I recently had the honor to interview an experienced Marketing and Brand expert, Jodi-Tatiana Charles, Consultant at LCG Brands. She has been giving back to the community for more than 25 years, by teaching small businesses strategic methods to increase visibility both online and offline.
Measurence: What has been your involvement with small businesses? What drove you to this path?
Jodi: “As first generation born to an innovative Haitian family, I’m inclined to gravitate towards small businesses 75 employees and under with diverse backgrounds. It’s in our blood to be entrepreneurs. Therefore, throughout my career I have spent a lot of time working with global, women, ethnic, veterans, LGBT, disabled, and family-owned businesses. I also spend my time mentoring marketing strategies, which is the #1 pain point for small businesses, through organizations like the Greater Boston Chamber, MassChallenge and CIC Foundation, not only is it my passion, but I believe it is our duty to give back to our communities. I strongly believe that if you have a high skill set, you need to share them with the individuals that really need it.”
Measurence: 2018 is around the corner, what are the top 3 trends small business owners should consider?
Jodi:
- “Identify Target Audience: I cannot tell you enough how many times I’ve asked a company, who is your target audience and they’ll say everyone or they’re not sure. Knowing who your target audience is part of YOUR strategic plan, if you don’t know who you’re going after, you can’t talk to them, you can’t create meaningful relationships with them.
- Create a year-long strategy and goal: Break it down to 3-months, 6-months, and 9-months. When you have a 9-month strategic plan, you will be less likely to get overwhelmed or stray from your goals. When you don’t, you tend to get extremely distracted and frustrated. Small business leaders are being pulled in numerous directions, lack of time and development of a good plan limits or delays their growth.
- Marketing & Outreach: Messaging brings the two together. When you know what you are doing and who you are doing it for, it’s time to tell them. Share your story, as the expert in your given field, educate your audience, show them how you can solve their pain point, get creative. And never stop finding way to learn and teach.
These are trends that should not only be applied in 2018 but should also be applied year after year.”
Measurence: How can social media advertising campaigns transform the way small business connect with their existing and potential customers?
Jodi: “Social Media advertising campaigns are a great vehicle to gain access to customers and vendors, when traditional methods seem to get stagnant. A small business should take steps to know who their target audience is by, creating a customized paper trail. Understand their habits; what are they reading, watching, listening, posting, and events they are attending. A strong online campaign brings life to a business in a “right now” way, it creates a pulse that is just as important as traditional campaigns to properly saturate a given market.”
Measurence: If you had a magic wand to create a marketing tool for small businesses, what would the product provide?
Jodi: “I would want a tool that can help small business owners create and share their story in a succinct way. Being able to share their story is the most significant way to connect with their audience whether they be current or potential.
To check out how Measurence can help you better identify your target audience, download sample dashboard.
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