How do you balance 'being local' and 'being everywhere' for your customers?
My marketing strategy is to 'be everywhere'. However, sometimes I find that when I focus on reaching customers outside of my local area that I miss out on attracting customers through local events, publications, school programs, etc. Then when I'm focusing just on local customers, I think there is so much more I could be doing. Where is the balance?
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Aug 2, 2015
I let my website reach out beyond the local market while I focus (time in front of people and some advertising) on the local market. For me, local means I target locations within one hour driving time although I accept clients beyond that at my discretion.
I don't use a corporate template for the website because I want it to be me. I write the copy in my words with my personality (it doesn't look and sound canned) using the expertise I have developed over 15 years.. I focus on teaching about my services so people get an understanding. Sure, I do a little selling - contact me or fill in this form - but people can see quickly that they are getting value from the website. I have a number of people contact me having only 'met' me through the website asking me to help them from a distance in what frequently is a face-to-face business.
But the website also is useful in my local market. When someone finds me by phone but doesn't really want to meet face-to-face, I refer them to my website. It is a soft way to develop rapport in a business that frequently requires sincerity and multiple contacts.
Aug 1, 2015
I think this is the first time I don't really agree with what people are saying here. I completely agree with you. You need to be everywhere. If you are not everywhere, you are losing out, big time. In your business, having an art gallery is one of the rare businesses that actually can attract people from all over the world if done right.
Focusing on the local market to attract local artists and then market those artists to all corners of the world will provide many opportunities. And lets face it, New York is the best place in the world where you could actually pull this off.
Focusing on attracting visitors from all over the world would be my approach and that is how you take care of the local market as well as the rest of the world.
I may be wrong but my first thought was to go to tourism offices to get them to help you advertise your business to tourists. This could open up a whole new world and if you are in a good location, people might just drop by to look at some of the amazing art you have advertised.
Another thought would be any other tourist attractions and maybe create a package with one or some of them. Especially the artistic side of the tourism sector might be of interest such as museums, other art galleries (there is different arts, so find the one's that are more in line with what you offer), you already mentioned schools. There is plenty more I'm sure if you really start looking locally on how to attract tourists. Hotels might be another good source for you to showcase what you've got.
Online might be a good way to sell art as well. This is new and not everybody's cup of tea but a lot of people buy paintings, sculptures etc online now.
So, to summarise, focus on the local tourism sector and that will already open up the world.
I hope this is a bit helpful to you. Good luck with the business and let me know if you need any further clarification.
Thank you and regards
Carsten
Jul 30, 2015
Build your company from a Marketing Driven Perspective based upon the tripod of:
Customers, Profits and Employees...Try to keep them in balance, aim for sweet spots---This will promote TRUST
Jul 30, 2015
Have you considered that you might have a wrong marketing strategy?
Research shows that local companies are more profitable than the global corporations. If you want to be everywhere, you'd be better off with selling a franchise and thus you would need a different business model. But somehow, I do not think that this is what you intended to do.
I would personally advise you to concentrate on your local community and perhaps bring in something that has not been available there. One example that comes to my mind is Banksy taking over a museum in Bristol. In the first month of his exhibition there were more visitors to the museum than in the previous history of the museum since its creation...And btw. traffic at the Bristol Airport doubled...
Jul 30, 2015
I think my Esteemed Colleagues have covered it well. I would summarize by saying "Act Global, Be Local." It is not an either or in this day and Age. The other key word that should use is "Activation." Activation with Customers is key. To get Repeat Business, you must Earn the right. So, how will you Activate your Relationship with your Customers?
Jul 29, 2015
What product line? That's important. No one is everywhere. Not even coke or pepsi. There is a limit or there are limits to service, product line, Presentation, Promotion, Partners, delivery (Place) and making money.
I taught MBA Marketing classes at several colleges and universities including USC, CSUN and all five campuses of Pepperdine.
Here's one of the most important concepts taught including in the capstone MBA class: Success can boil down to two things...building revenue and cutting or maintaining costs.
Review the 4P's and 9P's of Marketing. Good luck. All the best.
Jul 29, 2015
I think in any form, the balancing is not correct as it makes no sense being that what would you want to achieve for such balancing is not clear at all.
If you compare 'being local' and 'being everywhere', what are you looking for? seeking 'to do more' compare 'to be more productive'?
If I am you, I will first look at what I wanted to have for my business and make a check which action ('being local' and 'being everywhere') is more appropriate to achieve my intention.
Jul 29, 2015
You really have to ask yourself which market has brought you most success and profit to date? You seem to have tried both local and 'everywhere'.
Also, what are your overheads to do the two options, compared with the turnover achieved form each?
It would be better if I knew what market you were in but in general business you must research your options then put your effort into the most profitable route forward.
Jul 29, 2015
Hello Zoe
Kevin McCarthy provided some excellent focused advice: "In general, master your local market first - put 80 to 90% of your time there. This will help you clarify your target audiences, engage them in conversation, and grow a reputation. Yes, you need a web and social media presence but keep your eye locally for now."
The only exception to the above is to now put 100% of your time AND focus within your local market. Later, after you've proven that you provide an essential service / product for others - at an acceptable price point, with SUPERB customer service, you can start to dream about expanding.
