Marketing Muzings

Elevate Your Business

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 19:29:38 GMT

The Importance of a Brand Refresh

In today's ever-evolving business landscape, staying relevant is paramount to success. Your brand is the heart and soul of your business, and its perception can make or break your market presence. While the idea of refreshing your brand might seem daunting, it's a strategic move that can yield significant benefits. Here are five compelling reasons why you should consider giving your brand a refresh.

A dapt to Changing Market Trends

Cons umer preferences and market trends are in a constant state of flux. What resonated with your audience a few years ago may not hold the same appeal today. A brand refresh allows you to realign your image with the current market landscape. It enables you to integrate contemporary design elements, messaging, and values that better resonate with your target audience. By adapting to changing trends, you can maintain a competitive edge and attract a new generation of customers.

Reflect Company Evolution

As businesses grow and evolve, their brand should evolve with them. Perhaps your company has expanded its product or service offerings, entered new markets, or undergone a shift in mission and values. A brand refresh provides the opportunity to reflect these changes accurately. It ensures that your branding aligns with your current business identity, making it easier for customers to connect with your brand story and offerings.

Reconnect with Your Audience

Over time, customer preferences and demographics can change. A brand refresh provides an opportunity to reconnect with your audience. It allows you to engage with your existing customer base while also appealing to new segments. Through market research and strategic branding, you can create a brand that resonates on a deeper level with your customers, fostering stronger connections and brand loyalty.

Boost Brand Equity and Recognition

A well-executed brand refresh can breathe new life into your business. It can rejuvenate your brand's image, making it more appealing to customers and stakeholders alike. As your brand gains a fresh and contemporary look, it increases its equity and recognition in the market. This heightened visibility can lead to increased brand trust, customer loyalty, and ultimately, improved business performance.

In conclusion, a brand refresh is not merely a cosmetic makeover; it's a strategic investment in your business's future. It enables you to adapt to changing market dynamics, reflect your company's evolution, outshine competitors, reconnect with your audience, and enhance your brand's equity and recognition. If you're considering a brand refresh, now is the time to embark on this transformative journey that can position your business for sustained success in the dynamic world of marketing.

Muze Marketing is here to help you transform your business branding and stay ahead in the ever-evolving market landscape. Make 2024 the year of your business's fresh start.

Understanding Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses

stephanie@muzemarketing.com (stephanie hanussak) — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 03:36:50 GMT

what exactly is social media marketing?

If you’re a small business owner, you know how important it is to stay relevant in the digital age. One of the best ways to do this is by engaging in social media marketing. But what exactly is social media marketing? Here we’ll break down the basics of social media marketing and discuss why it’s an essential tool for your small business.

What Is Social Media Marketing?

Simply put, social media marketing is the process of creating and promoting content on various platforms in order to increase brand awareness and build relationships with customers. This could include anything from creating posts on Twitter or Instagram, to running ads on Facebook or LinkedIn. The most important thing to remember is that social media isn’t free advertising – it requires effort, strategy, and planning.

Why Does Social Media Matter?

Social media has become an essential tool for businesses of all sizes because it provides an opportunity to connect with potential customers in a meaningful way. By engaging with them directly through comments, likes, and shares, you can build trust and establish yourself as an authority in your field. Additionally, having a presence on social platforms can help with SEO efforts by increasing your website traffic and improving your search engine rankings.

How Do I Get Started?

The first step towards launching a successful social media campaign is understanding who your target audience is and where they spend their time online. Once you have identified which platforms are most relevant for your business, create profiles and begin building relationships with potential customers by engaging with them directly through comments and shares.

To help you find out which platforms your target audience are using, here is a quick overview of the top social media platforms across the web. Depending on how much time or money you can spend on your social media strategy, we recommend selecting 1 - 3 platforms that fit your target audience best and to focus on.

(This overview is everywhere across the web - unknown original source to cite.)

Facebook

Users: 1.79 billion daily active users worldwide

Audience: Generation X and millennials

Industry impact: B2C

Best for: Brand awareness; advertising

Twitter

Users: 186 million daily active users worldwide

Audience: Primarily millennials

Industry impact: B2B and B2C

Best for: Public relations; customer service

Instagram

Users: 1 billion monthly active users

Audience: Primarily millennials

Industry impact: B2C

Best for: Natural-looking media, behind-the-scenes, and user-generated content; advertising

Users: 675 million monthly active users worldwide

Audience: Baby boomers, Generation X, and millennials

Industry impact: B2B

Best for: B2B relationships, business development, and employment marketing

YouTube

Users: Over 2 billion logged-in monthly users worldwide

Audience: Millennials, closely followed by Generation Z

Industry impact: B2C

Best for: Brand awareness; entertainment, and how-to videos

Snapchat

Users: 249 million daily active users worldwide

Audience: Primarily Generation Z

Industry impact: B2C

Best for: Brand awareness; advertising

Users: 416 million monthly active users worldwide

Audience: Primarily older millennials and younger baby boomers

Industry impact: B2C

Best for: Visual advertising; inspiration

Additionally, focus on creating quality content that resonates with your target audience – this will help engage more people organically over time. Finally, consider investing in paid advertising campaigns to further boost visibility on these platforms.

