Meeting Your Customer Where They Are

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Digital marketing strategy

Why an integrated, customer-led approach is now critical for SME growth

One of the most important shifts in modern marketing is not technological – it is behavioural.

The way customers discover, evaluate and choose has fundamentally changed. The traditional, linear progression from awareness to consideration to purchase has largely dissolved, replaced by a far more fluid, self-directed and non-linear journey. Today’s buyers move across multiple channels, research independently, validate through third-party sources, pause and return at different intervals and often form strong preferences before ever engaging directly with a business.

This is not a subtle shift. Research from Gartner and others indicates that buyers now spend as little as 17% of their decision-making time interacting with suppliers, with the majority of the journey occurring independently. In many cases, the first direct interaction is not the beginning of the process, it is close to the end.

For SMEs, this changes the role of marketing entirely.

The shrinking window of influence

One of the most significant implications of this shift is that the window in which a business can meaningfully influence a decision has narrowed.

Buyers are increasingly forming their views early, often arriving at a shortlist, or even a preferred provider, before any direct engagement occurs. Corporate Visions research suggests that over 90% of buyers begin their process with at least one vendor already in mind. At the same time, Gartner reports that 73% of buyers actively avoid suppliers that send irrelevant or poorly aligned outreach.

This creates a very different commercial dynamic. Marketing is no longer simply about generating leads. It is about shaping perception early, consistently reinforcing relevance and ensuring that when a buyer is ready to act, your business is already positioned as a credible and preferred choice.

A connected journey in an omnichannel world

The modern customer journey is not only self-directed, it is also inherently omnichannel.

Buyers now engage across an average of ten different interaction channels during their decision-making process and more than half expect a seamless experience as they move between them (McKinsey). Search, social, websites, reviews, referrals, email and direct interactions are no longer distinct phases – they are interconnected touchpoints within a continuous experience.

This has a critical implication for SMEs as customers do not experience your marketing in parts, they experience it as a whole.

Yet many businesses continue to execute marketing in fragments, campaign by campaign, channel by channel, team by team. The result is a disconnect between how customers move and how businesses are perceived.

The challenge: activity without continuity

Most growing SMEs are not under-investing in marketing. They are active, often highly so.

They may be running ad campaigns, producing social content, investing in search visibility and maintaining a presence across multiple platforms. However, these activities are frequently executed in isolation rather than as part of a connected system.

In practice, this fragmentation becomes evident quickly. Advertising may generate interest but landing pages do not fully align with the promise. Websites provide information but do not clearly guide decision-making. Social content builds awareness but not authority. Messaging varies depending on who is communicating or where the customer engages.

The result is diluted marketing which, in today’s environment, is costly.

The journey is continuous. Marketing is still episodic.

At the heart of this challenge is a fundamental misalignment. The customer journey is continuous but marketing execution, for many SMEs, is still episodic.

Campaigns are launched and concluded, content is created in bursts, channels are managed independently and messaging evolves depending on internal priorities rather than external context.

Meanwhile, the customer is forming a single, continuous perception of the business.

It is this gap between how customers navigate decisions and how businesses structure their marketing that now often limits growth.

Rethinking marketing around the customer journey

To respond effectively, marketing must be structured around how customers actually behave.

At the earliest stage, buyers are not searching for a specific business. They are seeking answers, insights or clarity around a problem. Businesses that perform well at this stage focus on discoverability and on providing valuable, insight-led content that demonstrates understanding rather than promotion.

As customers move into evaluation, they begin comparing options more deliberately. This is where clarity of value proposition, supporting evidence and credibility become critical. At this stage, brand plays an important role, not as a visual layer, but as a signal of trust, relevance and differentiation.

When a decision is imminent, simplicity becomes decisive. Clear messaging, intuitive pathways and defined next steps reduce friction and enable conversion. Any ambiguity at this point can undermine the momentum built earlier in the journey.

Not all prospects are ready to act at the point of first engagement. In many cases, decision-making is extended, requiring ongoing reinforcement through structured nurture, whether via retargeting, email or continued exposure to relevant content. Businesses that invest in this stage are significantly more likely to convert over time.

Once a customer is acquired, the journey does not end. Retention, re-purchase, cross-sell and advocacy become critical drivers of long-term growth.

Integration: following the customer, not the channel

What distinguishes high-performing SMEs in this environment is not the volume of their marketing activity, but the degree to which it is integrated.

