Behind the Sign webinar recap: Proven marketing solutions for small businesses
Our latest Behind the Sign webinar featured a special panel of industry leaders and marketing experts – David Evans of DaBella, Scott Williams of Lex Brodie’s, and Stacey Danheiser of SHAKE Marketing Group – sharing proven marketing solutions and lead generation strategies specifically designed for small business growth.
Stacey set the tone of the discussion by highlighting the relationship between lead gen success and industry differentiation:
“It's naive to assume your customers don't have any choices. They are out there looking and comparing your business to other businesses. Figure out the story your competitors are telling so you can figure out how to be different.”
All three panelists pulled from their experiences and successes as marketers to provide pointers for effectively engaging potential customers. Here are five takeaways to help get more prospects’ attention:
1. SEO for small businesses: More than just rankings
Effective SEO strategies for small businesses not only improve rankings but also attract quality leads and drive growth. But success hinges on a thoughtful approach and continuous effort. Investing in the right tools, collaborating with experts, and committing to regular content creation are essential steps for leveraging SEO effectively.
Businesses have a responsibility to adapt as digital opportunities grow and expectations change, particularly with AI impacting how consumers search for and consume information. And as Scott stated, meeting those marks may be as simple as outsourcing.
“We hire vendors. We have our website provider that helps us. When I see things or have concerns, I can ask them and pick their brains and we can look at all the different resources together.”
2. Consistency: The key to capturing customers’ attention and driving small business success
Think of all the channels consumers use to interact with a brand: ads, websites, newsletters, sales calls, webinars, events, and billboards. Each interaction contributes to building brand consistency. So, a coherent message must run through all communications, rather than treating each channel as a one-off tactic.
Building a consistent marketing strategy is crucial for small business growth and maintaining a strong brand presence. Stacey added:
“I always tell marketers that we get sick of hearing our own message long before the rest of the population understands what it is that we even do and what we stand for. We have to constantly wear this brand police hat and make sure it's consistent.”
She also recommended this useful exercise: Test internal understanding of the brand's value proposition. If employees give varied answers, external perceptions of the brand are likely even more fragmented. Consistency may sound simple, but it is a challenging task that requires ongoing effort.
3. Prioritizing lead quality over quantity for small business marketing success
For small businesses, focusing on high-quality leads ensures better conversion rates and maximizes return on marketing investment.
David works with around 75 vendors at Dabella: some generate a substantial number of leads while others provide only a trickle. He’s able to look at marketing costs, conversion costs, and return on sales to monitor what’s working and spot vendors that aren’t performing.
At Lex Brodie’s, Scott leans on keyword strategies to ensure that the right types of leads come in. For example, adjusting Yelp and Google Ads budgets helps manage the volume and type of services customers inquire about. He says narrowing down keywords prevents being overwhelmed by unsuitable leads and allows a focus on more profitable services.
“I really look at the keywords people are searching, and if there are services we're trying to minimize, then we block those keywords. Then we boost services that are working well for us, and we put more emphasis on those.”
BBB Pro Tip: Turn your website into an essential tool for showcasing your brand, communicating your values, and capturing leads.
4. Tracking success: What to measure
When it comes to evaluating the effectiveness of any lead generation effort, look beyond the initial promises made by marketers. There's no "silver bullet" for marketing success. Instead, focus on understanding the entire buyer's journey.
Thinking stage by stage, consider awareness (impressions and website traffic), demand (lead generation and engagement), sales (revenue and deal outcomes), retention (repeat business and subscription renewals), and advocacy (customer referrals). Each phase requires specific measurement tools to assess effectiveness and ensure that marketing investments are yielding results.
Some tools and metrics the panel leans on in their roles:
5. Define goals before tackling a budget
To effectively manage a marketing budget, it’s crucial to start by clearly defining your goals. As Stacey noted, "When you constantly go back to what the goal is and what you're trying to achieve, you have consistent evaluation criteria." The awareness of those goals promotes efficient budget allocation and better alignment with core objectives, avoiding distractions from new opportunities that might divert resources.
Additionally, building a budget should involve both a top-down and bottom-up approach. According to Stacey, this means assessing what it will take to grow specific segments or products and considering different marketing strategies, from costly event sponsorships and Google Ads to more cost-effective options.
“I think an underrated strategy is partnerships. Who are those other companies that offer a complementary service to what you're doing? How could you potentially partner up and reach a brand-new audience without having to spend a lot of money."
The flexibility in marketing strategies, while exciting, can also be complex, akin to playing chess with numerous possible moves. Partnerships, particularly with companies offering complementary services, are often an underrated yet effective strategy.
Final thoughts
Implementing the approaches and insights shared by our expert panel is an opportunity to optimize lead generation and experience growth in 2024 and beyond.
Ready to grow your business? Register to attend our monthly webinar to gain actionable insights that will help you attract more customers: