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Lesson 4

Never stop
marketing.

  • “I’ve gone through three recessions, and here’s a really important hint: Companies that do not cut their marketing, and often increase their marketing in downtimes, increase market share.”

    – Rhonda Abrams, author, entrepreneur and USA Today columnist

  • Zig when
    others zag.

    When times are tough, marketing is the first thing businesses tend to cut. If you’re a customer-facing business, that’s a mistake, says Rhonda Abrams, bestselling author and entrepreneur. “If everyone else is cutting back, if you increase your marketing, you stand to gain market share.”

  • How to flex your
    marketing muscle

    Fortunately, a lot of platforms are available to help you reach your customers and find new ones, including social media, email, podcasts, your website and video conferencing. And while your marketing strategy doesn’t have to be expensive, it does need to solidly reflect your brand values and showcase how your business can uniquely meet your customers needs.

Sometimes, hard selling is not the right approach. Instead, a softer touch can deliver insights, content and opportunities to engage with you—building connections and trust with customers and prospects in the process.

A strong marketing strategy engages with customers where they already are. It provides useful information and drives lively conversation that positions you as a trusted advisor to your audiences.

  •  

  • Which social
    media platform
    should you use?

    When it comes to social media marketing, Facebook® is the leading platform that small businesses use to advertise their business—66% of them, in fact. That’s followed by YouTube™ (42%), Instagram® (41%), Snapchat® (15%) and TikTok® (12%), according to a 2021 Statista report.

    Before you choose any platform, do a bit of research to find out which ones your customer base is most active on.

Small business spotlight

    • Bro-ritos

      Marketing a brand to consumers and investors

      The team at Bro-Ritos had built a successful business that included a store and mobile franchising through food trucks. Then COVID-19 hit. To get through the crisis, they pivoted their business model to broaden their appeal in new markets through social media and to investors.

    • Bro-ritos

      Marketing a brand to consumers and investors

      Bro-Ritos beta tested the concept with a food tour and a game plan that included rebranding and marketing in niche markets. They implemented a mobile hotspot to help them stay connected while on a national food-truck tour. And they repositioned themselves as influencers and leaders in the community, not only for more website attraction and social media appeal, but also to attract financial backing and investment.

    • Bro-ritos

      Marketing a brand to consumers and investors

      After one-on-one mentoring with Verizon Comeback Coach Lucinda Cross, they learned that when pitching to an investor, whether in person or virtually using video collaboration tools, you have to be able to tell a clear story that outlines the costs, potential challenges and plan for success.

  • Take action.

  • Marketing beyond the “like” button: How to use social media to connect and collaborate with customers

  • 90%

  • Ninety percent of user accounts follow a business, according to Instagram.*

  • #1

    Be open. Be genuine.

    According to the Queen of Facebook, Mari Smith, “Brands that are strong and brave enough to go on camera and talk openly with their audience will go a long way to building a fiercely loyal fan base.”
  • #2

    Be consistent.

    Don’t put social media on the back burner when more pressing issues arise. Amplify your voice by publishing at least once a day.
  • #3

    Be grounded.

    Focusing on three areas—content, engagement and conversion—will help keep your social media strategy evergreen, even when big changes happen.
  • #4

    Be collaborative.

    Engage with your audience by asking questions, taking polls and even building partnerships with them. Build relationships with social media influencers in your industry (or become one yourself!) to help strengthen your presence online.
  • #5

    Be ready to adapt.

    Stay open to emerging trends in using social media to build engagement and sales.
  • Woman handing a credit card reader to a customer

    • “Make sure your content is created around your brand values. When a difficult issue comes up that may impact your business and your audience, you always come back to what your business stands for.”

      —Mari Smith, Facebook marketing expert and author of The New Relationship Marketing

    • Collaboration
      solutions       to help you
      market your business

    • Stay up to date with the latest tools and technologies to help support your marketing efforts and meet your customers where they are.

    • Mobile hotspots

      With mobile hotspots, you can take your business where you want and stay connected to customers, collaborate with colleagues and access the data you need—while avoiding public Wi-Fi.

      Explore devices

    • Video conferencing solutions

      Interacting with customers, employees and business partners can happen when and where you need it with video conferencing solutions that help bring people closer together for more effective collaboration.**

      Understand how

    Let's get started.