by Kirby Hasseman
Yesterday, my wife and I had lunch at a brand new restaurant in Coshocton. And when I say “brand new,” I mean it. They opened yesterday at lunch…and we were there. The new place is called Main Street Station and it’s next door to the Hasseman Marketing office. So we were able to watch from a close distance at how hard they have been working the last couple of months to get ready for this.
Starting any new venture is hard, but working to open a restaurant during a pandemic has to be top on the list of challenges!
Amy and I were there because we are excited to have a new dining spot in Coshocton. But we were also there because we understand how hard it is to start something new. It is challenging and fun, and exciting and overwhelming and scary. As a matter of fact, it can be all of those things at nearly the same time! Your team is looking at you for answers that you don’t yet know. Everything is being done for the first time.
And during those times of launch and exploration, it’s important for a community (any community) to celebrate new beginnings.
These new ventures require bravery. They also require time and money and hard work. But the one thing that people often forget about new businesses is, they require support. If you want to have new gym in town, you need to join it. If you want to have a successful restaurant in town, you need to go and enjoy it.
When someone in your community starts something new, make sure to celebrate it. Patronize it and spread the good news. Look for positives to share…and be a part of the reason that new venture succeeds.
P.S. Amy and I had a great lunch at Main Street Station yesterday. The food was fantastic (and there was a lot of it) and the new decor looks great! And as a side note, both of my daughters are working there too…so stop in and see them! Good luck Main Street Station! You are off to a great start!
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by Kirby Hasseman
It’s time for Episode 41 of the He Said She Said Podcast with Hasseman Marketing! This podcast is designed to give an inside look at being married and being entrepreneurs and the projects we are working on and the challenges we are facing! We talk about business, family, community and more. So listen in and let us know what you think!
On this episode we talk about…
Trending Topic
This week Kirby and Amy talk about the importance of getting away. During this different time, Kirby and Amy discuss their struggle with the idea of needing some time away to recharge…and how to do it.
Weekly Whirlwind
This week in the Weekly Whirlwind we talk more updates on the building at 539. Progress is really happening as the 2nd floor nears completion and destruction on the 3rd floor starts. Kirby talks about an uptick in print business during this time and the new Hasseman U. You can learn more about that here.
Lesson In Life
This week in the “lesson in life” Kirby and Amy talk about the importance of showing up and doing a little each and every day. You can read a short blog about that here. So many people succeed because they just don’t stop!
Shout Outs
Each week we want to give a shout out to an organization or an individual doing good work. This week we talk about two couples in Coshocton County that drove around Coshocton in an RV, playing patriotic music on the 4th of July and handing out hot dogs and popsicles. So cool. Learn more!
So that’s a wrap! Thanks for listening to Episode 41 of the He Said She Said Podcast! Any feedback will be welcome as we try to provide you value! If you want to subscribe you can do that where you normally get podcasts…or you can head here to follow on Soundcloud.
Thanks so much for listening! If you have any topics you want Kirby and Amy to cover, please comment and let us know! Oh…and if you like this content, check out this page where you can find all of the content we create!
One final thing…we have created a 5 Day Marketing Course you can take for FREE. There is no catch. Learn more about it here.
by Kirby Hasseman
So here we are in 2020. A lot has been made about the “unprecedented times” we are living. But here we are. As I have said before, we need to stop talking about things getting “back to normal.” The reality is, we don’t know when that might happen. We do need to take an honest look at where we are…and start working to succeed from here.
We need businesses to get rolling again. I mean, we NEED it. But you might be asking “how do I market our business in 2020?” Times have changed. People have changed. We need to consider that as we tell our organizations’s story today. So here are some things I see working (right now) to market your business in the world we live in.
Direct Mail
In a world where people are less likely to leave their home, direct mail has become more effective. Yes, it’s a bit old school, but it’s a low cost way to reach the masses right where they are. And if you can create a creative, valuable offer, you have a real chance to stand out in a mailbox full of bills.
Email
One of my favorite things that Joe Pulizzi says is that we are very comfortable ( as marketers) with “rented lists.” The radio, tv station or Facebook owns the list…and we just rent access. But a real, vetted email list of people who have subscribed to what you have to say is a list that you own. You get to decide when you send it, what they see, and who gets to see it. You have to provide value, or that audience can opt out. But there is real power in owning the list. And I am not sure how long it will last, but email open rates have actually gone up during this pandemic. Give value through your email list and you can make an impact in 2020.
Postive Content on Social
In this 2020 world of arguing politics, racial divides, mean spirited debates and complaining, your organization has a chance to stand out. Just create content that is nice! Regardless of the content platform, most of us are starved for something that provides us joy and inspiration. If you and your organization can show up like that (consistently), you have the chance to gain a real audience and a real following.
