Ron Goldblatt • May 08, 2020
3 Effective Marketing Tactics To Keep Your Small Business Connected During Coronavirus
Communication needs to be immediate and personal to your customers
In times like this, you need a way to talk to your customers fast. Especially when everything is closing up and everyone is trying to stay healthy, people want to know what your business is doing to work around the chaos and adapt.
And while there are certainly several marketing tactics
that can highlight your brand and create a large impact over time, there are a few strategies that we find are most useful when we want to communicate to customers fast and efficiently.
At NorthShore Loyalty, we have found the following tactics to be most successful in providing immediate, personal communication to your customers:
Text Message and Loyalty Marketing
Text message marketing gives you the power to reach customers where they already are – on their phones, texting.
Not only does it create an instant announcement to those who have shopped with you or signed up for the service, it creates a one-on-one connection with your customer. Additionally, text marketing
offers several benefits.
Benefits for a business:
- It has a very high rate of people opening it. With a 98 percent open rate, we can almost guarantee customers will see your message. This is the highest open rate out of all other marketing tactics.
- It is targeted and personal. As mentioned, this tactic is targeted to those who have either shopped with you or signed up for updates. Therefore, the likeliness of the customer reading it and engaging is far more likely than if the message was served to a general audience.
- It is immediate. Given the global pandemic we are facing, we don’t have time to delay messages to our customers and wait for a result. We need to deliver announcements fast, and let folks in our area know that we are still open and offering curbside pickup services, for example. That’s why we recommend text message updates. It gets the word out quickly and efficiently.
- It is cost efficient. One of the ultimate benefits of this strategy? It doesn’t cost a lot to send a personal text to your customer. To learn more about our services and rates, visit NorthShoreLoyalty.com and book a free consultation.
What to watch out for:
- Your message has to fit in a character limit. These messages are not meant to be a long-form announcement-save that for an email. Texts should be short, sweet and to the point, with potentially a link to your website to learn more.
- Your customers might get worn out by multiple messages. Just because they are short and sweet does not mean you should be sending multiple updates and promotions a day. At NorthShore Loyalty, we recommend sending around 1-2 messages per month to prevent consumer wear out.
- You need your customer’s phone numbers, so you have to figure out a way to get them. This may make you realize you need to grow your customer list. At NorthShore Loyalty, we suggest offering incentives to get this information. For example, on social media, you could offer a coupon for a 50 percent off deal, which customers have to enter their phone number for in order to receive the coupon via text.
At NorthShore Loyalty, we follow the strict FCC and TCPA guidelines for connecting with customers and acquiring new ones. We understand how to maximize content in 160 characters, know how often to send messages and how to encourage customers to join a text program. To learn more on how to build your text program and address these issues with text messaging, contact us for a free consultation.
Social Media
If you are at all familiar with social media, you know how impactful it can be when promoting a brand or business. Food for thought: 73 percent of marketers
believe social media marketing has been “somewhat effective” or “very effective” for their business.
Why do so many people depend on social? Simply put: because it works. And especially right now, people are using social media
more than ever.
Not only does social media create an instant update to a broad audience, it can help to amplify brand awareness and increase conversions. See additional benefits below.
If you are at all familiar with social media, you know how impactful it can be when promoting a brand or business. Food for thought: 73 percent of marketers believe social media marketing has been “somewhat effective” or “very effective” for their business.
Why do so many people depend on social? Simply put: because it works. And especially right now, people are using social media more than ever.
Not only does social media create an instant update to a broad audience, it can help to amplify brand awareness and increase conversions. See additional benefits below.
Benefits for a business:
- It has high conversion rates. Many users have reported they have discovered a brand or business via social media ads. No surprise there, as social media advertising is typically crafted for a highly targeted audience that is in the market for your product or service. If you are receiving an ad or follow a brand you like on social media, your chances of visiting their website and converting are high.
