Your Marketing Can’t Take a Vacation

marketing can't take a vacation

It’s summer time! The sun is shining, the temperature is up, students are out on summer break, and many people are getting ready to go on vacation. You might also be preparing to go on a much needed (and well-deserved) vacation. But just because you can go on vacation doesn’t mean your marketing should.

Today, we’re going to give you three reasons why your marketing can’t take a vacation  . . .

3 Reasons Your Marketing Can’t Take a Vacation

It might only seem fair that your marketing should get a break (or better, you), but we stand firm behind these three reasons your marketing shouldn’t stop over the summer months.

Don’t let your marketing take a vacation this summer . . .

1. Your Business Will Take a Hit

If you’ve read any of our former posts, you’ve probably heard us say this many times before, but we’ll say it again: you should view marketing as an investment, not an expense.

Marketing has so many positive functions in your business. It . . . 

  • Informs and educates people about your business and your products/services.
  • Keeps your customers engaged and builds credibility not just for your current customers but also for your new customers.
  • Enhances your business’s reputation from having a professional website to represent your business, to five-star reviews on your Google profile, to great customer service on your social media profiles.
  • Gives you leads and generates interest in your business which leads to sales.
  • Grows your business as you implement marketing strategies.

So if you understand even just a little bit about how much value marketing offers your business, imagine what would happen if you stopped marketing altogether.

Let’s say you stopped updating your website. You stopped Google ads, didn’t bother updating videos on your site from 10 years ago, and stopped posting to your social media profiles. Your digital graphics are at least 7 years old. Your Google profile doesn’t have your business’s updated address, hours, or phone number. You stopped implementing SEO keywords into your blog, website, and social media strategy.

Alone, these issues might not seem like a big deal. But when you start to look at the big picture, you’ll notice that when you stop marketing your business, you have a LOT to lose, like . . .

  • Leads, because they’ve never heard of your business.
  • Credibility, because your listings aren’t up-to-date.
  • Engagement, because you stopped engaging with them.
  • Reputation, because your site and graphics aren’t professional.
  • Visibility, because you aren’t implementing SEO.
  • An edge over competitors, because they didn’t stop marketing . . . YOU did.

2. Your Competitors Won’t Take a Vacation

Let’s backtrack here for a second.

If you’re a business owner, you’re really busy. You’re juggling a lot. You’re working through the challenge of owning a business and trying to market it at the same time.

Running a business isn’t easy, so of course, trying to do all your business marketing is a major undertaking.

If you’re taking a break from your marketing, you might just feel burnt out. You might be struggling financially and feel like you can’t dedicate any of your budget to marketing. Or you might not even be purposefully taking a marketing vacation . . . maybe you’ve been so busy, you’re just doing as much as you can and marketing is on the back burner.

Whether you’re actively marketing or taking a break, remember this: your competitors aren’t taking a vacation. Your competitors are actively marketing their businesses. They’re going after the same clients as you are. They’re probably viewing your website and trying to find out how they can differentiate themselves from you. Maybe they’re watching your social media strategy and replicating whatever you’re doing because it’s working. Perhaps they’re targeting the same locations as you. They might even have similar brand colors as your business. They’re working to educate their clients – and future clients – on the same things.

So if your competitors aren’t taking a marketing vacation, then guess what . . . you shouldn’t be either!

But what are you supposed to do if you don’t have time for your marketing . . . ?

Well . . .

3. You Have Other Marketing Options

We’ve already established why you shouldn’t take a vacation from your marketing.

And perhaps there’s a good chance that if you are taking a marketing break, it’s not that you want to . . . you just need help.

Think of it like this: when you go on vacation and leave your kids at home, you don’t just tell them, “Hey, have a great week – figure things out!” (Can you imagine what your 5-year-old or 10-year-old would do?)

Or perhaps when you go on vacation, you have a couple dogs. You don’t just leave out the bag of food and wish them good luck. You bring them to a doggy daycare or invite over a trusted friend or relative to watch them.

And for those of us who like plants, we don’t go on vacation for two weeks and never ask anyone to water them . . . 

So just like our kids, our pets, and even our plants need looking after when we’re on vacation, so does your marketing.

