OUR APPROACH

Online marketing has been given a bad name by firms targeting small businesses with unrealistic expectations.  These firms preach push-button systems that require tiny investment and unlimited return on investment. ReallyLocal Marketing executes a finance-based, consultative approach to marketing that cuts through the gimmicks and gets back to the heart of what marketing of any kind–online or offline–is all about.  At the end of the day, marketing is taking a prospect from a State of Unaware to a State of Aware.  Quite simply, it is the process of educating a prospect to become aware of you as a solution to their problem.

By planning your marketing approach, your prospects become customers because they know, like, and trust you.  Not because they have been sold on you.  Every growing business executes these same marketing steps, whether doing so person-to-person or doing so through a media that allows them to leverage their time with the most valuable customers.

I invite you to explore the 4 steps below and consider how the businesses you have interacted with today have taken you on this journey.

 

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BUILDING A PROFITABLE PROCESS

Step 1 : Attract Your Ideal Customer
All marketing begins with introducing your company to your ideal customers.  By utilizing various search channels such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo, ideal customers see your brand when they are looking for a solution to their problem.  This is the same concept as the traditional Yellow Pages of yesteryear.  Other channels such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube can introduce your company to people who are likely to need your product or services in the future.

During this phase of marketing, you will encounter prospects at different points in the buying cycle.  It is important to remember our that our objective at this point is NOT to sell.  Step 1 is all about being seen by ideal customers and earning the privilege to deliver more value later.

Step 2: Nurture The Relationship
Step 2 is when you go from just  being recognized to now becoming top of mind.  During this phase, we focus on delivering value to prospects to build our position of authority.  This process is different for every business, and the process may even vary depending on how aware your prospect is of their problem or your solution.

For example, if you provide carpet cleaning services, we may deliver Facebook video ads showing people how to handle small spills themselves. This earns goodwill and positions you as an authority when that person requires professional services.  However, if you are a restaurant, then perhaps a delicious image served on Instagram just before lunchtime will be all the nurturing required.,  .

Step 3: Convert from Prospect to Customer
An incredible thing happens during Step 3, your prospect gives you money!  The act of someone giving you just $1 and becoming a customer is a very strong psychological hurdle causing that relationship to be forever changed.

Some businesses call this a tripwire. McDonald’s calls it the Dollar Menu. No matter what you call it, you have now earned permission to be a problem solver. By delivering exceptional products and services at even a small scale, your relationship continues to strengthen and you have earned the credibility and trust for future transactions. In business terms, you are now a Preferred Vendor.

Step 4: Optimize Lifetime Customer Value
In Step 4, you are now cashing in on this long term investment you have made into what was once just a prospect. You are now ready to offer your core services. You are ready to solve bigger problems.  And just as importantly, you are continuing to provide value above and beyond your customer’s expectations which will effectively block any competitor from stealing your customers . . . from doing exactly what you did to attract your customer as a prospect with Step 1 of this process.