- It has high reach and traffic. Social is unique in that it serves a broader audience, and potentially those who have never heard of your business. Because of this, it can attract new customers and create brand awareness, which means more eyeballs on your content, and more traffic to your website. This is why social media works well with both text and email marketing, to get the most reach as possible.
- It humanizes your brand. This is a great opportunity for your brand to have a conversation with your audience. You have the power to make the content what you want, which can be both entertaining and informational. The better the content, the higher probability of users becoming interested in learning more about your brand.
What to watch out for:
- It can impact feedback and tarnish online reviews. Every time you post on social, users have the option to comment what they think or share any experiences they had with a product you are selling, which can potentially tarnish your brand reputation. On the upside, it could be beneficial – it just depends what people have to say.
- It can be time consuming. It’s not one of those things you can click one button and be done. Coming up with original content to post, measuring results, and managing your profile can be very time consuming. That’s why NorthShore Loyalty is here to make that content for you and manage your social pages.
- Your brand needs to consistently be engaging. Since customers have the option to comment and like your content, you need to be talking back! This can be a golden opportunity to talk to your customers, but it again takes a lot of time and constant monitoring.
- It only works for select target audiences. Not everyone knows their way around Facebook or Instagram. There are a few key generations that might fall in your target audience for this platform, but if your audience is an older generation, social media might not be where you want to get their attention.
The social media issues require careful monitoring of all posts, and content sharing management. NorthShore Loyalty suggests hiring a social media manager or connecting with a social media expert who we can recommend.
Email Marketing
There’s a reason that most small businesses use email marketing to keep their customers coming back. Most people use their email daily and can check their inbox anywhere, from their desktop, mobile phone, or tablet.
Email marketing presents an additional opening for your brand to communicate quickly, and also strengthens the relationship between your business
and the consumer. In addition, it offers several advantages.
Benefits for a business:
- It increases website traffic. Emails create a nice space to link to your website and get customers to engage with your content. For example, you could offer a coupon that links to your website, or an intro to a blog or article with a “read more” option that leads to your site blog. You could additionally include options of sharing out email content via social media.
- It reaches another audience. All of these tactics work together. If your customer does not receive text messages and does not look at social media, they are likely more available to reach via email. Depending on the generation your brand targets to, email might be the best place to reach those who want to hear from you.
- It reaches people on any device. As mentioned, the great thing about email is that people can check it on their phones, desktop, tablet, etc., so it’s not limited to a certain group of people. Again, depending on whom you are targeting, your audience might operate most on a desktop rather than a phone or tablet. This tactic allows you to get the attention of those customers, in addition to those who use their phones most frequently.
What to watch out for:
- Your message could potentially be marked as spam. Not everyone is going to see your email. People might automatically mark your email as spam without even opening it, or they might do so after you have sent email blasts out too frequently.
- Emails can take a lot of time to create. Emails can be what you make them, but the more effective emails have original content and solid information. This can be a time consuming project, when you have a business to run. That’s why NorthShore Loyalty is here to help make that content for you and manage your email send outs.
- Everyone else also does email marketing. One of the reasons your email might be marked as spam is because the consumer is overwhelmed by the amount of emails they are getting from other places. Yours is just one of hundreds in their inbox. That’s why it’s important to make your content unique. Additionally, this is another reason to leverage text and social platforms, so you can differentiate yourself and still reach those who unsubscribe from emails.
Much like text and social media, you need a dedicated person to help manage your email communication. NorthShore Loyalty strongly recommends using one of our many online services and having a continuous weekly or monthly plan for email communication.
Each of these communication tools can be effective, and we encourage any small business to use one or all three of these marketing tools. At NorthShore Loyalty, we believe in using text as your core marketing communication tool as the best approach. Compared to email and social media, text offers better open rates, a higher click through rate, more redemptions and is easily trackable to measure the results.
And now, more than ever, your customers need to know you are still there for them. To learn more about how you can utilize these services, visit NorthShoreLoyalty.com today and book your free consultation.