As a business owner, you might not even remember what it feels like to go on vacation. Most business owners can share stories of working grueling hours, rarely getting enough sleep, and just barely managing their lives outside of work. But sometimes, you deserve to go on vacation.

And the even better news? You can go on that vacation. Just make sure you leave your marketing in trusted hands.

At Paragon Marketing Group, we’re here so you can take the vacation, that well-deserved time off from work. Our tagline says it well:

“You run your business, we’ll run your marketing.

Paragon Marketing Group

You don’t want your business to suffer because you haven’t been marketing. And you don’t want to lose business to your competitors because you don’t have the time to market.

Whether you need to lighten your workload and hand off some of your marketing tasks, or you’re looking to completely get marketing off your plate, Paragon Marketing Group is here to help.

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out our podcast, the Main Street Marketing Podcast, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your audio platform of choice.

Top 10 Marketing Mistakes

Circling marketing mistakes in pink highlighter

“Don’t be a fool and make these marketing mistakes.”

Um . . . what?

We promise this isn’t a prank or an April Fool’s Joke. We’re not calling anyone a fool. Rather, as a small business, one of our biggest desires is that other business owners not make some of the most common marketing mistakes we’ve seen over the last several years.

Don’t Make These Top 10 Marketing Mistakes

Now maybe you’ve made some of these. Or maybe you’re looking for some tips on how to avoid making these mistakes. Either way, here are the top 10 marketing mistakes we’ve seen:

Business owner pondering what marketing mistakes he's made
Have you ever made any of these marketing mistakes?

Mistake #1

Your business doesn’t have a website OR your website is outdated.

Having a sleek, professional, and updated website is a vital part of your web presence. Not only will a website help your customers find your business online, but it will also give your business more credibility than organizations with just social media sites.

Mistake #2

You aren’t thinking about your mobile viewers.

More customers are conducting business, making purchases, and scheduling appointments on their phones today. So every business needs an attractive, functional, responsive, and mobile-friendly website that will serve your customers where they are and encourage them to spend more time on your site. Because more time on your site means a higher likelihood of them making a purchase.

Mistake #3

You don’t know who your audience is, where to find them, or how to reach them.

This is where marketing strategy comes into play. If you’re just throwing content onto the internet, there’s no way you can track, measure, or even hope for success. Determining who your target audience is (and where to find them) is a crucial step you should take before deciding which marketing channels to use.

Mistake #4

You don’t know who your competitors are or what they’re doing.

As a small business, you have to work even harder to get your message out there when you have competitors. Learning who your competitors are and what they’re doing — as in what’s working and what’s not — is vital to help you differentiate your business from the competition.

Mistake #5

You’re under-utilizing OR over-utilizing your social media channels.

Most people are on at least one social channel, if not several. This is great news, because that means your customers are ready and waiting for your business to interact with them! But successful social media requires a plan. Are you posting once every 6 months, or 6 times a day? You don’t want your audience to forget about you, but you also don’t want to annoy them. Come up with a plan and then consistently post to your social channels.

Mistake #6

Your business is difficult for your customers to find.

Before you can build trust with potential clients, listing your business in leading directories will make your business visible and easy to find. Plus, making your business easy to find in leading applications, search engines, and other directories will provide the validity your business needs to be established online.

Mistake #7

You’re hoping rather than creating a well-thought plan and strategy to accomplish your marketing goals.

We often don’t put enough stock into our plans. It’s so much easier to come up with a few marketing goals and then hope for the best! But marketing goals shouldn’t be just unfulfilled New Year’s resolutions. Schedule time to come up with a plan (or contact us so we can help you make one!), write down all your goals and your plans to accomplish them, and then start executing.

Mistake #8

You aren’t distinguishing your products/services from your competition.

For better or worse, you know you’re not the only business owner selling your product or service. You likely have local, regional, and national competitors vying for the same customers as you. That’s why it’s so important to differentiate your product or service. Ask yourself what separates you from all your competitors. Why should customers buy from you rather than from someone else?

Mistake #9

You’re trying to do all the marketing yourself OR you’re not doing any marketing at all.

Perhaps you’re trying to figure out how to market your business, or maybe you’ve even wondered how much money you should spend on marketing per month. Have you ever wondered how you’re supposed to have time to do all your marketing while trying to run your business? Whether you need to delegate marketing responsibilities to other staff or outsource your marketing altogether, we recommend not trying to do it all yourself. In fact, that’s where our company tagline comes into play: “You run your business, we run your marketing.” If you’re interested in outsourcing any of your marketing, we’d love to help you.

