POP Marketing Blog & News
Recent Blog Posts
Inclusive Marketing: A Guest Blog from Maxwell Ivy
This month, we’re doing something a little different. I asked Maxwell Ivey, the Blind Blogger to write a guest blog about the importance of inclusive marketing and utilizing accessibility features in your web design and other marketing practices. He delivered! Maxwell has been educating entrepreneurs about accessibility and advocating for more inclusive content on a daily basis since starting his first website brokering used carnival rides in 2007. He loves sharing his knowledge about accessibility through writing, speaking, delivering workshops, or podcasting. He wants you to see accessibility as a competitive advantage instead of a burden. Below you’ll find Maxwell’s blog. He’s unique in that not only does he live the experience as a consumer, but he’s also extremely informed on the marketing side. He frequently writes about improving accessibility options. He also shares his thoughts on podcasts. He taught me a thing or two and I know you’ll find
Leverage Social Media for Your Business
June is a special time for writers. As it gets hotter and I spend more time indoors in the AC, I begin to reflect on what June celebrates—Effective Communication Month and Social Media Day. The latter is June 30, so today, I’m giving a few tips on how to leverage social media for your company using your most effective communication. Create Brand Standards Before you post a single pic or pithy remark, figure out who you are. What makes your company special? What are your values, and what is your value? I’ve talked about this in depth before, and I encourage you to check out the linked blog if you haven’t yet. Once you have an idea of your values, and value, think about your goals and mission. Then, come up with a guide for how to express yourself in ways that align with those values. That includes picking out your tone,
Local Professional Marketing & Community Involvement
As a company that handles the marketing of other small businesses, most of my marketing blogs focus on tips and tricks for doing your own marketing or explaining the importance of what I do for small businesses. But even if you hire a local professional marketing company like mine, you still have some things you should do on your own—namely, community involvement. Supporting small businesses has become a popular trend as people have begun to appreciate and understand what they do for their communities. Not everyone has the budget or inclination to seek out small businesses for every purchase, but those who do typically do so because they care about supporting their community. As a small business, they know that when they support you, that money stays in the community. But people who value that also love to see small businesses that are active parts of their community. While a local professional marketing company like POP can get the word out about you
Answering Your Burning Small Business Marketing Questions: Volume One
Happy Spring, everyone! I’m super pleased Spring has come to Roanoke, though maybe not as happy as my dogs who are getting to go on a few more walks than usual. And as we spring into new life, obviously our minds turn to small business marketing questions. I joke of course, but Spring often does push us to try something new much like the new year does. So whether that’s cleaning, getting in shape, or starting a new small business marketing initiative, I’ll take the boost. Today’s blog is a bit of a change to form. I will start by answering what I have found to be some of the biggest or most common small business marketing questions. Feel free to comment below and I’ll answer your questions in a future blog. For now, let’s starts with the basics. Small Business Marketing Questions: The Whats It’s hard to pick out
What Do I Mean By Your Ideal Customer?
Regular readers of this blog, watchers of our social media, and anyone who’s ever had a conversation with me in which my business came up know that I put a lot of focus on finding your ideal customer. But what do I mean by that? Don’t you just want anyone who’ll have you? For most businesses, the answer to that question is a definite no. You may say, hey, all money is green, right? But while that’s true, wouldn’t you prefer clients who pay that money as soon as it’s due? That’s just one quick example of why not every client is your ideal client. Now let me tell you more. What Makes An Ideal Customer? The answer to “What makes an ideal customer?” will vary from business to business, but here are the commonalities you’ll likely find they all share. Your Ideal Customer: All pretty basic, right? As it
Virginia Marketing Agency + VA Business = Perfect Match!
If you have a SW VA business, a Virginia marketing agency just makes sense! Here’s why you should buy local (marketing)!
Need a Good 2024 Business Marketing Resolution?
