Four States Small Business Blog

As the trend toward social responsibility has grown, brands are discovering that consumers expect them to demonstrate a desire to make the world a better place. A Cone Cause Evolution Survey indicated that, when price and quality are equal, 87% of consumers would switch to a brand that supports a cause. In addition, 95% of college students say they are more likely to pay attention to an ad that promotes a brand’s partnership with a particular cause. Such a partnership can be a win-win, benefitting both the brand and the cause with increased exposure and awareness.

Advertising is supposed to be a tool, and one that provides clear results for your business. You need to be seeing returns on your investment (ROI) for each of your advertising choices. If you aren’t, then why are you advertising? That’s just a waste of time and resources, not to mention a big waste of money!

One of the hardest lessons to learn in marketing is that building a brand takes time. While some lucky brands get struck by advertising lightning — e.g., TOMS, which first made headlines when it was barely a company, nearly tripling orders in one day and sparking even more news coverage thanks to its core cause — most companies have to work hard to carve out a place in their market. Even major brands, like beverage powerhouse Coca-Cola, have to build their momentum over time.

It’s a simple truth. Bad branding can mean bad business. It can give people a negative view of your company and negatively affect their experience. Branding is an expression of who you are as a company — your values, your integrity, and your mission. Brand management is vital to your company’s success because bad branding can cost your company in terms of perception and trust.

Welcome to our second installment of a three-part series that takes a good look how small business owners can run successful companies and generate results with their marketing. Last time, we mentioned that every company, whether they want to run marketing in Joplin, MO, or want to run a nationwide campaign, needs to enact a three-part formula for success — branding, a strong website, and a 21-52 marketing plan. In Part 1, we reviewed branding for small businesses.

There are more than 63,000 searches per second on Google. Your business should be among those searched for, and radio can help make that happen.

For consumers and businesses, the Holiday season is perhaps one of the most chaotic times of the year. Between shopping, family gatherings, and an insane amount of shopping, it can be tough for any business to be at the top of people’s (often cluttered) minds throughout the holidays.

Small business success relies on a myriad of things, but in many ways, it can be drawn into a simple formula. Truthfully, whether you have a national brand or simply want to focus on Joplin, Missouri, marketing, your company will need to focus on branding, a strong website, and a 21-52 marketing plan. We break down this theory in our latest free guide, but today’s post is the first in a series that will give an overview of each piece. We’ll start by diving into branding for small businesses.

Tis the season for all things holiday, from spending time with friends and family and searching for the perfect gifts, to putting the perfect touch on your holiday season Facebook posts and marketing. We know the holidays can be busy and somewhat stressful, but if you follow these tips for your brand Facebook posts, you’ll be sure to stand out from the crowd throughout the holidays!

Discounts, special promotions, and sales are often a big draw to customers — in fact, two of the top motivating factors for how American consumers choose where to shop are price (81%) and the availability of discounts (71%). But is that what actually drives results? Is that all that keeps customers coming back? In today’s post, we’ll take a look at what drives consistent results, as well as when you should actually be using discounts.