But even when you start to expand, do that with a focused plan. Don't immediately try to be an answer to the world. Nobody is.
Concentrate on continually improving the process of clients truly enjoying to use your products and services. Satisfactory growth will follow naturally. Best Wishes!
Jul 29, 2015
Zoe,
Being a producer of live physical events that are intended to create sustainable results is quite different when you are trying to reach those outside your brick and mortar location.
There are plenty of instances where the brick and mortar sells online but has a real physical Four Square oriented location. What that does is provide:
1) a facility to receive and dispatch inventory to customers from VAR or wholesaler;
2) the brick and mortar provides a sense of credibility and stability to consumer;
3) you online offering to consumers everywhere is supported by those locally who will refer your business to those outside you physical service area; and
4) by being everywhere you create a wider exposure, and even credibility, for your business.
In summary it is better to have both working in sync to achieve overall business goals as well as round out your marketing plans and identify and protect where SWOT shows challenging times in one area vs another that you are also involved.
My business caters to local guests while also serving businesses anywhere in the world. That has opened up doors to doing business with China, Malaysia, India, and even local US governments for me as well as individuals and international corporate clients from Nissan, Yardley, Pepperidge Farms, Intel, etc.
So don't limit yourself.. just make sure you are either staffed up to work it, you have others partnering with you who can take care of elements you don't have bandwidth to care for yourself, or chunk things down to be able to give your attention to each area you are working on.
Ultimately, the balance is what you dictate. You can overwhelm yourself, you can under perform. You can also over deliver, outreach or under deliver. Whatever the case may be it the cards are in your hands to pick and chose where and when you focus your time. To do it simultaneously you certainly will need others working with you in other capacities.
Jul 29, 2015
One suggestion is to video your local events and place them on social media resources (to extend your reach beyond local while you are focusing on your local clients). Do you have a business page on Facebook? Or your own website that can display your unique works of art? Are you networking with business owners that need unique works or art like Interior Designers and Decorators? Sometimes being terrific in the local area will naturally expand to more with time.
Jul 29, 2015
What are your financial and lifestyle goals 3 - 5 years from now? What does your business need to look like and have accomplished by then for you to realize your goals?
If you can accomplish that in the local market, then focus only on that. If you need some scaling-up, then go through the right process to determine which products/services are the best to scale Then decide whether to provide more products to your existing market or to take your current products to new markets. Do NOT take new products to new markets.
Hope this helped.
Jul 29, 2015
Hi Zoe,
Being everywhere is not a marketing strategy. It is a recipe for utter confusion and I sense you're experiencing just that. Only major brands can afford to "be everywhere" but even they know better. What you want to be is where your customers are...but who are they?
In general, master your local market first - put 80 to 90% of your time there. This will help you clarify your target audiences, engage them in conversation, and grow a reputation. Yes, you need a web and social media presence but keep your eye locally for now. You're surrounded by 8 million people in NYC. You have plenty to say grace over as it is.
Get profitable asap. Your time, attention and energy is your limiting factor in a start-up. Focused and consistent effort on a few good things will win over a scattered attempt of being everywhere.
Please post your website / FB so we can better understand your offering.
Bravo for making the entrepreneurial leap.
Be On-Purpose!
Kevin
Jul 29, 2015
This is a tough one and it really depends on your product/service. Payza serves over 190 countries but our real strength is being able to cater to local markets. While we have a core set of services offered globally, we also have local initiatives aimed at truly meeting the needs of specific markets.
For a small business I'd suggest not spreading yourself too thin. It's probably best to get a solid foothold in your own market before branching out (or if you already have a strong presence in several markets, focus on solidifying these positions). This way, when you are ready to enter a new market you can do so with a solid strategy that will make the best use of your resources.
If your marketing strategy translates well over many areas, then you can certainly branch out to multiple markets at a time. After a few weeks/months when you can judge the results coming in from your efforts, you can focus your marketing dollars on the areas that are responding to your pitch while scaling back in other markets.
Jul 29, 2015
The balance starts with being comfortable with what is best in reality putting ego aside. Being "everywhere" is not a realistic strategy until your brand is endemic. Focus on being vital, critical, essential to someone and "everywhere" will come from the market...close is easier, cheaper and a better test of value. Grow outward from a core rather than trying to harvest from scatter.
Jul 29, 2015
Another approach is to analyze the demographics of your customers and where your customers find about about your products or services. Reviewing and categorizing these aspects, then will allow you to be market to your customer base, both inside and outside your geographic area.
Jul 29, 2015
I would consider reflecting on 2 areas with 2 separate portfolio as specific products/services...At a certain point, my guest is that you will naturally see how to bring them together or to be complementary...I suppose somewhere there is something about visibility...
Jul 29, 2015
Hi Zoe,
It looks like your target market and prospects are local as well as out of your local area. You have 2 options I think.
1) See between the 2 areas where the most of your customers come from. See also which area is cost effective(money-time- energy) for you. Then you can focus on just that area
2) If both bring you equal customers have 2 different strategies and manage your time consequently to serve both at the same periodicity. For example if everyday you reach out to both areas, split the time in 2 the same day for each area. Time management will be the key for you with the option # 2
Hope this help. Feel free to reach out if not clear. Good luck and go them