Search captures intent at the moment of need. Landing pages translate that intent into clear value. Websites and content build confidence and reduce uncertainty. Retargeting maintains visibility across extended decision cycles, while email marketing nurtures relationships beyond the initial interaction.

Each channel has a role, but it is the connection between them that creates effectiveness. When marketing is structured in this way, it moves from a collection of activities to a cohesive growth system.

The outcomes are measurable. Lead quality improves because messaging resonates with the right audience. Conversion rates increase because pathways are clearer and more aligned to intent. Pricing becomes easier to defend because value is consistently articulated. Pipelines become more stable because the business is no longer reliant on sporadic bursts of activity. Most importantly, the business begins to meet customers where they are rather than expecting customers to adapt to how the business markets itself.

About Milestone-Belanova

At Milestone-Belanova, we work with growth-stage and mid-market organisations to align brand, positioning and digital marketing into structured systems that reflect how customers engage today.

Our Relentless Visibility™ approach is built on a simple principle: businesses do not grow by being everywhere, they grow by being consistently relevant at the moments that matter. By aligning each stage of the customer journey with clear positioning and integrated execution, we help organisations move from fragmented activity to sustainable, scalable growth.

If your business is generating activity but not achieving the level of growth it should, it may be time to consider whether your marketing is truly aligned to how your customers are navigating their journey.

Why Growing SMEs Stay Busy But Don’t Scale

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Why Growing SMEs Stay Busy But Don’t Scale

And why brand clarity is often the missing commercial discipline

At Milestone-Belanova, we regularly observe a consistent and often misunderstood pattern within growing small and medium-sized enterprises. These businesses are rarely lacking in effort, capability or even demand. In many cases, they are operating at full capacity, with strong pipelines and active teams. Yet despite this momentum, they are not scaling in a deliberate, profitable or sustainable way.

This plateau is particularly common among founder-led and growth-phase businesses that have successfully moved beyond the start-up stage. They have proven their offer, established a client base and built a level of market credibility. However, they have not yet developed the brand clarity and commercial structure required to support their next phase of growth. In the current Australian environment, where growth remains subdued, margins are under pressure and many SMEs are leaning towards defensive strategies, this lack of clarity becomes even more consequential.

What sits beneath this challenge is rarely just a marketing issue. More often, it is a brand issue and specifically, a lack of commercial clarity.

From founder instinct to organisational complexity

In the early stages of a business, founder instinct can carry significant weight. Many SMEs are built on deep expertise, responsiveness, strong relationships and a high level of personal commitment. Decision-making is fast, pricing is flexible, and messaging, while often informal, is persuasive because it comes directly from the person who understands the business most intimately.

This model is highly effective in establishing a business. However, what works in the founder stage often becomes a constraint in the growth stage.

As the organisation expands, teams grow, services diversify and more individuals begin representing the brand. At this point, reliance on instinct rather than a clearly articulated market position begins to create friction. The business becomes increasingly active but not necessarily aligned. Marketing efforts increase, yet their impact does not compound. In a market where resources must be deployed with precision, this misalignment limits scalability.

Reframing brand as a commercial discipline

For many established SMEs, brand is still perceived as a layer of communication such as a visual identity, tone of voice, or website design. While these elements are important, they do not address the underlying commercial function of brand.

At its core, brand is a framework for decision-making and strategic clarity. It defines who the business is best positioned to serve, what it does exceptionally well and why it is a more compelling choice than alternatives. It also establishes what the business wants to be known for and how it justifies its pricing in a competitive market.

When these questions are not clearly resolved, the consequences are far-reaching. Businesses begin to describe themselves in terms of what they do rather than why it matters. Marketing becomes feature-led rather than outcome-driven. Sales conversations become overly explanatory and pricing becomes increasingly difficult to defend.

Importantly, research continues to reinforce how commercially significant this is. Trust, reputation and perceived relevance are now central to purchasing decisions. Research from Edelman (Trust Barometer) shows that trust now sits alongside price and quality as a primary driver of purchasing decisions, while studies from PwC reinforce the growing role of reputation and brand in commercial strategy.

This places brand clarity not as a superficial concern but as a core driver of growth.

The scaling paradox: more activity, less coherence

A clear indicator that a business has outgrown its current level of brand maturity is the presence of increasing activity without corresponding clarity.

Websites are refreshed, campaigns are launched, content is produced and new offers are introduced. Yet despite this activity, businesses continue to experience inconsistent conversion rates, variable lead quality and ongoing pricing pressure.

The underlying reason is straightforward: activity without positioning does not scale effectively.