About us
NorthShore Loyalty is a community-focused company that has provided a variety of digital marketing services to local businesses for over five years. NorthShore Loyalty has created original content for local businesses in order to drive awareness, bring in new customers, and encourage current ones to keep coming back. Ultimately, our business purpose is to drive revenue for our clients. Our social purpose is to expand and strengthen their client’s community involvement. To learn more about NorthShore Loyalty and its digital marketing services, click here.
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Did you know that text message marketing (also known as SMS messages) marketing can help you achieve your business goals? It's true! This review will discuss the many benefits of text message marketing, how enhance your traditional marketing efforts and maximize your ROI. Text message marketing is extremely effective for reaching your target audience and boosting sales. If you're not currently using text message marketing, you're missing out on a lot of potential revenue using this important digital marketing channel. Here are seven surprising benefits of text message marketing: 1. Reach More People In An Instant Text message marketing allows you to reach a large number of people with your promotional messages. You can send out mass texts to your entire list of contacts at once, or you can segment your lists and target specific groups of people. Either way, in a matter or minutes, you'll be able to reach more people than you would with other marketing channels. 2. Get More Engagement Text message marketing can help you increase engagement with your brand. SMS messages have a high open rate and a high click-through rate, which means more people are likely to see your message AND take action. This can help create a connection between your customer and your brand. 3. Increase Sales You can use text message marketing to promote special offers and discounts to encourage customers to make a purchase. By offering incentives, you can increase the likelihood of making a sale and generating revenue for your business. You can also use text messages to up-sell and cross-sell your products. 4. SMS Marketing is More Reliable Than Email
Text marketing is on the rise. In this digital age, people are more connected than ever before, which means they are more likely to respond to text messages than any other form of communication. If you're not already using text marketing, now is the time to start. Here are a few reasons why you should consider using text marketing for your business: What Is SMS Text Marketing? SMS (Short Message Service) Text marketing is a form of marketing that uses text messages to reach and engage customers. It's a quick and convenient way to stay in touch with your audience, and it can be an effective marketing tool if used correctly. There are a few things to keep in mind when using text marketing, such as making sure your messages are clear and concise, avoid spam keywords, and being mindful of privacy laws. But if you play by the rules, text marketing can be a great way to reach your target audience. Why Should You Care? Here are a few reasons why you should consider using text marketing for your business: It's a quick and easy way to reach your customers. It's an effective way to engage with your audience through personalized messaging. It can you boost sales and ROI It's a great way to build customer loyalty using a mobile marketing strategy . It's a cost-effective marketing tool that can compliment your social media. If you're not already using text marketing, now is the time to start. It's a powerful marketing tool that can help you reach your customers and boost your bottom line. How to Get Started with Text Marketing
There are a number of digital marketing strategies that can be utilized to get found online.
You’ve heard it a million times – you need a website for a business to build your online presence, get customers to review your business, and more. But do you understand why? It’s essential to understand the value in doing these things to learn how to do them and succeed online. At NorthShore Loyalty , we want to help you and your business thrive, and in today’s digital world, understanding how to stand out online is a critical step in doing that. Here’s a breakdown of the 5 key reasons it’s so important for businesses to have a strong ad healthy online presence: 1. Allows you to meet your customers where they already are Like we said – we live in a digitally focused world. The last time you needed a specific product or service and didn’t know where to go, what did you do? Chances are, you pulled out your phone or laptop, Googled highly-rated businesses in your area that provide that product or service, whittled down the options and went to that business. If you do this often, you’re not alone. According to Pew Research Center , 91% of adults use search engines (including Google, Yahoo or Bing) to find information. When you exist online, you can meet your customers halfway when they are searching for a product or service you provide.