Four States Small Business Blog

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.

Years ago at a stoplight, I watched a hand extend from a car window to give cash to a man holding a cardboard sign that read, “Need gas.”  A red plastic gallon-sized can was at his feet.  I was on my way to Seneca for the day and when I returned to Joplin late in the afternoon, guess who was still standing on that same corner with the same prop? I couldn’t help but laugh considering the guy at that point probably had enough in his pocket for gas to drive a motorhome to Ft. Lauderdale.

As you draw up your marketing budget for 2018, you probably already know that radio is a great way to go for targeting B2B and making your mark on the airwaves.

As fall shifts to winter, it’s the time of year where your fireplace may be plenty warm and you’re reflecting on the blessings you’ve received. As a local business for more than 50 years, we have much to be thankful for, and we’re thankful to work with the wonderful Joplin community

When an advertiser teams up with a media partner to help develop a marketing and advertising strategy, it’s vital for the media partner to have a thorough understanding of the advertiser’s business goals, target market, marketing budget, and competition. That means the media partner should conduct a customer needs analysis (CNA) to ensure that the recommendations they offer are relevant to the current health of the business and provide effective ways to achieve the growth the advertiser is seeking.

If you find yourself avoiding the task of developing an annual marketing plan, you’re not alone. You know the new year is right around the corner, but it’s also a very busy time of year for most businesses, with the holidays approaching and end-of-year activities going on. It’s easy to view planning for next year’s advertising as too time-consuming or too expensive during a period of time when resources are stretched thin.  But consider this sobering fact:  Businesses without a marketing plan are more likely to fail.

If you’re in the business of selling products or services to other businesses, then you’re what’s known as a B2B or Business-to-Business enterprise. Okay, so you already know this. But did you know that radio advertising works great for B2B, too?