Diana Mulvey advises conscious brands on corporate strategy, marketing and communications projects through her company, Seeds Consulting, a Certified B Corp. Her background includes experience as a national marketing manager in the financial sector and as a marketing director for Lululemon.
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TOPICS OF THE DAY
1- About BCorp
2- Why is a strategy so important for small businesses?
3- Recommendations for small businesses and startups
4- The evolution of marketing in the last 5 – 10 years
1- About BCorp
You talk on your website seedsconsulting.ca about engagement strategy can you talk to us about that?
Diana: B Corp is to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk. Learn more: https://www.bcorporation.net
2 – Strategy
First, what is your “Why”? What business are you in, what are your goals, what are you in business? People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. What’s your higher purpose?
Then we look at goals, tools, and resources. Get an engagement strategy asking yourself what motivates your target audience?
People get scared not to have enough resources to manage their initiatives. Think outside the box! You can mix social media with community talks, open houses, informative sessions and so on. Take the time to plan it all out so when you launch your engagement plan on different channels it’s all mapped out.
Also, you must have a solid website, it’s important… Get a mix of online and live experiences.
3- Recommendations for small businesses and start-ups
- Start with the foundation, what is your model, your plan.
Who is your ideal target customer? This is important. The more focus you are the most successful you will be. Be very good at finding your niche and start from there. - Create a persona! You can draw a picture, write 10 things about that ideal customer. Where do they live, what do they do…? From a marketing perspective, it helps you find how you will reach your target customer.
- Choose the top three places where you will focus your energy ($). The website, social etc.?
- Find what differentiates you and share that. This is what will make you stand out!
4- Evolution of Marketing
Look at Lululemon! Ten years ago, they were totally about face to face events. Deep face to face engagement. They had to add something totally different to e-commerce and social media. It was a huge change! They now invest a lot in digital. The key is to have a mix. Don’t underestimate the importance of the other marketing tools available. Print, events, radio, PR and so on. Take the top 3, test them, measure and analyze. Really invest in your top 3 marketing tools and then reassess.
The toolkit and metrics have shifted a lot in the last 10 years. Your core customer is way more conscious of where they are spending their money. They look at company values, how does the company give back… You need to share your bigger why and purpose.
✨ Visit http://seedsconsulting.ca/ for more information and great marketing tips. ✨
Thank you!
*Please note that these are tips and takeaways are from an episode of Social Chats that was originally recorded on Facebook Live in 2017. What does Live mean? LIVE means our viewers were able to get involved while our guest was in the studio, and ask questions. You can watch the replay on our Facebook Page, ask questions in the comment field and we will make sure to answer them in a timely matter.
✨ A quick note about Social Chats. Social Chats is a weekly LIVE Facebook show that we put together to help small businesses learn from great people who stand out in their industry. What they do works well with social media and we hope this will keep you educated and inspired!
View all social chats here: YouTube ~ All Social Chats