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Ron Goldblatt Northbrook, Ill. – FEBRUARY 2021 – NorthShore Loyalty, a community-based digital marketing company, now offers restaurants an easy and effective solution for their customers to order menu items online as dine in options remain limited and the use of smartphones for ordering continues to increase. Their program follows what they call the “30/30/30 Rule” for online menu orders: Over 30% of orders are online, so you must have online ordering with credit card processing. Paying 30% commission to third parties and charging more for online items hurts sales and the bottom line. Most restaurants see a 30% or more increase in average order value when purchased online. “Our new online ordering program is flexible, easy to set up and maintain, and customers love it,” said Ron Goldblatt, founder, and owner of NorthShore Loyalty. “Restaurant customers can customize their order and check out quickly, and restaurants have the opportunity to earn more, view real time analytics and can email or text message updates on new offers and promotions.” The platform was designed to be convenient and helpful for both the restaurant and customer. The following features accomplish this goal: A customizable option that makes up-selling easy. A optimized checkout page to increase conversions. Automatic data refill for returning customers. Fast, real time confirmation of the order. In-store app for accepting orders. Promotion engine that allows restaurants to advertise offers via email and text marketing. Reporting module that gives insight on order numbers, delivery heat map & more. To learn more about the program or set up a consultation, contact Ron Goldblatt at 847-477-0429 or via northshoreloyalty.com. About NorthShore Loyalty: NorthShore Loyalty is a community-focused digital services company that has been in the digital and mobile marketing business for over five years. Using specialized marketing tactics, NorthShore Loyalty creates original content for local businesses to attract new customers and encourage current ones to come back more often. Their business purpose is to create measurable engagement with new and existing customers to drive more traffic to their clients, and ultimately increase their client’s revenue . Their social purpose is to amplify their client’s community involvement. To learn more about NorthShore Loyalty and its services, click here.
Summary of a WSJ article October 10, 2020. By Heather Haddon Summary: The big chains have a huge advantage over the local eateries. They have more capital, leverage, terms, space, numerous geographic locations, and flexibility. They have also had prior experience for carry out and delivery. Chipotle sales tripled this summer, Dominos and Papa John’s sales doubled and Wingstop created a delivery only item that was a huge success. On a local level for small busineseses, the news is not so rosy, in any given year, 60,000 restaurants open and 50,000 usually close. This year that closed number is expected to hit 100,000. Interesting some of the Big Chain casual dining places also had casualties. Ruby Tuesday, Shake Shack, California and Pizza Kitchen all filed for bankruptcy. Many other chains had to close locations, but at the same time opened new ones. One theme across the board, now is not the time to sit back as the major chain get more aggressive. There are valuable lessons and action steps that small businesses can do as well. We reviewed these trends and laid out an 8-step action plan that can help small businesses . These 8 steps are in two main categories, Physical Location and Mobile Trends. Physical Trends/Action Points There needs to be less focus on premise dining with fewer people indoors Need to look a multiple drive through options including converting parking space areas Even in the cold weather, more outside dining options need to be added but follow local safety guidelines Need to bring staff to the outdoors. Offer pick up windows, offer curbside pickup and Fast Service outside dining Mobile Trends / Action Points Digital menus are more common, make it easy to upload on a mobile phone using QR codes Online ordering needs to minimize clicks, remember past orders, and offer a credit card check out Need to connect digitally with current customers using email, social media, and text messaging QR codes are trending! Look at using them for signing up customers for messaging or to order on premise. The restaurant staff also need help. Their hours are cut back, there are less tips with less table service and these new ways to order usually means less tips overall for servers, chefs and staff who share the tips. We have heard from our North Shore restaurants that locals have been very generous with tips on pick ups and window orders. We hope this trend continues through the winter months. Other trends to consider: Packaging meals for the customers to cook is growing. Premium meats, seafood and chicken all make great takeout items when package with local sides or spices. Offering specially drinks with takeout meals is growing. Many local laws now allow alcohol takeout sales. Focus on specialty drinks like Margaritas, Mojitos or offering flights of Beer or Wine. Steak establishments are offering some of their premium wines at a discount with any takeout order. Family Packs of meals that feed four for under $50 are popular or offering lower cost proteins to hit a price point. About NorthShore Loyalty: NorthShore Loyalty is a community-focused digital services company. Our business purpose is to create measurable engagement with new and existing customers to drive more traffic to our clients and increase their revenue. Our social purpose is to amplify our client’s community involvement. During the pandemic we have provided our clients, new websites, more online reviews, an improvement in their search engine ranking, and most important an easy way to connect with customers using our Text Messaging and Loyalty services . Call or text us at 847-477-0429 to learn more.
