Marketing SIPS to Get You Prepared for the Shoulder Season
0:00 Branding and Marketing Strategies for Success
5:40 Engagement Through Community Involvement
9:42 Strategic Marketing and Branding Tactics
13:48 Building Brand Success Through Fall Training
Ready to elevate your branding and marketing strategies? Discover how to successfully navigate the balance between these two crucial elements of your business. Learn why branding, although harder to measure, is vital for embedding your business into the community's consciousness. Through creative analogies and practical insights, we'll show you how even in slower seasons, your brand can remain top-of-mind, capturing direct searches and customer attention when it matters most.
Ever wondered how community involvement could transform your business? We delve into the power of authentic engagement in your local community, especially during challenging times. By stepping back to observe and participate, you’ll not only foster genuine connections but also bolster your role as a trusted advisor.
As the fall season approaches, embrace the opportunity to be proactive and set your business apart. We discuss strategic tactics for offering promotions and planning ahead, ensuring you stay ahead of the competition. This is your chance to hear about unique partnership opportunities and actionable ways to support local initiatives. Expressing gratitude for our supportive community, we invite you to join us next week for more insights and, metaphorically speaking, sip lemonade with us as we continue this exciting journey together.
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We’ll see you next time, Lemon Heads!
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Speaker 1: 0:00
What's up, lemonheads? Welcome to another episode of From the Yellow Chair. I am Crystal and today I'm riding solo, but I'm here just to give you a little sip of lemonade today. Just a few things to get in your head, to get you in the right space to get ready to go into what potentially could be a slower time of the year. We've got political drama going on. We've got just a slowdown in weather. We've got hurricanes. We've got all drama going on. We've got just a slowdown in weather. We've got hurricanes. We've got all those things.
Speaker 1: 0:26
Guys, we are going to talk a lot today about just how do I get ready, crystal, what are some things I need to be doing? How can I get ready for 2025? So let's sip some lemonade. All right, I really am going to get on my soapbox for a minute, right, like, I just want to kind of get on my soapbox and I just want to kind of talk through where my feelings are today.
Speaker 1: 0:59
So I was listening to some other podcasts. I love lots of things around marketing, so I listen to them all the time and you know, right now I've interviewed tons of contractors and worked with them and done audits of their processes and, guys, you know what the biggest mistake I see people making right now is? People assume, because you can directly measure things, that they are automatically more successful. And so what happens when you have that method, that methodology there is everything that's measurable is where you put all of your focus and I get it, like I'm here for it, right, like I completely. I love measurability, like I beat into y'all's head all the time the importance of tracking numbers and all of those things. But what I really want to lean into today is how that doesn't always apply to branding. So it doesn't, it doesn't right. So I'm want to lean into today is how that doesn't always apply to branding. So it doesn't, it doesn't right. So I'm going to talk out of both sides of my mouth, which you can ask Emily, I'm famous for because I love to play devil's advocate, so I'm going to kind of ride both sides of that today. But here's what I want to say Branding is extremely hard to have a direct measurement.
Speaker 1: 2:06
So people aren't driving down the highway highway chasing your van to call your phone number so you can have a different phone number on there, but you can't always people, nobody ever calls that number. Well, no one's driving 80 trying to call your phone number. That's not the way that branding works. Right. Branding works as a constant exposure to who you are, how you make them feel, and you're just constantly in their environment. You become a part of who the community is. Same thing with billboards it's not meant to have a QR code on it, things like that but it is true that the way that you measure your mass media success is through direct search.
Speaker 1: 2:39
So what you want to see happening is we want to see that people are going to the Internet and directly searching our company's name. Guys, money, bingo, jackpot, right. That is how we get our, our name out there. That's how we become a household thought. That's how we really start owning our own market Is when people have been exposed to who we are for so long that when they do need our services, we're the first one they think about. So they don't go out to the internet and start searching for AC repair near me, plumbing near me. They actually are able to search the name of your company, like Yellow Bear, air McWilliams, bailey's, you know, or Perfect Climate. They actually go search exactly who you are so that they can now see they want to get to you directly. So by doing that.
