3 Small Business Marketing Strategy Must-do’s

Hellooo everyone!!! For the month of February, I want to offer 3 small business marketing strategy must-do’s! These strategies are topics I touch on a lot in The Friday Society Membership! Let’s dive into the must-do’s for February.

Utilize Case Studies

Now, I know that when you hear the term “case study”, you think of a drawn out PDF listing a bunch of statistics. Just me?

Here’s the thing – we know that social proof can have up to a 151% impact on a client deciding to purchase something, but the way the information is presented is what’s going to actually make the difference there. Put simply, a case study is showcasing how a client was able to improve their way of life using your service. You’ll want to show how things were for your client before, during, and after coming into contact with you.

Start here:

1. Create a shortform version of this – just 3 or 4 slides on a grid post is all you need
2. Consider putting that short format into a nurture sequence email – preferably email 3 or 4, where your client is deciding to purchase from you. 
3. More on your nurture sequence here for a podcast deep dive, and here for a visual representation! 

Your Success This Year

Write down the top three things that made you successful in your first year of business.

As you guys know, I’m a BIG fan of reflecting on what’s gone well, and not so well, in our businesses. I truly believe that the key to our success is in analyzing what has and hasn’t worked for us in the past. A huge piece of this is to dive into what made people resonate with you in the first place.

I was having this chat with a client this morning, and we were talking about one thing that this particular fitness studio was really known for in the early days. This particular thing that they did made people hang out in the studio, correlating happy feelings and connection and good energy with their brand name.

Start with these prompts:

1. Think about year #1. Where did the bulk of your clients come from? What made them stay?
   1. For example, maybe you used to do a coffee chat after every Saturday class. 
   2. Or you gave a free class for everyone that posted to instagram. 
   3. Maybe you allowed new clients to bring a friend with them. 
   4. Maybe you offered a complimentary gift with sign up.
   5. Or, maybe you used to do a pop-up class at a local lululemon store. 
   6. Maybe you participated in a local giveaway or raffle. 
2. Think about these things – that you thought were little at the time – and write them down. 
3. What was the core reason behind what drove those people to you? What made them stay? For example – if you offered a free gift with sign up, was it the gift that made people stay? Or the fact that they were taken a little extra care of with you? If it was that you used to do Saturday morning coffee, was it the coffee? Or was it that they really bonded with you, and maybe even made new friends? Analyze this and get to the core of what worked. 

Nail Down Your Client Appreciation Strategy

As you guys know by now, client appreciation is a huge pillar of the marketing strategy that I work with my clients on. I truly believe that good marketing IS good hospitality, and that the way we authentically appreciate our clients for spending time with us matters. Now, we can get into the feels with this, but there’s some strategy that I want you to understand as well.

1. Client appreciation strategy should be broken down into two buckets.
   1. ONE: early client appreciation strategy
      1. Clients that are new to your business (still within their first month or two), or maybe a bit shy.
   2. TWO: loyal client appreciation:
      1. Clients who have been with you since the beginning, have attended a high number of classes or sessions with you, or have been vocal about your business. 

If you’re implementing a client appreciation program for the first time, it’s important to START with your loyal clients. We never want your existing clients to feel that you don’t appreciate them – and running constant promotions for new clients, while you have loyal people showing up to your business every single day, will alienate your current clients. Start with your loyalists, and work your way backwards, ending with new client implementations. 

For one of my favorite Friday Society podcast episodes to date, listen to what Gabby Cohen, one of the first employees of SoulCycle and PR hospitality queen had to say on this topic.

The Friday Society Membership

Client appreciation will be the March focus of The Friday Society Membership!! This means we’ll have a one hour dedicated webinar on this topic, you’ll have action items and next steps, and then we’ll have a check-in call two weeks later! To join the membership or find out more information click here! 

Alright y’all, that’s it!! Those are your February tasks to continue moving your business closer and closer to that dream.

Always here for you – feel free to reach out whenever you have a question or need some guidance! Truly just a reply or DM away – always happy to help in any way I can <3 

Listen to the episode!