When brand clarity is weak, businesses tend to default to predictable patterns. They focus on features rather than relevance, describe processes rather than outcomes, and attempt to appeal broadly rather than strategically. Content is produced in volume but without contributing to a distinctive market position. Channels are pursued tactically rather than as part of a coherent customer journey.

This is particularly problematic in an environment where buyers are increasingly self-directed. Much of the evaluation process now occurs before a conversation ever takes place. Research from Forrester suggests that buyers complete 70-80% of their research before even engaging with a company which places greater pressure on brand clarity to do the work earlier in the decision process. In this context, irrelevance is not neutral, it actively diminishes trust.

How lack of clarity presents in practice

In practical terms, unclear brand strategy rarely presents as a theoretical issue. It manifests in day-to-day commercial friction.

Businesses speak extensively about their services, history and processes but fail to make the customer feel understood. Messaging is internally focused rather than aligned to customer priorities and decision drivers which results in communication that feels generic and interchangeable. Without a clearly articulated point of difference and defined value, businesses struggle to justify their fees. Sales processes become more negotiable than they should be and margins are often eroded through unnecessary discounting or scope expansion.

Over time, this creates a pattern in which a capable business is perceived as substitutable. Not because it lacks value, but because it has not translated that value into a position the market can recognise and trust.

The multiplier effect of consistency

As SMEs grow, consistency becomes increasingly important – and increasingly difficult to maintain.

With multiple contributors across marketing, sales and client engagement, variations in messaging are inevitable unless there is a clear brand framework guiding communication. This inconsistency is not merely aesthetic. It affects how the business is perceived, how quickly trust is established and how effectively it operates.

When different parts of the organisation communicate different messages, the result is confusion. Over time, this weakens credibility and makes the business appear less mature than it actually is. Consistency, therefore, should be understood not as a creative constraint, but as a commercial multiplier.

Why digital marketing often underdelivers

Digital marketing is frequently expected to compensate for deeper strategic gaps. Businesses invest in increased visibility across digital channels expecting improved results.

However, without a clearly defined and differentiated position, digital activity often amplifies existing weaknesses. Campaigns may generate attention but fail to convert. Content may increase engagement but not memorability. Visibility improves but persuasion does not.

Digital channels perform most effectively when they are built on a foundation of clarity. When a business can clearly articulate who it is, who it is for, why it is different and why that difference matters, digital marketing becomes significantly more efficient and effective.

The shift required for sustainable growth

For established SMEs, the transition to the next stage of growth is less about increasing effort and more about increasing precision.

This requires a more deliberate approach to positioning, ensuring the business is clear on the market space it intends to occupy. It involves prioritising audiences based on strategic value rather than attempting to serve all segments equally. It demands a value proposition that speaks to outcomes and impact, rather than features and process.

It also requires a pricing model that reflects confidence in the business’ position and a disciplined approach to brand architecture and messaging that ensures consistency across all touchpoints.

In the current SME landscape, where growth is challenging and resources are constrained, this level of clarity becomes a critical driver of efficiency, relevance and resilience.

What changes when clarity is achieved

When an SME establishes strong brand foundations, the effects are both immediate and practical.

Marketing becomes more focused and customer-centric. Content becomes more distinctive and purposeful. Sales conversations shift from explanation to confidence. Pricing becomes easier to justify and campaigns become more targeted.

As a result, lead quality improves as the right prospects recognise themselves in the messaging. Internal alignment strengthens, reducing friction and improving execution. Perhaps most importantly, the business gains the ability to make clearer strategic decisions about where to focus efforts for the future, and where not to.

It is at this point that a brand evolves from a marketing layer into a true commercial asset – one that enables scale, strengthens margins and supports sustained growth. This focus is one of the most valuable commercial advantages a business can achieve.

About Milestone-Belanova

Milestone-Belanova partners with growth-focused SMEs and mid-sized organisations to define market positioning, align brand and implement structured marketing systems that support scale. As businesses move beyond early growth, the need for clarity across brand, audience and pricing becomes increasingly critical.

Through our Relentless Clarity™ pillar, we help organisations establish the positioning, messaging and commercial focus required to move from activity to aligned, sustainable growth.

If your organisation is generating activity but not achieving the level of growth it should, it may be time to consider whether clarity, and not effort, is the missing link. We welcome a conversation about how to successfully deliver your next stage of growth.

Setting up an e-commerce business? What you need to know

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e-commerce business

If you are considering launching an e-commerce business, it may be quite sobering to consider that 90% of online businesses fail within just 120 days.