Mmm, fresh new year! We love the opportunity for a fresh start. Sometimes, it’s precisely the motivation we need to make a change. So, with that in mind, here are some of my suggestions for 2024. I’m sure you’ll find a small business marketing resolution for you! Business Marketing Resolution #1: Build That Website Did you start a business in 2023 (or before)? Have you been relying on word of mouth and ramping up a little at a time? Have you not been ready to put yourself fully out there as a business yet? Firstly, it’s very understandable. So many business owners (including this one) have imposter syndrome when they begin a business. They may even worry about failure and think holding off on a website will make it less public. Not only do I get it. I did it. Even though I run a marketing business, it was a
Social Media Is Word of Mouth Marketing
What is the best possible advertising? Most business owners agree the answer is word of mouth. And that makes sense when you think about it. The people closest to us are the ones we trust, and that’s where word-of-mouth marketing generally comes from. But each of your customers only knows so many people. Chances are, their relationship doesn’t revolve around whatever you do for a living. So, how do you enhance your word-of-mouth marketing? The answer, unsurprisingly, is social media. How Do You Make Sure You Come Up? The age-old problem for business owners is that bad news travels fast and far while good news is a homebody. If you bring your car for an oil change and the mechanic does it, then returns it to you, you go on your way and probably don’t give it a second thought. On the other hand, if the mechanic steals your car,
Thanksgiving and Planning Marketing – The Common Ground
Long-time readers or people who know me know that November is my favorite month. There are many reasons for this, but they can all fit into the theme of the month’s most famous holiday – Thanksgiving. And in addition to Thanksgiving offering us an opportunity to take stock of what we’re grateful for, it also gives us a good framework for discussing planning marketing. On the surface, what could marketing and Thanksgiving have in common? More than you think! Both creative processes end with a product meant to reach a specific audience in a particular way. How’s that for a hors d’oeuvre? Let’s dig in! Planning Makes Pleasing – Planning Marketing and Thanksgiving As the primary cook at my family’s Thanksgiving, I’ve developed certain skills and found ways to do things better. For one thing, I always plan out my week so that I got the make-ahead items done at
How Social Media Marketing Helps Small Business
Facebook, Instagram, TickTock, and the app formerly known as Twitter (TAFKAT). There’s a lot of social media out there and a lot of noise on all of it. How do you know which social media marketing helps small business? Well, like so many other things, it depends. But don’t throw your hands up. Even if you’re not ready to pay a marketing expert to help you with your social media marketing, there are some rules of thumb you can use to do it on your own. Here’s my guide to how social media marketing helps small business. What Social Media Marketing Helps Small Business? What social media marketing helps small businesses is a complex topic. So, let’s start with something basic. What is the purpose of social media marketing? What is the Purpose Of Social Media Marketing? In the before times, marketing was a one-way street. Businesses would put out
Time for Planning Your Holiday Marketing
Believe it or not, it’s time to start planning your holiday marketing. I know. I know. But this isn’t just another example of Christmas Creep. Unlike decorating or putting your Holiday Mix on repeat, holiday marketing is not something you can do over the weekend or with the flip of a switch. It takes planning. So, what should go into planning your holiday marketing? Let’s dive in. What Do I Mean By Holiday Marketing? First off, let’s define the subject. Holiday marketing is any marketing you do around a holiday that incorporates elements of that holiday, from a “Happy Halloween” post on Instagram to a blowout Black Friday sale that you start advertising a month ahead of time. For this blog, we will be referring to the Winter Holiday Season when we discuss planning Holiday Marketing – from Halloween to New Year’s. You can market around any holiday. (I love
Should You Be Using AI in Marketing?
I’ve been blogging about marketing for a few years now, and it’s about time I address the 2000-lb robot elephant in the room Using AI in marketing for your small business. The two schools of thought we hear about regarding AI are that A) it will take all of our jobs and make us obsolete, or B) it will never be able to replace us. The truth is probably somewhere in between, including when using AI in your small business marketing. Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love AI I would never use AI to create content. When it does, it’s clunky and nothing you’d enjoy reading, but there are some places where AI can assist you in your marketing and other business efforts. But before we get into the dos and don’ts, let’s get one thing clear… Using AI In Marketing Isn’t New When you think about