Social media marketing is a powerful tool that can be used to enhance brand awareness and build relationships with potential customers. It requires effort, strategy, and planning but can result in increased website traffic and better search engine rankings over time—making it well worth the investment for any small business looking to stay competitive today! With the right approach—and consistency—you can leverage social media marketing to grow your business online.

Still need some help? Drop us a line and schedule a time to talk about our social media management services: info@muzemarketing.com

The New Customer Journey

stephanie@muzemarketing.com (stephanie hanussak) — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 06:37:24 GMT

Why Should I Care About My Online Presence?

Marketing and the Internet...

The creation of the internet means people can share information and communicate from anywhere in the world as long as they have a connection. This has changed the way the world behaves. There are more than 4.5 billion active internet users today. With that many daily users, you can see why digital marketing has become essential to the Small the medium sized business (SMB) owner. The internet has shifted consumer habits when it comes to conducting research, shopping, connecting, and staying informed. To keep up, marketing had to change too. The basic foundation of marketing has always been to connect with your audience in the right place, at the right time; which means you need to meet your audience where they are spending their time. Today, that is online.

When you think of the internet, what comes to mind? Access to worldwide information? Connection to friends, family, and customers? Streaming, shopping, and other forms of immediate gratification? Those are all valid first thoughts because that's how we use the internet on a daily basis.

Marketing and the Internet...

The creation of the internet means people can share information and communicate from anywhere in the world as long as they have a connection. This has changed the way the world behaves. There are more than 4.5 billion active internet users today. With that many daily users, you can see why digital marketing has become essential to the small the medium sized business (SMB) owner. The internet has shifted consumer habits when it comes to conducting research, shopping, connecting, and staying informed. To keep up, marketing had to change too. The basic foundation of marketing has always been to connect with your audience in the right place, at the right time; which means you need to meet your audience where they are spending their time. Today, that is online.

Digital marketing is now the “norm”. We expect ads in front of YouTube videos or to appear in our Instagram feed, we know they are coming. We live in a society where we don’t necessarily see ads as an advertising measure, but as another form of media we are exposed too. Instead of checking the newspaper for new local restaurants we head to Google to look for breakfast places “near me”. Instead of calling the number we see on a bus stop, we prefer to click a link to a website and use the easily-accessible contact information. The million dollar question remains; how does a SMB go about leveraging the digital age to grow their business? Let’s start with the customer journey.

The Customer Journey. What Does it Include?

The internet has been around for more than 40 years, but the customer journey has existed since the stone ages, so how has the internet impacted that journey? Let’s say a consumer tells a friend of theirs about your business. Friend 2, trusts Friend 1, and becomes interested in your product, so Friend 2 begins to further explore and educate themselves on what you have to offer. Friend 2 is on the “customer journey”. Here at Muze we want to help you and your business get to know this journey and process. Let's start by breaking it down into 5 stages.

Interest & Awareness:

You must create awareness about your small business and what you offer.

How do you do this?
- Social/search advertising
- Email/text marketing
- Loyalty programs
- YouTube / Video ads

Findability:

After becoming aware of your business through your strategic advertising, customers start to discover more with search.
There are more places than ever where people are searching for businesses. It’s not just Google either.

There are:
- Organic Search
- Pay Per Click
- Maps
- Directories and Listings (Google My Business)
- Apps
- “Near me”

Reputation:

Once a consumer finds your business, they will look at your ratings, reviews, and recommendations to help them compare choices. In fact, it’s often the first thing showcased in Google search results.

You can manage your reputation with:
- Blogs & Articles
- Reviews
- Social Media
- Friends and family

Conversion:

The next step in the consumer’s journey is finally connecting with your business. Consumers are looking for quick, easy ways to make a booking, place an order, or an appointment, etc.

You can accomplish this through:
- Website
- App
- Online booking
- Phone Call
- In-store purchase

Advocacy:

It’s important to do everything you can to encourage happy customers to return again, and tell others about you! After all, this is ultimately what brought them to you in the first place. Reaching out to them for a review helps you to stay in touch and engage with your existing customers, while at the same time receiving positive reviews and sharing them to generate new customers.