Speaker 1: 3:30
It's not easy to have direct measurement, but what we should see is a continuous and gradual growth in our direct search. So those things are very important. So, yes, can I measure my digital performance and my direct mail performance, my Facebook ad performance, a lot more 100 percent. But over here with mass media and organic social media and internal marketing, sometimes it's just a part of the game, right, it's a part of the overall strategy of consistently growing that. That flow of customers versus new, new customer acquisition and existing customer cultivation, that flow of customers versus new customer acquisition and existing customer cultivation. Those are important place. So don't think, just because you can measure it, it's performing better. It really takes a whole list there.
Speaker 1: 4:15
So I use a cake analogy all the time. So when you taste a cake, you're like dang, this strawberry flavoring is legit, right, because strawberry gets to be the star of the show, right? So so does digital marketing, right? So that strawberry flavoring that's in that cake. I guess I should say lemon. So let me say lemon, and you know, get back on track here. But when I say the lemon flavoring, if you will, that is the star of the show. But that ain't what made the cake. That lemon flavoring is just the star. Right Behind the scenes is how that sugar, flour and butter and oil all came together to make that cake. The strawberry just gets to be the shining star. It's the little spoilt spoilt that's an East Texas word for y'all spoilt rotten but that lemon flavor, we love it. We want to go off for flavor. It's the star of the show, it's what won and that's where digital marketing sits. But at the end of the day, our brand and the chef, all of those things are what made that cake good, not just the lemon. So it's the same way.
Speaker 1: 5:14
I want to encourage you to not get down in the weeds on measuring mass media and branding, because there are ways to measure it as an overall thought process, but not in the actuals right. It's extremely hard to have more of the actuals. So I thought that would be a good thing for you guys to consider as we're going into this next few months. The second thing we're going to do is we're going to look up right. So you know, lauren Daigle does a song like look up child, which you know a lot of.
Speaker 1: 5:40
You know I'm a Christian. I love the Lord. Religion is very important to me. My Christian walk, my walk with Jesus, is very important to me, and so a lot of times I remember like man, if I keep my head down all the time and I never look up and see the blessings and see the thoughts that are going on, that really can be impactful. And so I encourage you here when you're talking through your branding and things like that, sometimes you have to look up so you can look out, look out to the market, see what's going on, what are other people doing, what are trends that are happening. So don't get in your own way, right, don't live in your own house in the aspects, because when we live in our own house, we never are able to push out, we never can see further.
Speaker 1: 6:20
And so, like I've watched people a lot, they'll come out and say, well, I don't know how so-and-so is going to win this presidential race. None of the people that I know are voting for them. Well, I'm like that's not realistic, right? We don't know everyone. So we don't know everyone, we don't know everything. So a lot of us need to look up and look out to see, like, what's going on around us and not get so caught up.
Speaker 1: 6:46
So again, here's that talking out of both sides of my mouth here, I want you to look up and notice new things and powerful things, but I also don't want you to be distracted by the shiny object going by, like, some of y'all are a catfish in a lake and the first shiny lure that comes by, y'all are out, y'all are gone, y'all are roasted for some good East Texas fish tacos. So you got to get past being the one that falls for the shiny object every single time, because that those are trends and we got to look at trends and we have to acknowledge trends and we have to participate, but we don't have to sell out, okay. So let's be, let's be conscientious there. The third thing I want to weigh is like hey, the third thing I wanted to bring up today is hey, like, one thing that we could really do is like let's identify when things are going on and let's participate in those. Right. So let's identify when, like right now, there's a hurricane you know, I'm from East Texas, so a hurricane come into the Gulf of Mexico and we're fixing to not have any gas and evacuees and we're going to be out of toilet paper, right, so we're going to relive those COVID moments.
Speaker 1: 7:49
But one thing that you can do is these are, without playing too deep into this, these are opportunities for you to become a trusted advisor and an authority figure. So if you're going to be impacted by a natural disaster that's going on right or things are going to, you need to start establishing like here's how you get prepared for a hurricane, here's what you can do about your generators, here's ways to protect your system, here's ways to protect your plumbing Things you can do. We're still here for you. Here's the shelters. But be a part of what's going on. Don't be tone deaf right into like promoting, like you don't want to have ads running that's like, hey, get a new system when your town's been destroyed or impacted negatively or very much, you know, deeply impacted. So be a part of those things.