Branded Merchandise Kits
You don’t need me to tell you, but the traditional way we see our customers and employees has changed right now. Many events have been cancelled. Trade shows have been put on hold. Heck, even the idea of going to work has shifted (it’s hard to believe March was only like 4 months ago). With that in mind, Branded Merchandise kits can be an EXTREMELY powerful tool to reach your target audience. When done right, branded merchandise kits can improve brand affinity, affect behavior, help company culture, and yes, get people to pick up the phone. I talk about one of my clients using branded merch to replace an event they were holding here. If you have your team working from home, there is a kit for that. What if your team is coming back to work? You can create kit to (safely) welcome them back. What about creating an online conference and mailing attendees some cool swag to get them fired up? The possibilities are limitless.
Online Learning
I have been a believer is providing value first in marketing for a long time. Heck, I wrote a whole book about it! Well 2020 is a great time to do just that. Create online learning to provide value to your clients. Our friends at Commonsku created an amazing online conference to do that for their clients and over 800 people attended. It was awesome. That is the inspiration for us creating Hasseman U. We also spent some time creating a FREE 5 Day Marketing Course for anyone that wants to take it. The idea is to provide value for your clients in a new way. When you do that during this time, you have the chance to build real trust with customers and prospects, and come out stronger on the other side.
Those are just 5 ways that I see companies successfully marketing in 2020. I hope this gets your wheels turning! While these are not necessarily prescriptive for your business, what I will say is, now is not the time for business as usual. It’s a great time to really consider how you want to tell your story moving forward.
Good luck!
Want more content? Head to our blog page here for more.
by Kirby Hasseman
I got this great question on Linkedin this week…and it occurred to me that it’s a question on many organizations mind. So I decided to post the question and my ultimate response to “What do I post now?”
Hey Kirby! Quick question for you – with all this protest stuff going in, my boss is suggesting we stop posting anything to social media as it seems like it will fall on deaf ears. We feel like “hey look what we have to say about tutorials & screenshots while all this other stuff is going on.” I personally feel like we need to move forward as i’ve been consistent & been building up our presence and don’t want to lose the momentum. I’ve been working for so long to build it! Curious what your thoughts & perspective is on this.
As I mentioned, I love this question. It’s thoughtful and self-aware. And I think your boss has a point about being mindful of the world around you as you go to market. You never want to come off as tone deaf when challenging times are around us. And if they mean you should take the day off, then I understand and could get on board. But overall I think it’s okay to continue to tell your story in a mindful and intentional way.
Serving Versus Selling
The question I always ask myself is whether or not I am going to market with a servant’s heart. If you are just “sell, sell, sell,” then your boss is right. You don’t want to look like a thoughtless jerk on 3am infomercials. But if you are being mindful of the times, then you can probably create content that serves people where they are…right now. For your offering, online training might be seen as more important than ever. In addition, there are some people that will be hungry for something else to see or think about. You could be providing a positive alternative.
What Are We Doing?
I always tell people that you can tell what I really think about Branded Merchandise by what I put my logo on. If I am willing to spend my money on it, I really like it. The same idea is true with content strategy. The most honest answer comes from the fact that we are continuing to create content. We are trying to create content and offerings that are appropriate for the time…but we are moving forward. We have even pivoted to create some Free Marketing Training because that feels right at this point.
The best content strategy, in my opinion, starts with Giving First. My hope is it will provide value to customers in a way that is meaningful.
In the meantime I am going to work hard to listen to my community to make sure I am not way off base.
Want more content to help you grow? Check out our blog page. We have new content all of the time! And if you want to dig deeper on giving first, you can check out my book on the subject here.
by Kirby Hasseman
As we enter into a new world, businesses are exploring new ways to do business successfully and safely. Most of us want to get back to some sense of normalcy, but we want to do it in a smart way. That is why Hasseman Marketing is announcing a new education series called Hasseman U.
The idea is simple. We want to bring as much education and value to our customers as possible, in a safe way. So each Thursday at 11am , starting June 4th, we will feature a different speaker in order to provide ideas and inspiration on how to succeed in the new normal. Each Hasseman U session is schedule to last only 30 minutes. There is no cost to participate and there is absolutely no obligation to buy. It’s just about providing value to our customers and prospects in a new way for a new time.
The schedule for Hasseman U (so far)
June 4 at 11am: Javier LaFontaine from Showdown Displays will be joining us to explain how powerful and important proper signage can be in order to re-open and keep employees and customers safe. You can register for this first session here.
June 11 at 11am: Doug Oslance with Starline is going to talk about reconnecting with customers in a meaningful way…and how to save some money while doing it! Sign up for this class here.
June 18 at 11am: Matt Eysoldt is the Master of Branded Masks…and more. Matt is joining us to tell us the trending products that will help you stand out in a nation trying to safely open back up! Click here to get registered for this one!
We have plans for more Hasseman U sessions, so please be on the lookout. Follow us on Facebook to make sure you never miss an update.
The goal is to provide value and the tools to succeed in this new world. With that in mind, now is a great time to sign up for the FREE 5 Day Marketing Course. Each morning a new lesson gets delivered to your mailbox in order to help you market better. And did I mention is was free? Sign up for that here.
