Yes, You Need Market Research

market research

Which high school student were you: the one who diligently completed all the research and wrote impeccable papers (with the bibliography neatly stapled to the back) or the one who threw something together out of thin air (with no sources whatsoever)? Chances are you were somewhere in the middle, slogging through the research and just trying to get it over with. Straight “A” student or not, as a small business owner, you will need to up your research game if you are going to have a real shot at reaching your target market! 

Research is important not just for the sake of being able to list your target market’s qualities, but rather to uncover their needs, desires and habits. Along with deeper knowledge of your customers, you will also have a better understanding of your competition and where they stand.  

Thorough market research is an important investment for your small business 

The world is changing quickly and it can be felt in many small businesses as they rush to keep up with competitors and an evolving landscape of social media, marketing and customer demands. Some may feel that market research is useless because things are changing so quickly. However, what we have found in many years of working with clients (and through a vast number of changes) is that market research is more than just another marketing expense.  

If you treat good market research as a priority, it will give your business legs to stand on when everything else feels wobbly. 

Why, you might ask? 

As you come to understand your target market more intimately (as well as your competition), you will also see trends in how they behave, what they like, where they hang out online and more. These patterns will give you a deeper understanding of which technological changes to embrace and which ones to let fall to the wayside. Not only that, basing your brand’s mission, values and voice on a message that resonates clearly with your target market will give THEM something to hold on to when the waters feel choppy.  

With better market research, you will be able to assess the effectiveness of your brand’s message and marketing campaigns and reach your target market with more ease. And if something makes life easier as a small business owner, we say EMBRACE IT! 

Here are some tips: 

  • Nail down your target market. Understand them so much that you can write a detailed profile, including age, likes, dislikes, habits and more. 
  • Assess your competition to find your position in the market, your competitive advantages and disadvantages and learn from your competitors’ successes and failures. 
  • Perform a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of your business 

For many of our clients, and surely most small business owners, market research can feel like an utter time suck. Although it is an important part of your brand’s longevity, you can still outsource this to people like us. We were the students with impeccably written research papers (with biblios neatly stapled to the back of course), and we would be happy to help you dive in to your market research!  

Head here for more about what we can do to help your small business THRIVE.  

Not All Designs Should Be Created Equal (and Other Reasons You Shouldn’t Use Your Flyer as an Instagram Post)

We could throw out a million jokes about why size matters, but let’s cut to the chase: All designs don’t work with all social media platform sizing requirements. If you drop the ball with your target market because of subpar posts, a competitor will be there with crisp, professional marketing to get their attention. Not to use fear tactics to drive you into hypervigilance or anything, but in the fast-paced world that is today’s marketing you need to be ready to strike while the iron is hot. And that means delivering not only some great content, but stuff that LOOKS good too.  

Your designs need to have the right sizing to make the right impact 

It’s tempting to make one graphic (or hire someone to make one graphic) and cut corners by posting it to every outlet. Believe me, we have been there (and, admittedly, done that). It is a mistake everyone makes at some point on their social media journey. And, as with all mistakes, it is important to continuously learn better ways of doing things.  

Resizing your graphics to fit specifications for different social media platforms is a much better way to offer crisp, professional looking content to your target market. 

Not only that, it will also make you more searchable for those fancy algorithms, which prioritize optimized images over those that are not correctly sized. Increasing your reach in this way is simpler than it seems and it will make your entire social profile appear more credible to your future customers. No more pixelated images or truncated text for you! 

Why working with a professional graphic designer helps 

Graphic designers are in the know about sizing (which can change often for various platforms) and they understand the importance of crisp visuals in grabbing attention from your scrolling target market. You will also need to take into account the differing sizes for videos versus static posts, stories, reels and more. Graphic designers will often create multiple versions of one image or video so it can be shared across various platforms with correct sizing. Remember, this doesn’t just help the visual appeal of your brand, it also helps your reach! 

The magic of hiring a professional graphic designer lies in their ability to build unique, creative and on-brand designs married with the knowledge of which imagery to use where and at what sizing. 

Now, think about combining THAT with professional content creators, digital marketing wizards, PR mavens and more. Did someone say growth? Brand recognition? An increase in customers and sales? That is the magic of the P&A Team. 

Can you do it in house? Yes. Can you do it yourself? Yes. You can do whatever you set your mind to. You are a business owner after all! But we do find that many entrepreneurs who are overwhelmed with all it takes to run a business benefit from outsourcing their graphic design and other strategic marketing to companies like us, who can give them a lot more bang for their buck than hiring in-house. (And the measureable results to back it up.) 

Want to know more? Chat with us about our Entrepreneurial Pathway Program!  

How to Successfully Grow and Engage Your LinkedIn Followers

We recently reviewed why LinkedIn is going to be an important platform for you in building your brand as a subject matter expert. So, how to increase engagement? Growing your followers is one thing, and keeping them engaged is another. You will need to focus on BOTH in order to be successful. No worries, we have a no-frills guide and some pretty exact recommendations for you! 

Start with the LinkedIn basics

When it comes to social media, what can seem like a crazy “how in the world are they doing this” world is actually quite predictable. In fact, it is known that once you reach a certain number of followers, and for LinkedIn that magic number seems to be 150, you will see exponential growth. Why? Because the more followers who engage with your content the more potential followers SEE what you are posting.  

Here are some basic ways you can start to grow your LinkedIn following today: 

  • Post the LinkedIn “Follow” button to your company’s website 
  • Provide a link to your company’s LinkedIn page in all of your marketing materials 
  • Start posting content daily or create a monthly content calendar that you schedule ahead of time 
  • Reshare any @mentions you receive to promote credibility 
  • Join industry groups and start commenting, discussing and becoming an active community member 
  • Find other companies or people and start following them or engaging with their content 

Then engage the followers you have

Engagement is the key to having a successful LinkedIn page. After all, it is called “social” media because it is where people love to connect, discuss, learn and network. Once you start posting engaging content, your followers will become more active with your brand and your page. Then, you will have what is the most sacred thing of all in the social media sphere: attention.  

We already stated above that posting daily is important. That content must be engaging to keep your followers attention. Here are some ideas: 

Use custom videos and graphics to grab attention 

One of the things we love to offer our clients is creativity. Custom graphics are a huge point in determining whether someone finds your page attractive. If they have seen a graphic a million times somewhere else (and believe us, there are so many copycats out there) they will most likely disengage from your content. Whether you call P&A for graphic design or do your own thing, just make sure you are bringing something unique to the table. 

Use the 3-2-1 model 

This is an easy formula when you are trying to post engaging content for your followers. Every week, try to post 3 pieces of industry-related content, 2 pieces of content that makes your employees and community feel good, and just 1 piece related to your products and services. If you have any mentions or reshares, make sure to give them a shout out. You can also use hashtags and tag other members for even more engagement. 

Spark conversations 

Pose a question to your community. Engage them with a discussion. Host a raffle. Whatever floats your boat, come up with something that will have your followers doing more than clicking “like.” When you take the time to create thoughtful and meaningful dialogue in your online community, you are more likely to get thoughtful responses from your followers. 

LinkedIn is more than just a social media platform. It is a chance to connect deeply with other professionals and people within the community who want to engage with your product or service. Contact us if you need help getting started!