Speaker 1: 8:33
But also like, stay on trends, guys, like, right now, people are hungry for authenticity, they're hungry for laughing, take their mind off of things, and so don't get so serious. But, more than anything, like dig deep into the things that are going on and be a part of those things in a big way. So you know when there's a major something happens in your town, so let's say that. God forbid. You know a tragedy happens? Are you the first one there supporting the volunteer fire department? Are you there feeding volunteers? Are you there providing labor? What are you there doing? These are opportunities to not only give back. That's the soft side of things Like, yes, we should all be giving back. You should be giving of your time, your money, your efforts, your expertise to support your communities. If you're always asking for the sale, you're never going to get the engagement. So, to get the engagement and to do those things, give of yourself first so that you really can gain a lot of engagement from your community. Your community doesn't want to be sold to all the time, so be a part of what they're going through.
Speaker 1: 9:42
Also, let's jump into, like you know what it is fall. So some of y'all are like uh, crystal, but it's still kind of hot outside, so I don't want to drop anything. Wrong answer, wrong answer. Guys, we've got to get back up in the mix. We need to be the first ones dropping information. Okay, so if we know that snow is coming in a few weeks, we need to be talking about it. Hey guys, here's our special for X. Here's backup sump pumps. Time is coming. Don't wait until everyone else has posted. Everyone else is launching their offers. Guys, be proactive. Think further out than what tomorrow is. Most of you you know.
Speaker 1: 10:23
I was with Jennifer Bagley from CI Web Group at a private label meeting and she's like raise your hand in the room if you think you're a contractor. So, of course, everybody raises their hand and she's like you are a contractor, but what you are more importantly is an entrepreneur. So you need to be looking out and this is an investment and investing. So nobody wants to be the last man to the party, right? So some of y'all like to arrive fashionably late to the party, but I'm going to tell you you look like it. You look like it. Some of my most successful contractors right now. Their competition is two and three years behind them. People are doing now what they were doing.
Speaker 1: 11:00
Be a visionary, guys like, step out of the box, jump out there. Let's do things where we are doing, partnerships that people have never thought you could partner together. Start giving away things that are impactful to the community. You know, some things I'd like to encourage you for right now is like go out and offer to buy flags that go on the side of light poles all the way down through your town. Be the one that sponsors a new mural being designed. Be the one that supports that nonprofit that's hungry for money and needs support. Be the one that donates services to the Habitat for Humanity. Be the one that also says, hey, right now, buy an AC, get the furnace free. Is 20 other people going to do that promotion? Probably Can you at least be first. First out of the gate, you know, and don't be afraid. Yes, you want people talking about you. Part of that is all about being first to the party. Right, be first to the party.
Speaker 1: 12:00
So, as I talked through a lot of these things, it was just some encouragement for this time of the year. Right, understand what measurable looks like. Start looking at what's measurable so that you can start devising a plan for 2025. Start looking for trends and be a part of those trends, but don't be distracted. Right, there's a difference in being intentional and being distracted.
Speaker 1: 12:21
The next thing is get out there. When there's big things going on in your market, get out there and be a part of it, right? Also, start looking at ways that you can get in front of the seasonality. We're going into fall, yes, but everything we don't have to limp into it. Go into fall guys. Drive hard in there. I love basketball stuff. Go hard down, go to the basket. You know what you hear yelled every junior high basketball game. Go to the basket right, like you want, go in there. Stop playing around out here at midcourt, get on in the lane and shoot the ball and let's get aggressive.
Speaker 1: 13:00
So I hope you guys have enjoyed this little sip of lemonade with me today. If you're interested in lemonade, well, if you're interested in lemonade, we call it making lemonade, but Lemon Seed Services. We have launched what we are calling Lemon Seed 2.0, which is a great way to get your brand under control, get a strategy in place and get these audits. Guys, if you're listening to this, if you mention audit, when you fill out our forms on our website, I'm going to give you a little discount. So tell me that you heard us on the podcast, ask me for your podcast discount when you fill out that form. It's a little get to know you form. All it's doing is telling me hey, crystal, this is who you're about to meet with, and it allows me to kind of do my own research. Then we meet. There's no obligation. I just want to meet and see if we're a good partner for you and see if we can help guide you through a good marketing strategy and a good brand approach.
Speaker 1: 13:48
Guys, I love you. I hope you are having a great fall. Enjoy the good weather. It's a great time to do training and brand building. I can't wait to see what you guys do as we end off a great 2024. If you've enjoyed listening to us, leave us a review. If not, I will see you next time when we sip lemonade next week. Talk to you soon.