According to research*, the main reasons these businesses give for their failure include:

  • Poor online marketing (37%)
  • Lack of search visibility eg because there were bigger players outspending them in the market (35%)
  • There was little to no market for their products (35%)
  • They ran out of cash (32%).


What each of these reasons tells us, is that these online businesses failed because the owners failed to build an effective strategy for their online business before launching.

If you are going to move into the online space, whether you already have a bricks and mortar presence or not, it should go without saying that you need to develop a viable strategy first. That’s a strategy that includes:

  • Research on your market and market needs – what problem are you trying to solve and is the market for solving this problem already saturated or are there niches that you can fill?
  • A clear plan on how your product or service solves the problem you’ve identified. 
  • A well articulated unique value proposition – why would someone buy from you and how is your offering differentiated from your online competition? This is as important for an e-commerce business as it is for any other business.


For example, we have a client who sells the most beautiful sympathy hampers and gifts. The online hamper market is heavily saturated but our client has a clear niche in the condolence gift sector. The problem they are solving is how to send your heartfelt condolences in a meaningful way when it’s hard to find the right words and you don’t want to just send flowers. Within this niche, they are able to cost-effectively gain visibility. (Check this wonderful company out at www.sendinghugs.com.au).

  • A detailed understanding of your online competition. You need to know who your competitors are, what they are doing and how they are positioned against you. You can learn a lot from your competition, particularly if they are successful online, and you should be using all the data you are able to access.


You will be competing against these companies for exposure in search engines and in marketplaces so you need to work out how you are going to get visibility and deliver a better, more aligned customer experience.

You also need to have a clear assessment of your Cost of Goods Sold. You need to accurately
understand what ROAS you will need to achieve in your digital advertising to deliver your
desired level of profit. Google and Meta advisors, in our experience, will often underestimate
the ROAS you require so ensure you have a handle on the full cost associated with your online
sales.

Customer-centric, cost-effective logistics are also vital, particularly post-COVID where customer demands are high. You will need to be meeting customer expectations on:

  • Fulfilment – are you going to fulfil orders yourself, use an external fulfilment service or drop ship from warehouses, remembering that today’s customers demand speed, want items to be in stock and are increasingly wanting express shipping times.
  • Shipping costs – customers are now demanding ‘no’ or ‘low’ cost shipping. The definitely don’t want shipping costs to be around the same price as the product they are buying and will get very frustrated if they have to enter all their details into the cart before being advised of an unacceptably high shipping rate.
  • Returns policy – customers want to be able to return anything they order without question and without cost to them. 67% of buyers check the return policy before buying but 92% will buy again from the same site after a good returns experience. Other than for elite, rare or high value items, these terms are becoming non-negotiable.


Your choice of platform for your e-commerce site is also a critical consideration and the platform you choose should be influenced by your goals and what success will look like for you. There are many platforms available such as Shopify, Woocommerce and Square as well as more customisable options. Whatever platform you choose, it should be:
 

  • Scalable – you don’t want to be rebuilding in a few years if your online business succeeds.
  • Fast – research says that 40% of website visitors will wait no longer than 3 seconds for a page to load and ideally, you should aim for less than this.
  • Flexible – personalised search, flexible payment options and an engaging user experience are all vital.
  • SEO friendly – not all templated websites have great SEO so beware of platforms that will be difficult to optimise in the search engines.


Once you have all these factors in order, you then need to start looking at analysing your customers and automating your marketing. Read our other story in this newsletter on customer personas and omnichannel marketing for further suggestions on marketing your business online.

If you’d like an obligation free chat about your ecommerce business, please contact us on 02 4322 7559.


 *Research project by Forbes, Huffington Post, and Marketing Signals

Sustainable Marketing

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Sustainable Marketing

A Win for Business > A Win for the Customer > A Win for our Planet

 

If you’re committed to sustainable marketing practices, there is good news. Not only are they good for the health of our planet and our people, they are what customers now demand – and they are good for the long term profitability of business.

Here’s a sample of some up-to-date research on sustainable marketing and customer demands.

What is sustainable marketing?

Sustainable marketing is marketing that is focused on improving environmental wellness, social inclusion and equity, and economic responsibility, while delivering profit to the business. It’s about ensuring businesses are driven by a purpose that goes beyond simply making money.

 

Is sustainable marketing a costly exercise for business?

It is true that sustainable marketing MAY come at a cost in the short term, but in the longer term, it can be highly profitable.

