A Hera Hub Business Booster with Michelle Baker
To get started with a holiday re-boost, you want to first decide what is your marketing or public relations priority. Social media, PR outreach, advertising, or any other aspect of marketing can be a full time demand, so you have to decide for your business what gets the best return on investment.
No one has infinite time or resources to spend on getting the word out about their business. Many of us run out of time to work on our own marketing as we serve the needs of our clients. By choosing your priority, you can simplify your efforts, and make sure you get the most important thing done.
Marketing is both an art and a science. There is no guarantee on anything you put out there, yet there are trends you can follow and you make strategic choices that give you longevity, so even if you happen to get a short term disappointment, you are working towards long term goals.
The Rooted Model
By returning to the roots of your business, it helps you make decisions that always resonate with the core aspects of your business. Before you ask yourself, “What do I need to post on social media?” Before you even ask yourself, “What am I selling?” You have to start by asking yourself, “What is my passion? What is the best way I can serve my customers? What is my vision?”
These are your roots. From there you build your trunk, which is the product or service your passion is standing behind. It’s also your story and overall brand messaging. The branches are your relationships: customers may be the primary, but it also includes partners, suppliers, and others. This finally brings you to the “leaves,” which are the small choices you have to make in your day to day. Always think about the roots first, before you make your day to day decisions.
When you stay rooted to your greatest purpose, it eases the connections you make and helps you find your customers long term. It also allows future pivots (as many small businesses do) remain in line with your brand long term.
Start with re-identifiying your passion and greatest purpose. This allows you to connect human to human. It also helps you identify the priorities when you get all the way out to the “leaves.” If you still know you need to create social media posts, you will be able to make posts that align with your passion and purpose, not just throwing out any old social media post just to check that off your list.
Ask yourself where you stand on each of these aspects before you move on to the holiday messaging.
Refining for the Holidays (or Anytime)
Coronavirus has thrown a wrench in the plans of many of our businesses. We often have to pivot, and this is certainly a time in many businesses that those pivots are being forced. Instead of falling into the feeling of desperation or any client, go back to those roots so you can re-emerge stronger. It’s OK to feel scared, but stay in touch with the passion and purpose and vision.
Every message you share should line up with the greater purpose. Take for example Hera Hub. It’s a co-working space, but it’s so much more than that. It would be easy to start trying to post messages that target “anyone who needs co-working,” but those messages won’t align. Make sure every message is aligned with the greater purpose of seeing women succeed in business. That’s a bigger purpose. Trying to get new customers in the door won’t be in contrast to the greater purpose, but diluting that greater message of connecting passionate female entrepreneurs WILL be in contrast to the greater message.
Holidays are an opportunity that presents itself every year for a chance to pivot and re-position. Your core messages should not change. However, your specific words will change as you lean in to match the current needs of your clients. What is changing for your clients at the holiday? Is your product or serve an excellent holiday gift? And your client is looking for gifts? Or is your product or service focused on entrepreneurs, and perhaps you should focus on the new year’s enthusiasm instead?
Looking forward to the holidays is actually the last question you need to ask yourself! Even in the holidays, you need to focus on the human connection over simply the sale.
How to Tell the Story
It’s essential to align your purpose with the goals and needs of your audience. By aligning yourself with the needs of your client, you will make the job of creating sales much easier.
The roots of your business are your purpose, passion, and heart. These are also your “stand.” The roots are the immovable part that you stand on.
Your trunk is your personal story, and it’s how you take a lead in the industry. This where you begin to offer your unique solution. By choosing a few core ways to tell your story, then you begin to tweak those main messages and align with your audience.
This is how you expand, through the branches of your audience. And when you finally connect with them through the leaves or day to day action, you will be fully aligned and the sales will come easily.
This is finally how you ask yourself, will I connect with my audience through a direct email? Will I connect with them through social media posts? And which platform?
Once you start making authentic connections with people, you can begin to show that through Instagram or Facebook or whatever the final step may be, and you will see your business succeed, all by staying true to your passion and purpose!
Michele Moninger Baker, President of Mambo Communications a full–service integrated public relations agency focused on helping emerging companies build brand and brain trust to differentiate itself, build credibility and create demand via strategic and tactical public relations services.
Website: mambocomm.com
