As a Manhattanite my entire 20 plus years that I’ve lived in the city, I used to struggle with the pride that people took from living in the boroughs. I thought it was odd but moved on.
It wasn’t until after I started this business that I challenged myself to spend a day in as many neighborhoods in the city as I could in a year. There are over 300, so it wasn't a trivial task. That’s when I got it. I finally got the pride thing. There is so much to see and experience, but it doesn’t get the press.
I share that story because I probably would have never made the trip to Ridgewood. That would have been a shame. It’s highly diverse, and multicultural. It’s livable and affordable, from a Manhattanite perspective. There is a lot more to do that you realize. When you walk around, it’s obvious that there are a number of historical districts in Ridgewood. In fact, there are 10.
The marketing challenges in Ridgewood are more about differentiation and awareness. A great site, when used effectively, can help either one.
In other words, the small business has a clear understanding of their market segment, and they have a clear picture of how they can win. Strategic marketing is how you make this happen.
If there isn't a expected outcome and clear indication of your expected return, then find other help marketing your small business.
If the small business marketing agency you found to help raise your visibility in your market doesn't have a testing and learning plan, find someone else
Any small business digital marketing agency should have digital knowhow. But, you would be surprised that many don't. Before you accept marketing help for your small business, check their technical credentials. Do they offer email marketing? What does their own online marketing look like? How about social media marketing? What do their post look like?
This probably goes without saying, but you'll want to make sure that any marketing help you hire has significant small business experience. Large company solutions won't work.
Marketing is inherently risky. When seeking marketing help, see whether they will share the risk with your small business.
According to Best Designs, original graphics are the most successful.
“Original graphics make up 40% of all successful visual content that accomplishes marketing goals, but 43% of marketers struggle with the consistent production of captivating visuals.”
Since we are communicating one message, the artwork that supports it must work very hard to support the message. This is where local market know-how can really help. Original photos and images of your business in Kipps Bay interacting with your neighborhood can add value.
It also helps with when your calls to action focus on local events in and around Ridgewood or at your business location.
Every email, no matter how trivial, should have a call to action. This is where all the hard work above pays off. If we omit one, we just wasted resources that could have been spent more cost effectively.
We cover email list building in great detail in our post on small business email marketing. Again, we will just hit the highlights here as it pertains to Ridgewood. Every neighborhood has summer fairs. While these were severely impacted by COVID, in our post COVID world they should roar back with a vengeance. It would be smart to see if you could piggy-back off one or more of them.
Incentives, deals, free trials, and samples are all great options when developing your calls to action. See if you can partner with your neighbors to create a shared promotion. This way one shopper in Ridgewood has two or more places to visit while out in the neighborhood.
The marketing challenges in Ridgewood are more about differentiation and awareness. Local digital marketing, when used effectively, can help either one.
Look, you want any small business marketing partner vesting in your outcome. Marketing is risking. So, you shouldn't have to bear all the risk. Look for small business marketing help that is confident enough in their skills to own some of the risks. If they are, then you know they genuinely want to help your small business succeed.
Size and local knowledge matter. That's been proven, consistently. Therefore, the quality of the help you receive depends on the knowledge of the area, plus the experience level of the team assigned to your business.
In truth, there are many different benefits that marketing firms of different sizes provides. As Liz O'Neill points out on the Precision Marketing Group blog, the help any small business marketing firm provides needs to match the scale you require.
If you need help with marketing your business, please do not hesitate to contact us.
If you're thinking about finding help in Red Hook for your small business, here are the things to keep in mind.
See more about Small Business Marketing in Ridgewood. If you are more interest in the borough, you can see our Small Business Marketing in Queens. If you want the full city, you can see our Small Business Marketing in NYC.