You can accomplish this by using:
- Social Posting
- Reviews
- Blog
- Word of mouth

It’s important to show up and win your customer over at every stage of the buying journey, otherwise, you could be helping drive consumers directly to your competitors. It is clear and simple when a customer is happy and satisfied they are more likely to return. Make their experience with you and your business a memorable one. When it stands out to them they are more likely to pass on the positive thoughts they have about your services.

Let’s say the consumer is making their way along the journey. They became interested in a small business after seeing a Facebook ad, then looked up that small business and found them; but, there were multiple negative Google reviews that hadn’t been responded to. Now, they likely won’t trust this small business. What does this consumer do? It’s very likely they’ll go directly to the next stage (the buying stage), but with a competitor who has more favorable reviews, or a better reputation. This is why it’s important to win at every stage of the customer journey.

Did you learn anything? Did you enjoy reading about the customer journey? Make sure to check back in a couple weeks for more guidance on your digital marketing quest. Don't forget to follow us to learn more!

Top 3 Reasons Small Businesses Should Consider Offline Marketing

stephanie@muzemarketing.com (stephanie hanussak) — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 03:50:48 GMT

Top 3 Reasons Small Businesses Should Consider Offline Marketing

Jingles used to incorporate business phone numbers quite frequently.

But now, we direct people to our websites or a physical address. Sure, things have changed, but it’s still advertising. We still need to reach people and ask them to visit our location.

And now that more people are working from home, they have more time to read their mail.

You can send flyers, postcards, and brochures in the mail, and they’ll get noticed. So here are three reasons you should consider offline marketing in addition to your online marketing efforts.

1. Offline Is Still Relevant

Offline marketing tools reach many more people than just online. This is because people do much more than just spending time online looking at websites.

In 2018, Nielsen found that Americans spend half the day (11 hours) interacting with media. Out of those 11 hours, over four hours are live TV, 36 minutes are “time-shifted TV” (DVR), and almost two hours are radio.

This means that seven hours has nothing to do with online. Radio, newsprint, and direct mail marketing are good reasons to shift your advertising offline. People want information more tangibly.

2. Solidify Your Message

The more you get your name out in front of people, the better. And using different methods, such as offline, helps solidify the message and make your budget stretch farther.

Repeated brand exposure not only keeps a brand’s messaging and products top-of-mind for consumers, but Entrepreneur reports that it can also instill a sense of familiarity and trust .

Not everyone wants to spend time online looking for answers to their issues. And direct mail, for example, allows you to target specific people ideal to your market.

In addition, people perceive direct mail as more reliable and trustworthy.

3. Offline Marketing Is For All Ages

We tend to think offline advertising is for the older people who typically don’t use online to gather information. However, this is simply not true.

All ages love to get mail, listen to the radio, and watch TV.

The USPS Household Survey found that response rates from 18- to 21-years-olds doubled in 2016 .

That’s good news because offline marketing is affordable.

We are Muze Marketing, and our sister company is Workmate Business Printing...It's no coincidence. Print is such a valuable tool when it comes to business marketing success. Using both online and offline marketing is best to get optimal results, and we’d love to help you with it. Contact us today!

7 Best Tips for Social Media Calendars

stephanie@muzemarketing.com (stephanie hanussak) — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 16:53:09 GMT

7 Best Tips for Social Media Calendars

Using both printed pieces and online outreaches is needed to be successful in business. An effective and efficient social media calendar will make all the difference when adding social media to your marketing lineup. Here’s how to do it well:

7 Best Tips for Social Media Calendars

1. Set short-term goals.

Determine what you are trying to accomplish with your social media efforts. Be specific, start small, and make it practical.

2. Use a goal-setting worksheet.

Mark down your goals to know why you are doing what you are doing. Set social media goals that lead to real business results.

Better target your ideal customer.
Gather intel on the competition so you can stay ahead.
See what’s already working and what’s not.
Create or improve your social media profiles.
Develop a thoughtful content strategy and set a publishing schedule you can stick to.
Track your progress and adjust your plan as needed.

3. Plan your campaign goals.

According to the Social Media Examiner, the purpose of a social media calendar is to provide a framework for sharing content that resonates with your audience and promotes your business.

4. Focus on goals.

It’s fun to jump on new social media trends, but stay focused on your goal.

It’s okay to add a few fun things, but don’t let it sway you from what you are trying to accomplish. Try to promote your business with your posts.

5. Be sure to post.

Create a plan that isn’t contingent on what’s new and exciting. Instead, use solid topics and business help for your customers.

6. Conduct a social media audit.

A social media audit is reviewing your business’ metrics to assess growth, opportunities, and what can be done to improve your social presence. First, find out what got the most responses in the past, and use that to fuel your posts. Then, create more posts with similar type information.

