Four States Small Business Blog

This time of year in Joplin can bring to mind images of storms and tornadoes that wreak havoc on our communities. In the not so distant past, storms have been utterly devastating. As a local business, you need to stay prepared, but you can also play a role in helping your community and your customers be better informed and stay safe.

If you’ve seen one of Peyton Manning’s commercials for Nationwide Insurance, you’ll immediately understand the impact a jingle has on your audience. Nationwide’s jingle is catchy, creative, and above all, gets stuck in your head. In fact, it’s been memorable since 1977, and in more recent years, the jingle has evolved for newer audiences, adding elements of authenticity with its Songs for All Our Sides campaign. Perhaps most importantly, it makes it easy for the listener to never confuse Nationwide with a competitor like State Farm, which also features its own jingle dating back to the 1970’s.

Welcome to the second edition of our Zimmer Radio Inc. team spotlights! Our team of radio and digital marketing experts work with businesses in Joplin and the surrounding Four States Area to develop effective, integrated marketing campaigns. But we’re not just passionate professionals—we’re people with unique stories to tell.

More than 70 local businesses attended our BrandsFormation workshop earlier this month, led by business strategist and long-time Zimmer Radio, Inc. branding partner, Chuck Mefford. See what one business owner had to say about the event:

Buying space in a church bulletin or high school sports program is a great way to support the local community. Some businesses see their sponsorship of a local organization’s newsletter or posting on social media as an inexpensive way to advertise. While such tactics contribute to positive word of mouth, they are not a substitute for advertising and should not represent a significant allocation of your marketing resources.

As a lawyer, you have many talents. You understand the law and its many nuances. You know the art of persuasion. Balancing clients and case work — you’ve got that down pat. Lawyers are known and respected for possessing skills and confidence in many areas — but there’s a good chance that marketing is one area in which you may lack experience.

Today’s recruitment landscape is completely different than it was just a decade ago. Rather than searching the local paper when they’re ready to make a move, job seekers have access to tools and technology that put them in the driver’s seat. They can take their time and research potential employers online, consult social media and review sites like Glassdoor, setup job alerts on LinkedIn, and apply with the click of a button when something good comes up.

This is a continuation of a previous post where we touched on uncovering your farm and tractor brand’s “difference maker,” where and why you should claim local listings, and how radio advertising can drive sales.

Do you feel “time poor” — like you’re never able to find enough hours in the day to get it all done? This is a challenge no matter what industry you’re in or the size of your business, but small businesses have it especially tough. They’re often stretched thin and employees tend to take on multiple tasks outside of their core job functions, sometimes out of necessity. Unfortunately, that can mean business owners who try to handle their own marketing in-house can devote little to no attention or resources to their marketing strategy.

Marketing for a medical practice already has unique challenges compared to other industries, but elective procedure marketing comes with other hurdles all its own. For one thing, these procedures are typically expensive and payment is usually out of pocket. For another, there’s often social stigma to overcome when patients are considering their options.