Mistake #10

You consider marketing an expense rather than an investment.

Like all things in life, it’s much easier to focus on the short-term than the long-term. Yes, it does cost money to outsource your marketing, but as a marketing agency, we stand by the belief that it’s so much more a long-term investment in your business rather than a short-term expense.

Let’s face it — no one is perfect at marketing. No business owner has all the answers and can do everything perfectly. In a way, we’re all fools to an extent, because it’s impossible to know everything. And even if we did know everything about running a business, our time can’t fully be dedicated to marketing our businesses.

And that’s really where we come in. At Paragon Marketing Group, we understand exactly what it’s like to feel overwhelmed. We know what it’s like to wear all the hats and juggle all the balls. We’ve been in your shoes before. And that’s why it’s so important that we not only help other small businesses like us, but also be a marketing resource that you can access whenever you need.

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out our podcast, the Main Street Marketing Podcast, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your audio platform of choice.

Luck Is Not A Marketing Strategy

Don't rely on marketing luck to help your business.

Luck is a big theme for the month of March. Most of us think of four-leaf clovers, leprechauns, pots of gold, rainbows, and of course, St. Patrick’s Day. But what about luck in the context of marketing? How does luck play a role in your marketing, and why is it not enough to help you be successful . . . ?

How to Not Rely on Marketing Luck

Let’s face it, all of us know someone who is super lucky. And when it comes to marketing, sometimes it’s easy to hope luck will be enough of a marketing strategy to get your brand out there.

But if you’re reading this, then you probably already know what we’re going to say: luck isn’t a marketing strategy. So as a business owner, what can you do with your marketing that doesn’t rely on just dumb luck?

Here are three things you can start doing right now:

Don't rely on marketing luck to help your business.
Don’t rely on marketing luck to help your business.

1. Accept that Luck Will Play Only a Small Role in Your Marketing

Now while luck isn’t a marketing strategy, it can and will impact your business.

Everyone has a story about a social media post that went viral, or how your dream client walked through your doors, or how an unlikely partnership turned out to be the best thing for your business.

Luck will always play a role in your business, albeit an inconsistent one. The important thing to remember here is that luck is out of your control. You can hope and want it all day, but that doesn’t mean your marketing will always work because you hope it will.

2. Develop the Marketing Strategies You Can Control

Now that we’ve established that luck plays a small role in your marketing, it’s important to understand that luck is out of your control. And if you can’t control luck, then you have to figure out what marketing strategies you can control:

Marketing Channels

In other words, where do you want to market your products or services? You can’t get lucky with an Instagram marketing campaign if you aren’t posting to Instagram. You can’t find new clients through direct mail if you aren’t mailing pieces out to your desired area. Your website won’t keep visitors on the page if it isn’t responsive or optimized for mobile users.

Marketing Dollars

How much of your budget are you willing to dedicate just to marketing? This is a question we find many business owners not wanting to think about. As a small business owner, you might have 132 different things vying for your attention at all times. Marketing is an easy thing to fall to the bottom of the to-do list. And when this happens, relying on luck for your marketing to be successful while not budgeting any dollars towards it won’t cut it.

Marketing Experts

Do you outsource to a marketing agency, or do you try to do it all yourself? This can get really overwhelming for any business owner with his or her hands full. But perhaps there are certain “blind spots” you have when it comes to marketing. Maybe the idea of social media marketing really overwhelms you. Maybe shooting your own marketing videos is something you just don’t have the experience in.

3. Prepare for New Marketing Opportunities

All of us have probably heard a variation of the famous quote by the Roman philosopher, Seneca:

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

No matter what your take on that quote is, the underlying message is that in order to actively and purposefully get “lucky,” you have to prepare.

So rather than resort to hoping for lucky circumstances or wishful thinking, here are a few ways you can prepare for new opportunities:

Determine Your Marketing Channels

You know you can’t be successful with marketing channels if you’re not actively using them. So you have to decide which marketing channels you want to use, and then the hard part: you have to start executing.

A good way to determine which channels to start with is to ask yourself which channels are going to best serve your business, attract your desired clients, or engage your customers.

Not sure how to figure this out? Consult with a marketing agency like Paragon Marketing Group. Our staff specializes in understanding nearly any type of business. You name it, we’ve probably seen it, heard of it, or worked with a company in that industry.

Determine Your Marketing Budget

Relying on luck isn’t an option for your marketing budget.

But if you’re leery of budgeting a portion of your funds to marketing, don’t let that stop you from marketing altogether. Even if it’s small, determine the amount you’re willing to spend on marketing ahead of time, and stick to that amount, even if you don’t see immediate results.

We recommend choosing an amount you can confidently put towards marketing each month. Remember: if you never spend a dollar marketing your business, you’re losing out on several dollars you could be making.

Determine Your Marketing Plan of Execution

For some business owners, this might be as simple as setting aside an hour each day to dedicate to marketing. For others, one hour a day might be impossible.

Or even if you have the time, you might not know where to start. This is really common! This is the point at which you decide whether you want to do your marketing in-house, by yourself, or outsource to an agency of experts.

Whether you’re looking to completely hand over your marketing to an agency, or you feel comfortable managing certain aspects of it, you can decide how you’re going to market your business.

It’s important to see luck for what it is: an inconsistent, unreliable tool that, without thoughtful and careful preparation, is just that: luck, and nothing else.

Think of luck as that friend who will show up at random times and be the life of the party for one night. But then when you’re at a point in your life where you need someone to lean on, that friend is nowhere to be found.

If you want your marketing to be effective, get prepared. Make a plan. Talk to experts in the field. Because at the end of the day, a marketing plan is only worthwhile if you’re going to put it in action.

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out our podcast, the Main Street Marketing Podcast, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your audio platform of choice.

If you have questions about which marketing channels you should use, or how to develop a marketing plan for your business, we’d love to help you.

12 Tips Of Holiday Marketing

Here's our gift of holiday marketing tips for small businesses!

Blink, and the holiday season is almost upon us! But did you know the holiday marketing season is already here? Which begs the question: are you ready? Despite inflation, this holiday season could likely experience record-high spending. We want to help you prepare your business by offering our top 12 holiday marketing tips.

12 Holiday Marketing Tips

Now, you might be wondering why 12 tips. Why not 5 or 10? Well, there are 12 days of Christmas. Jesus had 12 disciples. There are 12 months in a year. And you probably need to prepare for what could be your busiest month of sales, which also happens to be during the 12th month of the year. Plus, we’re fans of the number 12. So without further ado, here are our 12 holiday marketing tips:

A laptop, mug, and book on a desk. The workplace is set up for a person to use holiday marketing tips for their business this season.
Use our top holiday marketing tips this season to prepare your business for the holidays!

1. Be Honest with Buyers

It goes without saying that you should be honest with your customers. And now more than ever, people crave authenticity in this highly commercialized season we refer to as “the holidays.” Maybe you’re struggling to offer a certain service or product due to supply issues. Tell your customers upfront. Or perhaps you’ve had to make significant changes to your business due to economic pressures. Either way, communicating the truth will establish your business’s credibility and build trustworthiness with customers.

Source: Rio SEO

2. Connect with Customers Using Holiday Cards

The holidays are overstuffed with commercialism, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a meaningful way to connect with them. A handwritten and/or photo card creates connection with customers and offers a glimpse of the person behind the business. Or, you could always send a digital holiday card that could be the start of a marketing campaign. Whichever way you do it, don’t miss out on this chance to connect with your customers.

Source: NetSuite

3. Develop Discounts During Inflation

Most consumers expect their holiday shopping to be affected by inflation this year. This creates a great opportunity for business owners to highlight deals, discounts, and special sales. Shoppers will be looking for new, creative ways to save money. With everyone feeling the impact of trying financial times, there’s no better time to offer holiday deals for frugal spenders.

Sources: Numerator, Nextdoor for Business

4. Excite Your Early Shoppers

We’re in the final quarter of the year. Some of your customers might have already FINISHED their holiday shopping! But that’s no reason to panic. According to eMarketer, 40% of shoppers plan to start their holiday spending during these last two months of the year. Gone are the days of most shopping happening in the few days leading up to the Christmas holiday. Reward the shoppers who are prepared to spend early and start marketing your holiday deals and specials now!