As local businesses pioneer new ways to foster business growth while continuing to adapt to the new world of COVID-19, many are finding QR codes to be a key driver in creating a safe, technology-powered customer experience. While QR codes have been around for years, they have proved exceptionally valuable in 2020 because of one key factor that spotlights them specifically during a global pandemic: you do not have to touch anything to use them. Not to mention, when they were first introduced in the 90’s, not as many people had smartphones… fast forward to 2020 and 81% of U.S. adults have them . There are 2 main reasons for this increased in use: Over the last two years, both iPhone and Android phones changed the software so the camera becomes a QR code reader, so users do not have to download an app to read the codes. They are easy to use, easy to share, mobile friendly, and most importantly touch-free, which makes them a great way to make customers both happy and comfortable. “About a year ago, we started to see an increase in use and acceptance of QR codes once a person’s phone became the reader, but this Spring their use exploded with the need for no-touch menus and other no-touch services.” We have modified many of our programs to capitalize on this trend and are excited about how we can help our local businesses”, said Ron Goldblatt, the Founder of NorthShore Loyalty . At NorthShore Loyalty, we have outlined below the top five ways small businesses in the North Shore are using QR codes and how they have found success with doing so.
The main theme of business adaptation we are seeing thrive in this global pandemic is digitization. To promote social distancing and keep everyone safe, folks are doing more Facetiming, Zoom conferencing and digital connecting, and less in-person meet ups. Now, things are starting to reopen, and we can all reunite at our favorite restaurants and bars again. But before we go straight to hitting the social scene, we need to be careful. Restaurant owners understand the need to take caution and support public health. They want to keep their guests and employees as safe as possible. The best way to reduce risk of getting sick in a restaurant reopening? Don’t touch objects you don’t have to touch, especially if it’s communal. And menus might be the single greatest disease vector in any restaurant. Enter: QR (quick response) coded touchless menus. QR codes have been popping up throughout the restaurant scene over the past few years, and now seems like the perfect time for them to really thrive.
To state the obvious, the times we have been living in have not been easy on the overall health of our country. COVID-19 has burdened the world with deadly sickness, economic hardship, and overall fear of what the future holds. And as we re-open our country again, it’s important to take steps to preserve safety and health for our customers, and also ensure they feel comfortable.
Own a Small Business? Click Here to view a wide offering of blogs to navigate the digital world. The most important thing we have learned during Coronavirus is how to come together in times of crisis. Everyone plays a part in fighting this thing, big or small. Whether your role is being a frontline healthcare worker, or simply staying home to keep yourself and others safe, everyone’s due diligence is significantly needed at this time. Local restaurant owners understand that coming together as a community is needed now more than ever. To show their support, they are finding unique ways to give back to those in need and provide meals for folks in our area. To learn more on what restaurants in the North Shore are doing to support their community during this time, we called the many restaurants using our services and asked for their input. Below are some of the different ways we learned on how they are giving back and what all residents and other businesses can do to help in this crisis. Providing meals to first responders and local essential business Restaurants are offering promotions to give back to first responders in the area during this time. For example, Nick Drivas, owner of Grill House and Backyard Grill, runs a family special that gives a portion of sale to first responders. Costa Louvros, owner of Eggspresso in Bannockburn, and Larry Goodman, owner of Marcello’s in Northbrook, also understand the importance of giving back to our frontline workers. Both restaurants donate to local police and fire departments so those workers can stay working during the pandemic. The staff at Stacked and Folded (located in Evanston and Winnetka) also does their part to provide meals for our first responders. “We are honored to help our first responders and health care workers in any way we can,” stated Josh Keating owner of Stacked and Folded. Restaurants are also finding businesses that are considered essential and