A Deloitte study from 2019 showed that purpose-driven companies achieved higher market share gains and grew on average three times faster than their competitors, while at the same time achieving higher staff and customer satisfaction.

 

Why is having a ‘purpose beyond profit’ good for business?

Extensive research tells us that today’s consumer wants to buy from companies that stand for more than the products they sell. They want their brands to have a purpose.

An Accenture study in 2018 found:

  • 63% of consumers prefer to buy from companies whose purpose reflects their own values and beliefs.
  • 62% want companies to take a stand on matters they care about in relation to the environment, social and cultural issues and politics.

 

What attracts a consumer to a brand other than price and quality?

The 2018 Accenture study found:

  • 66% said brand culture – how a brand delivers on its promises
  • 66% said transparency
  • 65% said they were attracted by brands that treat their employees well
  • 62% said they supported companies that believe in reducing plastics and improving the environment
  • 62% also said they look for ethical values and brands that are authentic.

 

How important is authenticity in sustainable marketing?

Today’s consumer is highly informed, highly demanding and driven by more than just price, product quality and convenience. They will not accept greenwashing and require claims to be able to be substantiated.

  • 53% of consumers who are disappointed by a brand’s words or actions on a social issue will complain.
  • 47% will walk away from the brand in frustration
  • 17% will never return.

 

Do today’s consumers take sustainability into account when buying a product?

An IBM study on consumer behaviour in 2020 revealed:

  • Nearly 57% of consumers would be willing to change their shopping habits to reduce the impact on the environment.
  • Nearly 80% said that sustainability was important to them.

 

But are consumers willing to pay a premium for sustainable products?

For those who say sustainability is very or extremely important to them, over 70% said they would be willing to pay a premium of 35%.

 

What sustainable attributes are they willing to pay a premium for?

  • Greater health and wellness benefits
  • Simplifying their lives (getting back to basics)
  • Organic ingredients
  • Supporting recycling
  • Authenticity of the products
  • Environmental responsibility
  • Full transparency such as on sourcing materials, ingredients and information on the supply chain.

 

Are all generations willing to pay a premium for sustainable products?

A Global Sustainability Study in July 2021 found:

  • 42% of Gen Y would accept a premium of around 31%
  • 39% of Gen Z would accept a premium of 32%
  • 31% of Gen X were willing to pay a premium of 21%
  • 26% of Baby Boomers would pay up to 14%.

 

Are people actually taking action to become more sustainable?

A Deloitte study in March 2021 in the UK showed that:

  • 61% of consumers had cut back on the use of single use plastics
  • 45% were buying local
  • 39% were buying less new goods
  • 34% were choosing brands that were committed to environmentally sustainable practices.

 

What are the reasons for people not adopting a more sustainable lifestyle?

  • 22% were not interested
  • 16% thought it would be too expensive
  • 15% did not have enough information
  • 10% believed that their actions would not make any difference.

 

Is this research relevant to Australia?

According to a Finders Green Report in 2021, Australians seem to adopting sustainable practices even more readily than in the UK. The research showed:

  • Only 14% of our population are doing nothing to reduce their carbon footprint
  • Of these, 9% aren’t interested and 5% think it’s too expensive.

 

How do businesses implement sustainable marketing practices?

Whatever sector you are in, consider these general guidelines:

  • Work with your customers, employees and other stakeholders to deliver on your shared values. Collaborate to make a difference and communicate your joint achievements.
  • Be authentic. Communicate your measurable goals and where you are on your journey. It’s okay not to be perfect now.
  • Be transparent in your messaging. Consumers often feel they don’t have the information they need to make sustainable purchasing decisions so clearly explain environmental benefits on product labels or websites. Don’t use broad terms such as ‘natural’, ‘recyclable’ or ‘low carbon’ without explaining facts behind the claim.
  • Apologise when you get it wrong. With all good intentions, brands will get things wrong when aiming to be sustainable so be upfront and you will be forgiven.
  • Be vocal about issues that matter to your customers. Be authentic in standing up for issues, even if that means collaborating with your competition.
  • Take action on issues that matter to your customers. Show your customers that you do more than simply ‘talk’ by sharing information on your actions.
  • Educate your customers. ‘Lack of knowledge’ is a key reason why consumers don’t buy sustainable products so don’t assume they understand why they should buy from you. Inspire them with real facts on how their adoption of sustainable practices and purchases will actually have a beneficial impact on the world.
  • Make your customer the centre-point of your storytelling about your sustainability efforts. Talk about how your customer is changing the world by their sustainable purchasing decisions and make them feel good about the choices they have made.

