with the director, event planner or building team and discuss the limitations of the stage, set pieces and whatever other parameters will control the design.    

Taking the time to fill my mind and sketch book with ideas allows me to design with depth and an attention to detail. 

After all, the goal is to surprise and delight with a scene that not only enhances the performance, but transports the audience to a whole, new world. 

Bring this level of excitement to your

Small Business to create a Big Brand.

Heather is the creative brand coach, a marketing consultant helping businesses & professionals build strong brands to connect with their target market. Her prior experience includes Research & Development and Brand Management Marketing for global consumer products goods companies.  For over a decade, she has helped small business owners focus on their passion and their products, while creating strong brands and solid business plans.

Find Heather via Twitter @creativebrandch or the blog SmallBusiness, Big Brand.

The mission of Small Business, Big Brand is to give small business owners easy to use brand & marketing techniques to strengthen & grow their business. 

Be inspired!  A little extra thought and research can lead to a truly unforgettable experience for your customers.

Look for the next post in the small business design series coming soon to Small Business, Big Brand.

Top Email Marketing Tips for Small Business

Email marketing is a great way for Small Businesses to reach their customers.  As a champion of working smarter to create the most cost-effective marketing plans, I want your emails to be even better.  I searched for the top tips, tricks, best practices and recommendations that matched what works well for small businesses.

Email Marketing Tips

Be consistent – Send a regular, weekly (or monthly) email so your customers know when to hear from you.

Keep top of mind – Keep your customers thinking about your small business by sending response emails such as…welcoming to email lists, confirming purchases, responding to inquiries/complaints/comments, and thank you notes for their business.

Give it away – Give your customers what they value by educating them on new advances in the industry, the latest trends, and offering useful discounts.

Segment your emails – Personalize emails by group, so customers knwo you are paying attention to who they are and what they need. 

Learn to love Unsubscribe – Allowing customers to unsubscribe is a great opportunity to see which emails are causing them to leave your address list and what is the best way to communicate with them.

Choose the right Email Service provider – Take time to find the email service provider that matches your and your customers' needs. Examples: Constant Contact, Active Campaign, Vertical Response, Active trail, Sendinblue, Get Response, MailChimp, Silverpop, Benchmark, AWeber, and Salesforce 

Let these tricks help you send smarter emails to your customers for better business results.

Email Marketing Resources

 In 10 Simple Marketing Tips for Small Businesses, Eric Holtzclaw focuses on strengthening the relationship between small businesses and their customers.  He suggests giveaways, regular weekly emails and creating excitement through events, both virtual and live. 

 Willie Pena not only shares 5 Ways to Grow Your Small Business Through Email Marketing, but also walks you through the crucial steps.  He discusses best practices, how to test and what to include in emails for maximum benefit.   

The Email Marketing Tips for Small Business blog by Manisha Kumar emphasizes the ROI and conversion rate benefits of using Email Marketing for small business emails.  The article also includes sections on protecting your current subscriber list, frequency and relevancy of emails and what to consider when choosing a service provider.  

The Top 5 Email Marketing Tips for Small Businesses from Kabbage Inc. gets right to the point with how to, how often, what to and who to send emails from a small business.  Keeping the receiver of the emails happy is a consistent theme throughout the article. 

Carly Brantz focuses on a very important aspect of email marketing in What is “List-Unsubscribe?”.  She gives links to a few other email marketing best practices, but the heart of this article is centered around including an unsubscribe option to reduce spam issues and other complaints regarding your business emails. 

Heather is the creative brand coach, a marketing consultant helping businesses & professionals build strong brands to connect with their target market. Her prior experience includes Research & Development and Brand Management Marketing for global consumer products goods companies.  For over a decade, she has helped small business owners focus on their passion and their products, while creating strong brands and solid business plans.  

Find Heather via Twitter @creativebrandch

or the blog Small Business, Big Brand.




The mission of Small Business, Big Brand is to give small business owners easy to use brand & marketing techniques to strengthen & grow their business. 

Small Business Owners: 4 tips for Marketing to Millennials

As a small business owner, you are always looking to grow your business with new customers.

From my experience as a small business & consumer products goods marketer, I have collected the best ways to reach customers.

These valuable tips show how to connect with

your new customers & next target market,

Millennials.  

4 tips to successful Millennial Marketing 

Listen 
Dedicate time to get to know what Millennials have to say & what they need.  


Go Mobile  
Simplify your communications & media to easily work on mobile devices.

Recheck your Quality 
Make sure your products, advertising, social media & services are of the highest quality.

Generate buzz 
Give them exciting, unique & dynamic content that gets them talking about your product.  They will reward you with good reviews & new loyal customers.  

Take the time to get to know what Millennials need and you will be rewarded with new customers from this important market segment. 

See my summaries of the articles below for more expert tips on Millenial Marketing.

In 5 Tips for Marketing to Millennials, Michael Fleischner discusses how to reach Millennials as a target market.  The core message for all five tips is to communicate with Millennials directly.  First, reach them by going where they are in social media and listening to what they have to say.  Then, creatively and consistently communicate directly with Millennials and give them the opportunity to easily communicate back and forth with your brand.    

In 3Essential Tips for Marketing to Millennials, Sujan Patel encourages marketers to really get to know millennials and although they are a diverse group, find common ways to reach them.  First, he recommends optimizing your marketing communication to work flawlessly on mobile devices.  Next, he suggests seeking help from their social world.  Millennials connect with and trust their social groups, which include friends and influencers they trust.  Additionally, he emphasizes how creating engaging and relevant content is essential with this target market.  This content will in turn help Millennials with one of their core goals - finding simple solutions to real life problems.     

In 5 Tips forMarketing to Millennials from a Millennial, Ryan Donegan reminds businesses to take Millennials seriously and give them credit for the research they do before making a purchase.  He insists businesses take quality seriously as Millennials will expect great service and great products.   Another powerful tip is to make it easy to purchase your product through one click purchasing.  And finally, he suggests giving Millennials something to talk about.  Without engaging content, your brand will never go up on their social wall or on their must buy list.

Heather is the creative brand coach, a marketing consultant helping businesses & professionals build strong brands to connect with their target market. Her prior experience includes Research & Development and Brand Management Marketing for global consumer products goods companies.  For over a decade, she has helped small business owners focus on their passion and their products, while creating strong brands and solid business plans. 

Find Heather via Twitter @creativebrandch or the blog Small Business, Big Brand.

The mission of Small Business, Big Brand is to give small business owners easy to use brand & marketing techniques to strengthen & grow their business.