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Preparing for Small Business Saturday Made Easy: The Modern Marketing Show, Episode 71

Small Business Saturday is fast approaching, will you be getting involved this year? As a small business, you absolutely should. Local businesses are what make each and every community unique and vibrant across all cities in America.

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According to AMEX, in 2017 an estimated 108 million consumers reported shopping or dining at local independently-owned businesses on Small Business Saturday – generating roughly $12 billion in reported spend.

Imagine the impact a Small Business Saturday event can have on your own community. When people shop locally the money flows back into your local economy, unlike big-box retailers where money flows right back to the business.

American Express does a great job at making it easy for you to get materials for the big day. Check out their Shop Small Studio!

You can catch new episodes of The Modern Marketing Show every Monday at 10 a.m PST on our Facebook Page. Replays will be available on the blog each week.

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Stop Hitting Boost Start Seeing Results With Facebook Ad Campaigns: The Modern Marketing Show, Episode 70

We had 100’s of retailers register for our Facebook and Instagram Ads Masterclass. It took place over two weeks in October and covered everything one needs to know about running social ads. Not only did students walk away with tons of valuable information, but also with confidence in their ability to run successful Facebook ad campaigns. Which is why we’ll be sharing the top three takeaways from the masterclass in this post. We absolutely believe you can benefit from them too!

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Takeaway #1

There’s so much more you can be doing than just boosting your posts. With all the ad types and tools available at your fingertips, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not utilizing them and running ad campaigns.

Takeaway #2

You should test different audiences with different ad types. You can use Facebook’s Detailed Targeting feature to find your Perfect Customer Groups, or what we call your PCGs, and advertise to them.

Takeaway #3

The holidays mean more competition from other retailers running ads in November and December. This typically means you’ll see higher ad costs and a lower reach. You may want to consider setting aside a little extra money for your ad budget these next two months.

Ads are going to be the most cost-effective way to gain exposure, engagement, and traffic (online and offline) during the holidays. Remember, you can do this! We know retailers who are seeing results from ads every single day. Click here to find out how you can get your hands on the Ads Masterclass.

You can catch new episodes of The Modern Marketing Show every Monday at 10 a.m PST on our Facebook Page. Never want to miss an episode? Click here to join our list!

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Create a Consistent Brand and Experience: The Modern Marketing Show, Episode 69

Branding isn’t just for big-box retailers. As a brick-and-mortar retailer, you should be working towards building your brand too. Below are the top three reasons why having a strong brand identity is important for your business.

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Reason #1: A strong brand improves recognition. Everything from your fonts, colors, and logos should work together to help people online know immediately what they’re seeing is coming from you.

Reason #2: A strong brand creates trust. In a recent study from Facebook, 87% of people said trust and security were the two main motivators for a local purchase. By nature, people are more likely to purchase from a business that they trust. A part of building that trust is by always providing a consistent customer experience. When we know what to expect when shopping at a business, we’re more likely to return again and again.

Reason #3: A strong brand can lead to new customers. When your current customer base is satisfied they’re more likely to refer friends, family, and even that stranger they met in line at the grocery store to your business.  Word of mouth marketing is powerful – think of happy customers as your own personal viral sales soldiers.

People shop from businesses they know, like and trust and branding is essential to making that possible. Now your challenge is to take a look at your business’s brand and ask yourself, “Is my brand consistent online and offline?” It’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to break through the holiday noise and get in front of customers, old and new, in November and December.

You can catch new episodes of The Modern Marketing Show every Monday at 10 a.m PST on our Facebook Page. Never want to miss an episode? Click here to join our list!

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The Customer Service Secret Tool Right on Your Facebook Business Page: The Modern Marketing Show, Episode 68

Did you know that Retail places 2nd in the top five industries to use Facebook Messenger to connect with people in 2017? Messaging gives people a direct line to your business, and with that comes a certain set of expectations – one of the most important being that they get a quick response back. But, with all the daily tasks that go into running a successful business, we can’t always be sitting in front of our computer screens ready to respond to an incoming message, which is why you need to have your Response Assistant turned on – think of it as your customer service secret weapon. 

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Instant replies can let customers know that you will answer as soon as possible. They can also give more contact information, like the store phone number, in case the customer needs to reach you sooner. This ensures you’re providing a positive customer service experience for customers reaching out to you over Facebook. 

Not quite sure how to find and turn on you Response Assistant? Follow the steps below:

  • Go to your Facebook Page settings
  • Go to Messaging
  • Scroll down to Response Assistant
  • Turn it on
  • Customize message

You can catch new episodes of The Modern Marketing Show every Monday at 10 a.m PST on our Facebook Page. Replays will be available on the blog each week.

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7 How-To’s For Holiday Season Videos That Pop: The Modern Marketing Show, Episode 67

You’ve heard me say it a million times but video is one of the best tools you can use to market your business online. Now, with the holidays just around the corner (yes, we said it), we want to ensure you’re set up for total scroll-stopping video success on your social media right from your smartphone. Here’s our list of camera basics for flawless filming. Think of this as your video cheat sheet!

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#1: Wipe the camera lens -You won’t believe how often we hear, “My videos are always so blurry!”. And all because the lens was a little dirty.

#2: Use natural light – Good lighting is key to getting a good quality video, but if your store doesn’t have tons of natural light you can always use a lighting kit.

#3: Test for background noise – Always be sure your audience can hear what you’re saying. The juicy details of your new products or upcoming events are important! If the audio is hard to hear, try using a mic.

#4: Make sure your camera settings are set to HD – Filming your videos in high definition makes for a better viewing experience for anyone watching. We recommend always having it set to 1080p HD at 60fps (both on iPhone and Android devices).

#5: Always lock your face – Locking the camera’s focus on your face allows the camera to always keep you in focus even if you’re moving around the store.

#6: Be prepared – No need to script out word-for-word what you’re going to say but make note of your important points to keep you on track and ensure your audience doesn’t miss a thing.

And last but not least….

#7: SMILE! – It’s natural to feel nervous or uncomfortable on camera. The best nerve-calming remedy is to throw a smile on before hitting the record button. Plus, a smile helps create a friendly environment that’ll catch your viewers’ attention.

So let’s start increasing our camera confidence! With more practice creating videos now, you’ll be a pro by the time November and December roll around!

You can catch new episodes of The Modern Marketing Show every Monday at 10 a.m PST on our Facebook Page. Replays will be available on the blog each week.