Consulting Is A Thriving Industry, Here’s Why…

Any business or brand isn’t going to blindly execute a strategy without the know-how and expert knowledge from their business consultant. Whether you’re a small, midsize or large business. Before I go any further let me break down that a brand and business are interchangeable. Your business will provide a product or service, while your brand is the image and character of your company that provides said products and services. I know it can be a little confusing because they are so similar.

The role a consultant plays for any business is analyzing a company’s weakness and mentioning realistic solutions to improve the company’s overall goals. This can be done through marketing, human resources, management and accounting. A consultant is a necessary component to running a business especially if you don’t have anyone on staff with that expertise. The next step is figuring out if they’ll just be advising you or doing the work as well to get your business where it needs to be.

I know the overall goal for most businesses is the bottom line. You want to make money while growing your business and convert potential leads into sales conversions. I personally love what I do and have a passion for it, but I also need to make money to live. I mentioned that to say that I know it’s not always about the money but, it’s business! Also, remember that you can’t do it all. Many times, you need to build a team strategically and hire internally or outsource some of your tasks to a freelancer.

It’s smart for a business to have a business consultant on hand because they will take some tasks off your plate that you really don’t want to do or need to do especially if it’s not in your area of expertise. Focus and concentrate on what you are good at that won’t interrupt your revenue generating tasks. You’ll need a plan to follow and this is where your business consultant will shine. They’ll come up with a strategy and implement techniques that ought to bring positive results. They’ll keep track and report stats.

Overall, I think that having a consultant on your staff or on contract is a smart move for any business. Many businesses need a consultant to help them develop additional skills while growing their business. This is more prominent now than ever with business advisors, business coaches, business mentors and of course business consultants. They’re all one in the same. The key is to find someone that can fill the void in your business and be a solution to your problem with proven results.

When looking for a consultant do your homework and look at reviews and testimonials from previous or current clients. You want to choose someone that has the skills you are looking for. I’m still an avid believer in word of mouth. Ask for referrals to a good business consultant with a good track record you can review. I’ll lean towards someone that was referred to me before I go through a blind ad that I see in a newspaper or online. I’ll trust the opinion of the person who referred me to them overall.

So, have you ever worked with a business consultant?

5 Great Offline Marketing Tools for Promoting Your Brand

We live in a digital world, so it’s easy to get wrapped up in liking, sharing, tweeting, and pinning. But it’s also important to get back to the basics because, though it feels like it sometimes, not everyone is online.

Most of the information we need is only a Google search away, but there’s something to be said about seeing and experiencing things in the real world. This is part of the reason things like billboards, posters and flyers are still commonplace.

In some ways, offline marketing can be more important than online marketing, because it brings your brand to people in a tangible way that’s easy for them to remember and more fun for them to interact with than just clicking on a screen. It’s time to take your brand to the people! And, I’ve got a few ideas to help you do just that.

  • Direct mail

The best way to reach people is by getting in their homes. Not in a creepy way, though—I’m talking about using direct mailing. With direct mailing, you can get your brand information in the people’s hands.

It lets you reach pretty much anyone because almost every consumer has an address. I don’t know about you, but I tend to keep mail for future reference, which extends the shelf life of the message. Plus, I am more likely to check out something I received in the mail over my e-mail, because things get lost easier in the sea of electronic messages I receive. Best of all, this is a super versatile marketing tactic. You can invite people to events, send them coupons, or ask them to connect with you on social media—all through direct mail!

  • Press release

The best marketing is the free, word of mouth variety. But people can’t talk about you if they don’t know you exist. It’s important to alert people about all the cool things your brand is doing.

For instance, do you have a unique startup story? Are you raising awareness for a special cause? What about that upcoming promotional event—are you donating part of the proceeds to a local charity? Write a press release to contact local newspapers, television stations, and radio stations to help spread the word.

