Where are your customers coming from?

In Atlantic Canada, businesses of all sizes rely on word of mouth to gather new business. It is a higher percentage than any other part of the Country and it’s simply due to our slower pace and culture that we live by. However, when companies we’ve worked with explore into how a new customer heard about them,

they are all surprised by how newer methods are gaining traction.

Google controls the search space for new business and even seniors are starting to prefer a Google search than looking at the obsolete Yellow Pages. Finding out how people are hearing about your business should be at the top of your businesses’ priority list as it allows you to make smart marketing decisions once you know the exact numbers. Guessing or assuming simply doesn’t work.

What are some of the ways people may find my business?

This is a loaded question and one that may not be the same for every business. However, with the constant rise of importance to not only have your business online, but to strategically engage your business online, there’s a sea of new avenues to acquire new customers.

Google

Google is the search giant and if someone is looking for a product or service your business offers, then Google is the #1 place Canadians go to search for it. If your business does not have a website, business listing, or on social media, then all those people using Google to search for your business are finding a competitor instead. Valley Marketing offers search engine optimization (SEO) at all different levels with the packages we offer.

“Google only loves you when everyone else loves you first.”

– Wendy Piersall

This quote is simple but powerful. We only work with credible businesses who strive for excellence, not one’s who are just trying to make a fast buck and get online with some tricks. Businesses who are well known and growing can easily get other businesses to link to their website, and Google loves this. The more “known” your business is by other credible businesses, the more powerful your own website becomes.

This helps your business get found more often in different search terms and phrases. (eg. “Saint John NB Landscape company”). If you’re a landscape company wouldn’t you want to be the 1st company that pops up in the most searched place (Google) for your business? Every business, even in slower paced Atlantic Canada is getting on the SEO bandwagon. It’s valuable space, and it’s worth the effort.

Facebook

Facebook is still a marketing weapon for businesses even though the reach that businesses have organically has lowered over the years. Canadians spend more time on Facebook than any other Country in the world. If you’re the type that thinks spending time on social media is wasting time, then you’re also saying making smart decisions for my business is a waste of time as well. If your customers are spending time in a place, no matter what medium it is, then you should have a presence there. It’s really that simple. Methods of communication and where people spend their time will constantly change, the important part is that your business keeps up with these changes. Valley Marketing tracks where people are spending their time in Atlantic Canada so we will always be up-to-date on where your business should market itself.

Friend or Family Member

This method is not going to change anytime soon. It’s the platform that changes. Right now, it’s not just Joe telling Steve about his experience with your company while at the corner store. It’s now turning into someone posting a question on social media about where’s the best place to get fresh lobster. Their friends can easily tell them with a few quick keystrokes no matter where they are in the world. If your business (the local lobster shack) has a presence on social media with an easily accessible menu, then it just makes it that much easier for that friend to link to your website or social media page. This gives the interested traveller all the info they need. It also gives 10-20 other friends on that social network information about your business, and it turns into free marketing. This is what is happening right now, not 5-10 years down the road. Is your business set-up to make it easy for people to refer your business in the most effective way possible? Word of mouth is not what it use to be!

Traditional Ad

Newspaper, TV and radio is dying at an alarming rate. The sole reason for this is because the mobile device is taking over people’s attention. Podcasts and playlists are taking over radio while in the car, streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are taking over TV, and watching online video of all kinds, including the news, has put a chokehold on the newspaper industry. We even see large publications going online to try to save their business. Knowing this, is your business making the necessary changes to be mobile optimized? Are you putting your excellence and best first impression in the places where people are spending their time?