Sources: eMarketer, Outbrain

5. Get Your Gift Cards Ready

Unfortunately, since the outbreak of Covid-19, many businesses have struggled to keep up with high demand and supply chain issues. Now is the perfect time to get your gift cards ready. Not only do they make great gifts for business partners or faraway friends and family, but the numbers are also in your favor: last holiday season saw a 27% increase in gift cards.

Sources: Cardlytics, Nextdoor for Business

6. Keep Your Customers Top of Mind

For many people, the holiday season is not so much the “most wonderful time of the year,” but rather the most stressful time of the year. All of us can recall a time when we weren’t treated with respect by a business. Or, maybe we had a terrible experience, but the business had no solutions to offer. Sometimes it’s easy to forget what it’s like to be the customer. So as you make your marketing plans for the holiday season, make sure you’re keeping your customers in the front of your mind when making decisions.

Source: WP Swings

7. Mobilize Your Site for Mobile Users

More people are shopping on their smartphones and tablets today, and you want your digital presence ready for the season, too. Whether you’re B2B or B2C, your site visitors want to have a pleasant online experience. Why is this so important? It will keep them on your site longer, AND make them more likely to purchase if it’s easy. Optimizing your site for mobile will enable your page to load faster and could play a big role in increasing your sales, especially with increased web traffic around the holidays.

Sources: PageFly, Think With Google

8. Review Prior Year Results

When in doubt of where to start with your holiday marketing plan, look at how your business performed during last year’s holiday season. Whether you want to do a deep dive into Google Analytics, consider former successful (or failed) marketing campaigns, or repeat small changes that unexpectedly increased sales, historical information often offers a wealth of information.

Source: NetSuite

9. Send Fewer Emails to Keep Subscribers

How many times have you unsubscribed from businesses that seemed like they had nothing better to do than spam your email inbox? Now email marketing is a valuable, tried and true marketing method. But especially around the holidays, consumers receive countless emails. Even multiple per day from the same company! Give your email subscribers the gift of limited emails this holiday season.

Source: Ignite Visibility

10. Stick to Social Media Marketing

Social media is an ideal marketing channel to use year-round, and there’s no exception to that fact this holiday season. Nearly three quarters of global marketers utilize social media marketing, and you should too. In addition to paid advertising, posting giveaways or contests on social media is a great way to capture organic leads during the holidays.

Sources: HubSpot, Ignite Visibility

11. Utilize User Reviews

Now more than ever, businesses need to offer proof that their product or service is, indeed, worth it. And while there are many ways to approach that, user reviews act as a great proof of concept. Whether you’re highlighting 5-star reviews on your website, showcasing well-known customers, or filming a moving testimonial, the holiday season is the time to emphasize positive user reviews.

Source: WP Swings

12. Winterize Your Web Presence

It’s not just our homes, vehicles, or boats that need winterizing in Wisconsin (or anywhere north, for that matter). Don’t neglect your online marketing presence. Updating your Facebook cover photo, using a catchy blog post title (we think ours is pretty good!), or giving your website a festive look will get your customers in the holiday spirit while also demonstrating your business’s attention to detail and ability to stay current.

Source: WP Swings

There are so many ways you can maximize your marketing for the holiday season! We hope these holiday marketing tips will help your business succeed and sell during the holidays. Whether you’re gearing up for a busy shopping time or just need help with your marketing, contact Paragon Marketing Group for all your seasonal and non-seasonal marketing needs.

It’s Time To Plan Your Marketing For 2023

A marketer pointing to a graph on his computer to demonstrate why it's important to plan your marketing for 2023.

We’re still a few months from the new year, but that doesn’t mean your marketing shouldn’t be prepared. It’s time to plan your marketing for 2023. Aside from inflation and economic changes impacting businesses nationwide, technological advances and new, emerging trends in marketing mean it’s even more important to start planning your marketing for the upcoming year.

As a full-service marketing group, we believe it’s important that your marketing attract new clients while retaining your current customers. Here are three reasons why it’s time to plan your marketing for 2023:

1. Marketing Trends Are Always Changing . . . And So Should You

Between a global pandemic and constant advancements in technology, it isn’t surprising that advertising trends are changing. While we believe in celebrating your milestones, the marketing machine is constantly evolving, which means your marketing strategies should, too. Whether you need help with your website or a social channel, it’s time to map out marketing strategies for 2023.