If you’d like to discuss your marketing strategy and communication needs, please contact us for a free initial consultation.

Digital Marketing Terms Explained

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Get in front of any marketer at the moment and chances are they’ll start talking to you about pixels. Or retargeting. Or marketing automation.

Which can all sound a little overwhelming for those who were brought up to believe a pixel was a teeny, tiny element of an image!

So we thought we’d create a quick and easy glossary on digital marketing terms to help SMEs to better understand the processes and opportunities of modern digital marketing.

Marketing Automation

Marketing automation is the process of using technology to deliver regular, repetitive, and personalised communications to your database to increase lead generation, nurture leads, increase conversions, cross-sell, up-sell and improve retention.

Done well, it can significantly increase your customer experience and ultimately your bottom line through emarketing, SMS, tracking, social media and digital advertising campaigns.

There are a whole host of tools and platforms that are available today to optimise the marketing automation process. Every company, even an SME, should be using marketing automation to improve sales results and reduce marketing overheads.

If you’re not taking advantage of marketing automation, it’s time to learn more.

Facebook Pixel Retargeting

In this context, a pixel is a piece of tracking code that, when added to a website page, can collect data to track and measure actions (known as events) that website visitors take on your website. You can then deliver tailored ads to these visitors on Facebook or Instagram by bringing these visitors into a ‘custom audience’. This little piece of code is very powerful in enabling you to optimise your campaigns by retargeting the people who have the highest propensity to buy from you or take action.

We’ll be explaining common social media terms and settings in an article in a later newsletter.

Retargeting

Retargeting is the process of identifying website visitors and their on-site behaviour (eg whether they are viewing specific product pages or leaving a product in an abandoned cart) and marketing again to that visitor once they’ve left your website by serving digital ads to them.

Retargeting can be static where you deliver ads based on their page visitations or it can be dynamic where machine learning and more sophisticated technologies are used to analyse behaviours and deliver a personalised ad variation that is most likely to optimise results.

These ads can be delivered via social media platforms or via display ads (see below).

Remarketing

Remarketing is similar to retargeting but it uses email marketing rather than digital ads. Have you ever abandoned a shopping cart only to receive an email later about the product you left in your cart? Or have you downloaded a document on social media and then received a promotional email about the same subject matter? That’s remarketing.

Some marketers use the terms retargeting and remarketing interchangeably so it can be confusing but it really doesn’t matter – they both aim to increase conversions by tracking prospective customers and marketing to them again whether that is via digital ads or email marketing campaigns.

eDM Marketing

The acronym ‘eDM’ simply stands for ‘electronic direct mail’ or an automated email blast.

eDM marketing however is more than just the process of sending out an email. It involves continuous and strategic database building and refining through the use of other platforms such as social media, retargeting, digital advertising, Pay per Click campaigns and SMS to enable tightly targeted communications to be delivered to build relationships, generate more leads and increase conversions.

Email Tracking Code

Similar to the Facebook Pixel, an email tracking code can be installed on email communications to give you insights into how your audience responds to your emarketing campaign.

For example, it can let you know who has opened your email, how many times they’ve opened it, what links they’ve clicked on, what attachments they’ve viewed and more.

Most email marketing platforms such as Mailchimp and Hubspot offer email tracking as a built in service. If you also add the Google Analytics tracking code to your email marketing campaigns, you will be able to track clicks from your campaigns all the way through to purchase.

Google Text Ads

A Google Text Ad is a typical Pay Per Click Ad that allows you to specify a headline, display URL and description text. You can choose for your ads to appear on the Google Search network (eg in Google search results, maps or shopping) or on the Google Display Network (eg YouTube, Blogger or Gmail).

You can also run Text Ads across the Microsoft Network on Bing, Yahoo and AOL search engines. While there is no doubt that Google is dominant in the paid search space, Microsoft actually grew significant in the US search market over the past year with Bing achieving 19.7% market share whereas Google declined by 11%. There are benefits to both so if you’d like to know more, call us to book a meeting to discuss this in more detail.

Google Display Ads

Google Display Ads are those ads that appear while you are browsing various websites, watching YouTube, reading your Gmail account or using a mobile app. You can use them to target prospective customers or you can use them to re-engage with prospects who have already visited your website. Unlike advertising on the Google Search Network, Google Display Ads can be beneficial in targeting people before they start searching for your product or service.

