Growing Your Business (Part 1):

Strategic Marketing and PR for Small Businesses

“Marketing (and branding, and PR), is (are) remarkably simple:

You figure out whom you want to sell to, and then you determine

how you are going to get them to buy.”Paul Brown

John Park• 10+ years in marketing & advertising• Traditional to interactive• Copywriter to Creative Director

Branding

How a business communicates to the outside world

Branding is

(NB: Marketing and PR are what a company does with that branding.)

Learning French : Branding ::

Giving a speech in French : Marketing

&important because every business needs to connect with humans,

Branding is

&important because every business needs to connect with humans,

Branding is

humans are wired to respond to humanity.

Don’t confuse your business with your

brand.

Good business isn’t good brandingGood Business

Financial healthGood processesResearch & Strategy

Good business isn’t good brandingGood Business

Financial healthGood processesResearch & Strategy

But nobody thinksthis

when they seethis

Good business isn’t good branding

Exercise makes you a better person.Nike makes you a better athlete.I should buy Nikes and run more.I feel motivated and inspired now.

When people see “ They think:

Behind every great brand is a playbook

○ Brand Character○ Brand Voice○ Logo System○ Messaging Hierarchy

Things you can do today!

❏ Create your Mission/Vision Statements : What does your organization do? What do you want to be known for?

❏ Determine Your Positioning: What makes you better than the competition?

❏ Set Your Buyer Personas: What do you know about your target market and their buying habits?

❏ Craft Messaging: What do you want to communicate to the marketplace?

Meredith SiemensMeredith Siemens joined South Carolina Federal Credit Union in 2013 and serves as Executive Director, Public Relations and Communications. Meredith manages internal and external brand image, corporate citizenship initiatives and advocacy efforts on behalf of the $1.4 billion credit union.

Prior to joining South Carolina Federal, she oversaw marketing efforts for the economic development agency, GLI, in Louisville, Kentucky. While at GLI, she managed corporate communications for business attraction, financial incentives and the “Possibility City” brand. Meredith also owned a boutique PR firm, Red Horse Publicity, served as editor of Where international travel magazine and directed marketing for Saks Fifth Avenue in Charleston.

Meredith is actively involved in a number of organizations within the community, including the Metro Chamber of Commerce, of which she is a 2014 Leadership Charleston graduate, Women’s Leadership Council and Infrastructure Taskforce member. She is part of the 2015 class of the Charleston Regional Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, active within Be a Mentor, Spoleto SCENE, March of Dimes Executive Leadership Team and Junior League of Charleston.

Marketing

Your Mom, the Marketer

1. It’s a Small World Afterall2. Mind your Manners 3. People Like You For You

And because I talk too much...

Josh Silverman

Josh Silverman is the Founder of Jericho Inc., a small business management firm, and 4th Wall, a contemporary gallery and event space in Charleston. He began his career in entrepreneurship as a teenager, having been influenced by generations of family business owners, and became a professional business advisor in 2001. Josh has worked with hundreds of small companies on growth strategies, capital raises, sales & marketing, as well as product development and distribution. Josh also serves as the Managing Director of the Lowcountry Angel Network, a group of accredited investors who meet regularly to evaluate and invest in innovative startups in South Carolina that have the potential to transform and disrupt markets.

Public Relations Reach out and Touch Someone

www.jericho.biz

Effective Communication

Brand = The Sizzle Marketing = The Thing PR = The Playbook

www.jericho.bizS

ALE

S

Types of Public Relations

Direct

Specific audience

- Newsletters- Email Lists- Your Website- Hosting Events- Public Speaking- “Social Media”

Indirect

Broader Audience

- News articles- Quotes as “expert”- Advertising- Direct Mail- Sponsorships- Social Media

Internal

Stakeholders & Staff

- Communicates changes and values

- They can express your goals clearly

- Feedback loop- Accountability

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Step 1: Getting to Know You

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Step 1Customer Analytics

Who is your Audience?

Step 1Customer Analytics

Who is your Audience?

Segmented Customer List

Your CRM or Database

Google Analytics

Social Media Sites (LinkedIn, Facebook)

Customer Responsiveness & Surveys

Your Customer Wishlist

Step 1Customer Analytics

What did we realize?

Our Ideal Customer:

- Small Business Owner- Less than $5M in revenue- Less than 35 employees- Likes collaboration- Growing company- Cost conscious- Within 100 miles of Charleston- Has been in business for 2+ years

What We Learned:

- About 50/50 Male/Female- More interested in profiles than

business news- Responds better to direct contact- Prefers email over social media- Does not buy online- Wants bite sized information

Step 2: Test the Sizzle

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Research

Gather new lists of potential prospects

Inquire

Meet writers, bloggers and industry veterans and get them as advocates

Format

Break up your marketing into different topics and types of media

Prepare

Make sure your staff and your site are ready to gather responses

Test

A/B Testing, trial & error will point the way and enhance your knowledge

Step 2: Test the Sizzle

Step 3: Plan Your Attack

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Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.

- Abraham Lincoln

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The Three C’s of PR:

ConsistencyCreativity

Co-Dependency

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Three C’s Defined:

Consistency = Find out when they want PR, and go to your audience on a regular schedule

Creativity = Be bold enough to be noticed

Co-Dependency = PR doesn’t exist without a clear brand and the marketing materials that matter

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Step 1: Know YourselfStep 2: Test the SizzleStep 3: Plan Your Attack

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THANK YOU

Josh SilvermanJericho, Inc

(843) 212-8482josh@jericho.biz

@jerichoadvisors

@4thwallchs or www.4thwallchs.com

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Q&A