If you are listening, you are spending time social distancing at home with your immediate family and pets. There is a lot of marketing to help encourage folks to do their part in flattening the curve. Corporate companies have taken on the challenge to show their support of the movement.

Hyundai has made their “H” a fist bump as the middle, NBA is on the laptop, Starbucks has a mask, Nike just isn’t doing it, heck- even the McDonald’s arches have separated. Locally, thanks to Marketing Director William Childs now Kitchen Magic has joined the trend with their signature gnomes Stanley and Yost working farther apart.

These are temporary logos. In time we will be back in business and celebrating at events together. Logos will go back to normal. Until then we continue to watch how businesses marketing and brand during these circumstances.

Now more than ever your company and organization’s brand are being tested. Your logo, images, messages, and how you treat your customers & staff is being evaluated. We are facing uncharted times with everyone figuring out if they are essential/non-essential and how to stay safe.

There are companies like the State Theatre of Easton that closed gracefully keeping the public and staff safe. They are working to postpone for the future and send us good morale community messaging. Their Facebook page has become a go to for feel-good posts and videos about the Arts.

Kitchen Magic followed the decision to close and helped their staff navigate what it means to be separated. They even have a family (Employee) Facebook group page to stay friends/connected. They have launched a video to feel good about the time spent in your kitchen now especially, and over the years. No sales – just warm fuzzies. (Give it a watch –https://www.facebook.com/KitchenMagic/videos/2547064122221040/)

Facebook has posted a video about reconnecting when the time comes but the importance of seeing faces. Clearly about their product but never mentioning their services.

Kaplan’s Enterprises (Kaplan Awnings) is open with waiver but is paying their staff to make masks for first responders and medical personnel. To date they have donated over 750 masks working hard to keep the community safe.

Then there are other companies. Tales of forcing to make employees working in unsafe environments or quit/be fired. Overstaffing departments and unnecessarily crowding instead of making the smart business decision to part temporarily with staff.

When this comes to and end and we return to whatever will be the new norm who will you do business with? The company that helped feed your family. Cared for their employees? Gave back to the community? Will you avoid companies that treated their employees unsafely?

Let us know if we can help you with your online messaging and brainstorm strategy for your business during these strange times.

Today with the global world at your fingertips it is easy to search online for the best deal, sale, or flashy eye-catching product or service. More than ever you need to stand out. You can’t keep lowering prices or you will start losing money. You will lose your mind trying to keep up with every competitor video, ad, and sale, One way to keep your customers and grow your base is brand loyalty.

Recognizing your customers and letting them know you are appreciative and aware of their use of your services. Not inviting them to hard sell the next best thing, but bringing them out for a fun time. I have watched a dealership invite their customers out for an annual party. No sales folks are working other than serving drinks, food, and running games. They are mingling and building personal relationships outside the normal “wheel-n-deal’ relationship. (pun intended.) Yes there are cars on the premises but that isn’t the focus at all. The customer and their families are the focus. They do receive calls the next few days about cars they saw that lead to sales but the important fact is the dealership has one of the best experiences with referral purchases and multi-generation purchases. If they grow up visiting and partying in a dealership and getting to know the staff you are comfortable and that is where they want to go to spend their money.

The take-away? Make your customers feel appreciated beyond something tied to a purchase and get to know them. Do it for the right reasons and the loyalty will build and in turn show you the return business you are looking to increase. While we can’t come together currently now is the time to find a way to connect online and plan for gatherings in the fall when we are ready to reconnect our relationships.

If your business isn’t open no business is happening.

The spring sidewalk sales and community festivals are soon approaching. I am amazed at the two models that businesses make.

The first is the business that knows they may not get sales during the event but by 1) having open doors lets attendees see what the business has to offer so they can come back even to the point of offering a coupon and 2) they create a sale or specific way to offer something targeted to those attending that event.
Then there is the business that sees the event as an inconvenience and closes their doors. All the people that come onto the doorstep are turned away. There is no interaction and no reason to return.

While active downtowns can be overwhelming who can afford to not embrace the events that are happening and open your doors. Creative promotions can grow your business.

The Fun-Nominal Team has worked with numerous downtowns and individual store fronts helping them maximize their local events. Let us help you “open your doors” to more business.

Tired of using the same marketing as everyone else, doing the same thing and getting little to no results? Break out from the crowd and consider some non-traditional marketing.

Print, radio, and tv is successful and can be expensive. You need to know exactly who you want to reach and have a solid strategic plan to reach that audience. But you can complement that plan with lots of non-traditional marketing ideas to build up your strategy without hurting your budget. Special events (including open houses, mixers, progressive stop events, private events) contests, workshops, and online marketing campaigns can drive traffic, introduce new customers, and strengthen your brand to existing customers.

Don’t just do the same thing- stand out. Fun-Nominal Events and Marketing doesn’t just recommend the usual suspects. We strive to find affordable ways to reach your target audience and grow your business on a budget.