Constantly evolving marketing trends means it's time to change and plan your marketing for 2023.
Constantly evolving marketing trends means it’s time to change and plan your marketing for 2023.

2. New Consumers’ Habits Requires A Mobile-First Mindset

While the pandemic might have slowed in-person business for many consumers, those same consumers not only continue to spend more time online, but they also use their mobile devices to shop, search for businesses, and view websites on their mobile devices. And with this move here to stay, businesses need to ensure their websites are responsive, consider increasing their mobile advertising budget, and make decisions with a mobile-first mindset to continue to attract today’s consumers.

Plan your marketing for 2023 with a mobile-first mindset as more consumers continue to search and shop on their mobile devices.
Plan your marketing for 2023 with a mobile-first mindset as more consumers continue to search and shop on their mobile devices.

Source: FinancesOnline

3. Marketing Experts Could Give You The Upper Hand

Many people are overwhelmed by the prospect of trying to design their own website, get their business in all the proper listings, and post regularly to multiple social channels in addition to all the other marketing avenues they could be utilizing. What often helps a business stand out from the crowd is bringing in a third-party expert. Why? Because marketing firms stay up-to-date on the latest trends and specialize in providing marketing services for businesses big or small. They can even manage your marketing completely if you rather focus on running your business. Whether you need an outside opinion or guidance, firms like Paragon Marketing Group can provide the necessary expertise you need.

Consider hiring a marketing firm, like Paragon Marketing Group, to help you in the year as you plan for marketing in 2023.
Consider hiring a marketing firm, like Paragon Marketing Group, to help you in the year as you plan for marketing in 2023.

Source: Paragon Marketing Group

Marketing trends will continue to change, so it’s vital that your business embrace the future. Whether you choose to hire a marketing firm for outside expertise, mobilize your website to create a better online experience for your mobile users, or map out a marketing strategy to prepare for the new year, now is the time to plan your marketing for 2023.

Marketing Phobia: It’s A Real Thing!

Marketing Phobia: it's a real thing!

When you run a business, you have to market yourself. Period! But many businesses do not do this continually. Why? Marketing Phobia! Some may say that it’s not a real thing but it is actually true. Throughout the course of every year, we run into people all the time that are scared to market their organization. It may sound silly, however there are some important reasons for it.

1. The business owner just doesn’t know where to start.

Getting started can be overwhelming. A well constructed marketing plan can relieve this anxiety and put your business on a clear path for success. Some first steps: Define where you want to go with your business, identify who your target audience is, and determine a proper budget for your business. This is critical knowledge for you to have as you decide on how to construct your plan.

2. Misconception on cost.

Business owners create in their own minds some pretty grandiose price tags when it comes to marketing. When in reality, they may be way off. This happens many times because they hear what X person is spending or what Y company spent. But that’s not you or your business. The cost of what your company would need to spend to reach your goals could be a fraction of what someone else paid. Marketing towards your goals and your desired results can paint an accurate picture of what your true costs will be and not a figure from someone else’s experience.

3. Fear of success.

Yes, that’s right, the fear of success. Many business owners actually do not market their business because they fear they may gain too much business. Understandably, this one can keep a business owner up at night. However, you have to put your name out there and keep it foremost in people’s minds, so they know you exist and can call upon you whenever they need you. It can definitely bring in more business, but if you have a well constructed plan on how to handle the growth without sacrificing your quality and customer service, you can face this fear!

4. You may have had bad experiences with marketing companies in the past.

This one is big, whether it was a personal experience or one you heard from a third party. Unfortunately, the reality is, there are some marketing firms out there that are less than stellar. We’ve seen, however, there are a lot more that are really good at what they do and are worth every penny invested. The key to overcoming this issue is to do your homework as an owner. Get references, talk with the team who will be working with you, understand what they can do for you, and look for a team who holds transparency and accountability at the center of your relationship.

Anyone can overcome marketing phobia. It takes having that satisfying relationship with the right marketing company to help you get past your fears. If you find a marketing company that will partner with you throughout your journey of growth, we promise you’ll be glad you made the investment.