You can either use your own fully created Uploaded Display Ads or you can use Google’s Responsive Ad service where you upload your logo, brand name, visual assets and text, and Google will automatically create the ads to suit the specs of specific web pages.

There are pros and cons of each type of Display Ad which we will cover in a later article.

MARKETING 101 – FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS.

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Plate with sign small business marketing and notepad.

Effective marketing is a key driver of growth for your small business. Good brands online build wealth and equity. Each time you market you are increasing the value of your small business and going digital is one of the best ways to achieve this. It goes without saying that the success of your small business relies on a strong brand and  online presence. But if you do not have a background in marketing, where do you start?

We have provided some “small business marketing 101’s” which may help and motivate you to get the ball rolling:

1-GAIN KNOWLEDGE THROUGH RESEARCH

Prior to developing your marketing strategy, the first preliminary step is to conduct market research. It’s important to gain as much information and insight as possible into your customers’ buying patterns as well as their drivers. Market research is also the best way to monitor market trends and be one step ahead of your competitors by ensuring you are observing their activities and learning from their mistakes.

2-DEFINE YOUR MARKET

Once you have conducted your research make sure you have a solid understanding of the demographic and psychographic profile of your target market actually and an understanding of their needs, behaviours, drivers and blockers. This can be achieved through online analytics, surveys, social media patterns and of course, by asking them.

3-DETERMINE WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS UNIQUE

The key to effective sales and marketing is to define and promote your USPs – “Unique Selling Points”.

Unless you can clarify and articulate what makes your business unique amongst your competitors, it’s hard to stand out as the preferred option and to reel in your audience successfully.

USPs may require fresh ideas and thinking outside the box – it isn’t always as simple as unquantified metrics such as ‘better customer service’ or ‘better product’. The trick to choosing USPs that will clearly differentiate your offering is to ensure they are relevant, desirable and genuinely meet the needs of your target market.

Once your USPs are established, find a clear and simple way to communicate them to your prospects. Consistency is key – ensure your core USPs are splashed all over your marketing, as a creed to live by.

With repetition comes memorability and as a result, your target audience will always associate you with the promises you are making. The most important aspect of developing your USPs is to ensure they are deliverable. Trust is everything in small business.

4-UNDERSTAND DIGITAL MARKETING OR HIRE A PROFESSIONAL TO NAIL IT FOR YOU!

You won’t regret it! Digital marketing is now the most popular and successful way small businesses can promote their products or services. It is highly measurable, enabling you to track your ROI and brand awareness as well as delivering higher conversion rates than via many other media.

Many small business owners and business managers perceive digital marketing as too complicated and time consuming. However, there are many courses that can assist you by providing the kick start you may require to set up a professional presence on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you need assistance in optimising your results, professionals in the digital marketing space can help you reach a wider audience of qualified prospects through pixel campaigns, remarketing and retargeting as well as creating engaging and relevant content.

Before you jump into content creation however, you should develop an effective digital marketing strategy that will lay the foundations for your targeting, messaging, scheduling and creative execution to enable you to benefit from the power of social media networking platforms to support and grow your business.

5-GET REPEAT BUSINESS THROUGH NURTURING TACTICS.

Keeping your current clientele happy and onboard is key to building “word or mouth” leads and repeat business. This requires nurturing and relationship building as opposed to overt sales tactics.

Don’t focus all your communications with a client on promoting your products or services. Share relevant and valuable information with them without asking for anything in return. Request their feedback and input on decisions you are making. Consider keeping information about birthdays and other occasions in order to surprise them by sending e-cards and vouchers.

Keeping in touch with your customers through social media, blogs, newsletters, email and SMS will show you are active, listening and willing to reach out regularly.

Most importantly, always listen to your customers’ needs and expectations and never fail to deliver on your promises. If you unwittingly do drop the ball, be honest and fix the issue immediately, transparently and empathetically. The way you address failings can turn a disengaged client into one who will be loyal for the long term.

6-CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR YOUR STRATEGY AND REVIEW RESULTS

In order to determine what is and isn’t working, regular monitoring of your marketing activities is required. Have your objectives been met? Are your activities supporting your marketing strategy? Is your messaging on track?

There are various analytics tools available such as Hootsuite, Google Analytics, Kissmetrics, SproutSocial, BuzzSumo and Hotjar that can help you to analyse the results of your social media activities, digital marketing and website campaigns to determine what is working, what can be improved and which avenue is more effective.

All in all, the success of a small business depends on the business owner’s willingness and ability to market their products and services effectively. Any successful entrepreneur will tell you, good marketing leads to sales which is essential for your business to thrive.