7. Be consistent.

Instead of randomly posting on five sites, pick two (such as Facebook and Instagram) and focus on regular posts. Then, once you feel confident in your posts, add others as you can consistently do so.

When posting, being consistent will pay off. Here's a handy social media scheduling tool that we think will help, that you can download and use:

Breaking Down the Buyer's Journey

stephanie@muzemarketing.com (stephanie hanussak) — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 04:28:01 GMT

Breaking Down the Buyer's Journey

The buyer’s journey lays out the process the buyer takes when buying a product or service. Understanding this journey allows you to be better prepared to meet your customer’s needs each step of the way.

Stage 1: Awareness

In this stage, the customer is made aware of a problem they would like to alleviate. They research this problem so they can better identify it.

Actions you can take in stage 1.

You can provide the prospective client with information to educate, entertain, or inspire them.

For example, your company could provide information through brochures, blogs, website content, press releases, videos, and social media. Not only will you inform your client base, but you will also grow your clients. According to HubSpot, blogging increases your website traffic by about 55%.

Stage 2: Consideration

Now, the prospect has identified the problem and begins to research ways to alleviate it. The prospect will start to compile a list of products and brands.

Actions you can take in stage 2.

You’ll want to effectively communicate to the prospect how your business can solve their problem and why you can better provide what they need over your competitors.

Continue to provide resources to your prospect, this time focusing on what makes your product or service stand out through your unique selling proposition.

Stage 3: Decision

Now it’s time for the customer to decide which company and product to go with.

The customer has done their research. Throughout their research, your company has hopefully come up multiple times as a reliable resource for them. This in itself will subtly make your company more attractive.

Actions you can take in stage 3.

You must be able to respond to potential objections or hesitations the customer may have about buying from your business.

Provide a unique selling proposition to better help your business stand out. This will help your business maximize conversion rates, turning prospects into customers.

Stage 4: Post-Purchase

The customer has completed a purchase and will eventually consider buying from you again.

Statistically, past customers are much more likely to buy from you compared to prospective customers. According to the book Marketing Metrics, businesses have a 60-70% chance of selling to an existing customer compared to only a 5 to 20% chance of selling to a new one .

Actions you can take in stage 4.

It’s your job to continue interacting with your client, so they purchase again.

Perhaps send them flyers through a direct mail campaign to accomplish your goal of turning a one-time customer into a loyal one. Thank them for their purchase and provide a call to action.

Every buyer’s journey is unique.

Knowing the buyer’s journey framework is helpful, but keep in mind it breaks down an extremely complex process into the simplest form.

The exact buyer’s journey varies depending on the industry and the buyer. Therefore, do your own research into your customers’ unique buyer’s journey.

Perhaps try asking for feedback and providing gift cards as an incentive. If you need help mapping out the buyer's journey for your business, give us a call! This is one of the things that we do best!

7 Direct Mail Strategies Based on Social Media

stephanie@muzemarketing.com (stephanie hanussak) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 15:11:34 GMT

7 Direct Mail Strategies Based on Social Media

Direct mail has been around for as long as businesses have been around. Still, social media is relatively new in our world. With that said, there are some things to learn from social media when producing direct mail.

Take a look.

1. Test Direct Mail with Social Media.

You can use social media as a trial for your direct mail.

Before you print out a postcard, try using the graphics and text online on a social media post. Then see how the public responds to it.

2. Introduce Direct Mail Pieces.

Use social media to announce your upcoming direct mail. Try telling customers to look in their mailbox for special offers, catalogs, coupons, and deals.

3. Do It Often.

Social media has taught us that people like to see your information several times before responding, and this is true of direct mail as well. So, send out regular postcards, flyers, or mailers.

4. Ask For the Sale.

Social media is excellent for offering deals and coupons and asking for a call to action. When creating direct mail, we need to have a call to action to follow up with customers.

5. Find Your Target Customer.

When you use social media, you can see who responds.

There are lists available for direct mail that will do the same thing. Find your perfect customer and send them regular mail to boost sales.

6. Build Credibility.

Direct mail has more credibility than online ads.

Digital has come a long way in building trust, but consumers still cite credibility as a significant stumbling block.

7. Announce New Products to Customers.

Digital media regularly promotes new items, but it’s also not as in-depth as direct mail.

According to USPS, 54% of people surveyed tried a new product or business in six months in 2020 because they received a mail piece.

There are great ways to market your business online, but direct mail is still essential, and it makes people feel more confident in making buying decisions.

And if you are up for some new printed pieces, we’re here for you. Reach out today!

Call us: (541) 673-5506

Email Us: info@muzemarketing.com