are giving to them. Butterfield’s restaurant in Northbrook, for example, provides plates of French toast to the workers at the local post office. Offering promotions that give to local food banks With business and school closures, job layoffs, and many other factors, folks are in need now more than ever. During this pandemic, millions of Americans are looking for support from food banks. Ted Vlahakis, owner of Greek Feast, recognizes this fact. That’s why he gives back 50 percent of all beer and wine orders to the Northfield Township Food Pantry. No one should go hungry during this pandemic, and this is a great way to ensure those in need are fed. Marcello’s has also donated juices and food items to Northfield Township Food Pantry. “It’s important to connect with our community during this time and we could tell they were very appreciative of our help,” said Marcello’s owner Larry Goodman. How you can help: Greek Feast and Marcello’s are supporting those who need it most. You can help by purchasing beer and wine from Greek Feast with your Greek dinner, and ordering some pizza online from Marcello’s. Visit the Greek Feast and Marcello’s websites, linked at the bottom, to order online today. Additionally, food pantries in your neighborhood are in need of cereals, beverages, personal hygiene items and household cleaning supplies. None of this should be wasted right now. Visit the websites below to see how you can help today. Northfield Township Food Pantry Northern Illinois Food Bank Greater Chicago Food Depository North Shore SDA Church Feeding America Donating food to local hospitals Our healthcare workers are on the forefront in the race to put an end to COVID-19. While many of us get to stay home and be with family, hospital workers are on the floors of the war against this virus. As they are working long and difficult shifts, it’s important we show our support and take care of them. Judy’s Pizza, Tamales, Stacked and Folded and Butterfield’s are all donating to and offering special promotions for their local hospitals in the North Shore. One Highland Park resident encourages her friends and family to use GiveinKind.com to help support both restaurants and local first hospitals. “We sent meals for Highland Park Hospital last night from our favorite restaurant, Tamales,” she said. “[Give in Kind] makes it very east to support the restaurants we love and the first responders.” You can also help by donating protective equipment to a hospital near you. Unfortunately, those fighting this virus have to face shortages in masks and other key equipment. You can help by donating protective masks and gloves to hospitals in your area. Visit NorthShore.org to learn more on donating. Providing food for families with school-aged children Our nation’s most vulnerable need us right now. Unfortunately, the closure of school means kids are losing meals they depend on. With the help of Judy’s Pizza donating meals to local school children, and initiatives through local volunteer programs, we can help put an end to child hunger in our community. Through the Hunger Free Northbrook Student Program, volunteers distribute food bags to Northbrook families with school-age children in need of more meals. In this time especially, the need is great. Visit the Hunger Free Northbrook Student Food Pack Program for more details. How you can help You can help by becoming a volunteer through local initiatives that provide meals for school children, such as the Hunger Free Northbrook program. Visit the link above to sign up to be a volunteer. Additionally, support all restaurants who provide meals for local schools and support their community. North Shore Loyalty is proud to be a sponsor of Hunger Free Northbrook. To see what all the restaurants mentioned in this update are doing, visit their website and order online. Own a Small Business? Click Here to view a wide offering of blogs to navigate the digital world . __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Let’s fight COVID-19 together Everyone plays a part in fighting this virus, big or small. What’s important to keep in mind is that the more we fight together, the stronger our community becomes in the war against Coronavirus. As a member of our community, you can help by supporting local restaurants, donating to their causes and volunteering. Below are their websites and Facebook pages with special promotions. Let’s all come together and give our support. Backyard Grill (Highland Park, IL), Facebook Butterfield's (Northbrook, IL), Facebook Dear Franks (Deerfield, IL; Niles, IL), Facebook Eggspresso (Bannockburn, IL), Facebook Greek Feast (Northbrook, IL), Facebook Grill House (Northbrook, IL), Facebook Judy’s Pizza (Highland Park, IL), Facebook Marcello’s (Northbrook, IL), Facebook Stacked & Folded (Winnetka IL, Evanston, IL) Facebook Tamales (Highland Park, IL), Facebook