Congratulations to our Fight Back Small Business Winner!

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Fight back - travel

We can all agree that 2020 has been tough for small business owners. With this in mind, we recently ran a competition allowing our small business community to share their stories. We have heard stories of courage, strength, stamina and motivation. We thank our entrants for taking the time to inspire our small business community with hope and reassurance during these unprecedented times.

Congratulations to the winner of our Fight Back Competition, Allan Hopper, founder of hopperound – The Travel Agency. We celebrate the positive spirit and dedication of Allan Hopper, founder of hopperound – The Travel Agency.

Allan has two strong passions in life, and that’s people and travel; hence the birth of hopperound, a personable travel agency with a big heart for its clients.

Allan and his team pride themselves on their ‘start to finish’ customer support which they conduct for each individual client. They support their clients throughout their entire journey, right from the moment they pick up the phone to propose their travel dreams, through the planning stages, during their travels, right up until the moment they return.

It’s this style of customer support that has had him successfully run his agency purely through word of mouth and repeat business. “We go to great lengths for our clients, so they don’t have to do a thing – besides enjoy their holiday,” said Allan. “I am proud to say as a result of this, we have had the same loyal clients for over 20 years.”

When Covid-19 hit our shores in February-March 2020, panic set in within the travel industry. Today, approximately 30% of travel agencies have sadly closed due to an immense loss of business.

Allan went from having an extremely busy and profitable period around January and February to receiving absolutely no income in the following months. “In the middle of March, when reality sunk in, everything fell apart,” he explained.

With a heavy heart, Allan had no choice but to let go of his contractors and his Head Office Accounts Manager, who also happens to be his sister. Together, they cried. “This is when it really hit and it was at this point, we thought we will take a big hit. But we also thought it would all be over as quick as it began,” Allan said. Like everyone else, Allan had no way to predict the extent of the pandemic and how long it would stick around… Today, we are still uncertain.

Once the shock subsided, Allan and his sister turned to light-hearted humour to keep their spirits high and Allan chose to switch his mind to planning mode and started to look towards the future.

Allan decided to restore hope in clients and others within the community by creating a social media presence to keep the travel bug alive – virtually. Allan took to Instagram and Facebook to provide his audience with beautiful travel images, tips and stories, and as a result, his online following grew, a great boost for brand recognition.

“Although travel agents are not currently booking a huge amount of travel, we are still working full time for our clients,” said Allan. “I have been spending a huge amount of time helping my clients get credit or their money back from various holidays that they have had to cancel.”

You can imagine the stress involved in contacting various vendors all over the world and the amount of money lost for those who did not engage a travel agent. Allan’s loyalty had him working above and beyond to ensure the best outcomes for his disappointed clients.

Today, Allan is working on his marketing strategy and thinking of a brighter future. “I foresee travel agencies becoming a much bigger necessity going forward, similar to what it was like before we were replaced by online bookings,” he said.

After the scare of a pandemic and the millions of dollars lost by travellers who have had to cancel bookings through major companies who have not addressed their woes, a travel agent seems like a very safe method of booking travel going forward.

There’s no doubt travel will be a more complicated and much stricter process once all borders have opened. It’s inevitable that the majority of us will feel a sense of comfort being supported by professionals in the industry who will ensure our arrangements are conducted safely and accurately. If anything happens, it will be reassuring to know we have a familiar agent on the phone who will help us during any situation, like Allan and his team at hopperound.

Allan has had to undergo big changes in his business and inject money, time and energy towards planning, marketing, training and webinars to ensure he is ready for the next big shift that is predicted to occur. Hopefully this will be a positive one.

Going forward, those clients who love to book online – activities, cars, cruises, flights, hotels, insurance, tours etc. – will be able to do so via our website, with the security of having their bookings backed by an accredited travel agency. The same professional service will apply, meaning when things don’t go according to plan, we step in to help.

Within this current climate, if you don’t have a flexible and open mind, and if you are not willing to change and grow, you may as well throw in the towel.

For now, Allan has changed his slogan to keep the motivation and dream alive for himself and his clients. He signs his emails off as:

“Allan Hopper I Founder
hopperound – The Travel Agency

Hibernating, Reinventing & Dreaming of Travel.
“Be Safe, Stay Connected & Dream With Us.”

Should you wish to travel to any destination where it is safe to venture in the near future, we highly recommend you contact hopperound. Allan and his team will have your back from start to finish.

Website below:
hopperound.com.au