  • Promotional events

Just because you sent out flyers and issued a press release about your brand doesn’t mean you’re done. Go to a conference or trade show; have an in-store promotion, community cookout, or neighborhood block party. Now that you’ve got people in front of you, talk to as many of them as you can. Set a goal to increase sales by a certain amount, signing up more people for your service, or gathering more contact information for your newsletter. Letting people get to know you will make them feel connected to you and your brand.

Make sure they have something to remember you by when they leave. Pass out key chains, pens, or pencils at the conference or trade show. For community events, set up a photo backdrop, print out photos and put them in a customized frame with your logo on them. Or, give out buttons, cups, or hats as prizes to fun games. People will remember the fun they had when they see their swag at home later.

  • Mobile billboard

Instead of going to people’s homes, you can go everywhere else by turning your vehicle into a mobile billboard. Get signs and decals to put on your vehicle advertising your business or brand, and hit the road.

Think of all of those people traveling to and from work at the same time you do, and imagine all of the bumper stickers, vanity plates, and window decals you notice in traffic. I can’t even count how many of those stick families I’ve seen on the back of people’s cars! Now, picture how much exposure you would get with a rear window design or custom paint job. I know I would notice a unique design on someone’s rear window if I were stuck behind it in traffic. Be sure to have matching signs and decals at your business to have a consistent message.

  • Discounts

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a good discount. It’s a sweet feeling to look at your receipt to see how much you could have paid versus how much you actually paid. Offering a discount could convince new customers to take a chance on you and reward existing customers, too.

Still, there’s a wrong and right way to do discounts. Never make the customer feel pressured, and don’t bring up a discount as a last ditch effort to save the sale. It will make the customer lose trust in your business and your brand. Instead, you can build trust by explaining the sale prior to negotiations, and letting the customer know you are available to help without hovering.

As you can see, there is value to offline marketing. In today’s multimedia world, people are receiving information through so many avenues.

Offline marketing is another way to touch customers you ordinarily wouldn’t have reached. And, if done properly, it can link customers to your online marketing, too, such as your website and social media accounts. Building a brand takes time, but hopefully I’ve given you a few more tools to add to your toolbox.

Recap: La La’s Full Court Life Season Premier

La La's Full Court Life Feat.

I must say that I’ve been a fan of La La’s Full Court Life since the first season. I love that she can reflect on where she’s from, is humble about her accomplishments and seems to remain down to earth keeping her family and “real” friends close to her. La La allows us to get a peak into her life and takes us along on her adventures. This premier episode I could really appreciate because she is a business woman and even though she was in London to support her husband Carmelo Anthony in the Olympics she took the opportunity to brand herself. She received some good news while she was in London, Motives for La La her cosmetic line was expanding to that market. Throughout the show she spoke with a few of her friends that were also in London like Ludacris, Estelle, and Trina about branding and expanding to global markets.

On thing that La La said that I believe whole heartedly is that… “People want to connect with who you are vs. what you’re selling.” This is something that every business person should take heed to. The following points are some that were brought to light in some of La La’s conversations with her friends that I expanded upon.

Whether you are branding in the United States or in global markets the rules remain the same. It all starts with building that relationship and fostering it so people can get to know the real you.

Time is valuable so we should all appreciate when someone takes time out of their schedule for any reason to build a relationship, share business ideas or even give friendly business advice when they can charge most people a consulting fee.

Showing people you care gives them a sense that you are being sincere and it will be appreciated. There is a bond between business owners (large & small) and their clients. (At least the good ones)

You will have loyal clients that support you no matter where you are. This is all based on the relationship that you have maintained with them.

Connect with the people in your market! Contact press to cover your event, product or service. Host a launch party to promote your brand.

La La was able to cover most of her bases in a new market with Motives for La La and it paid off. She connected with people in a new market, met with local media to conduct interviews, hosted a launch party and provided mini makeovers and free beauty products to her attendees. She nailed it! I thoroughly enjoyed the season premier of La La’s Full Court Life as a entrepreneur I could really appreciate it. There were some great takeaways on business branding this episode. What are some of your branding strategies for expanding to a new market?

error: Ask And You Shall Receive!!