Four States Small Business Blog

When discussing ways of expanding your marketing reach, one thing seems to dominate the conversation: Digital. From websites and blogging to social media and banner displays, the focus is on SEO and PPC, live video and native advertising. But there is a secret weapon for expanding your marketing reach that is often overshadowed by all the talk about digital. That secret weapon is radio advertising.

Branding through marketing is critical for every business, even when that business is a law firm. After all, while clients are probably already a qualified lead by the time they approach your firm, branding is why they know about your firm to begin with. Even so, you’ve studied to win in the courtroom, not the marketplace, and law firm branding may seem outside your wheelhouse. That’s why we’ve put together a list of twelve do’s and don’ts to help you start branding your law firm effectively.

Yellow Pages advertising is relatively inexpensive, and for many lawyers, it’s their go-to advertising medium. But the Yellow Pages has its limitations. Many people use the Yellow Pages as a doorstop or booster seat, but it never occurs to them to use it to find a business. For that, they turn to Google. So, while the Yellow Pages remains an effective way to reach a certain segment of your law firm’s target market, it’s important to understand its limitations and explore advertising alternatives that can provide a wider reach.

Many homeowners think of seasonal plumbing maintenance as winterizing — insulating pipes and sealing up cracks. However, plumbers know that spring and summer brings its own risks for plumbing issues. We’ve put together some tips to market your plumbing company during spring and summer.

For a long time, Yellow Page advertising was the premier method of getting your business in front of potential customers because it was the reference everyone turned to regularly for contact information. Unfortunately, since the advent of the internet, and in turn mobile access to the internet and the social connectivity that followed, the need for the Yellow Pages (or, as they’ve somewhat rebranded, YP) has dropped. Even so, consumers turn to multiple resources as they move through the path to purchase. Understanding the pros and cons of Yellow Page advertising will help you determine if and how this channel should be a part of your marketing mix.

At this point, a company having a website is usually a given, but it can be easy to forget that a website is critical to your business’ success. That’s because your site is an extremely valuable tool in establishing your business’ web presence, which in turn helps to drive more business through building credibility and connecting with customers. There are three major areas of consideration to ensure your website’s success: keeping it professional, keeping it optimized, and regularly updating it. In today’s post, we’ll take a brief look at how people are using branded sites now, then provide an overview of each area.

Believe it or not, 80% to 90% of physical mail gets opened daily, and some 57% of total mail volume is attributed to direct mail pieces. What’s more, according to a 2015 survey by MarketingSherpa, 54% of people prefer to learn about promotions and products or services via direct mail; that’s the leading format of choice, ahead of emails at the user’s frequency (49%) and visiting the brand website (38%). And about two-thirds of consumers have bought something due directly to direct mail. These are but a few of the indications that this format is a very valuable tool in your marketing mix, so it’s well worth understanding the pros and cons of direct mail advertising.

First impressions matter, and there’s a good chance that the first impression many potential customers have of your company comes from visiting your website. If it’s outdated, confusing, or cluttered, they might take their business elsewhere. What’s worse is you may not even realize they’re being driven away. It’s not likely they will call you to complain about your website. They’ll just move on to one of your competitors. That means it’s up to you to periodically assess your website to determine if it’s up to date and is adequately serving the needs of your customers. We’ve put together this list of 10 signs you need a new website.

Newspaper print advertising has a long history of reaching audiences to build trust and leverage influence on purchase decisions. And even though we live in an increasingly digital world, the format continues to prove itself useful in reaching consumers — 60.8% of adults over the age of 18 have read a newspaper in the last week, and it still ranks among the most trusted formats before a purchase decision. Thus, newspaper is still an advertising channel that could be valuable to your business, and understanding the pros and cons of newspaper advertising will help you move forward with your marketing plan.

Effective brand messaging is important for any business, but for roofing companies, in particular, how you market your company includes addressing some unique characteristics of your business. For example, if your company is involved primarily in construction projects, your branding efforts will be different than if your company focuses mostly on residential roofing. We’ve put together a list of 8 questions to help you determine if your roofing company’s brand messaging is working for you or against you.