If there’s one thing we know about entrepreneurs, it’s that they’re nearly always busy. Living and breathing your business, trying to penetrate local markets and build a brand can be exhausting. That’s where Embrosa comes in – we know how passionate local entrepreneurs are, so we’re always at hand to lend our advice and ready-made content to boost their marketing efforts.
However, the best local marketing tells a story which people in your community can understand and relate to. It’s part of what makes content creation so important – but potentially very time-consuming! Creating personal content doesn’t have to be a drain on your resources though – once you know where to start, a little bit of effort can go a long way! That’s why we’ve compiled some of our favorite tips to get you started.
1. Add a picture of you
Let’s start it off with something we love doing ourselves at Embrosa – adding some pictures of yourself! Why not take a leaf out of our book?
This is especially important for entrepreneurs and start-ups. Consumers naturally root for people who are passionate about their local community, and putting a face to the name makes you seem human and relatable. Especially compared to big companies and more corporate players in your niche!
You don’t need to hire a professional photographer. All that’s necessary is a picture which is friendly and natural – maybe one of you doing what you do best. Putting a face to the name is the best way to show that there’s someone human on the other end of the line.
2. Keep your company info updated
It’s important to add a human touch to your business or enterprise, but providing accurate company information is also critical.
After all, part of the reason that we often choose the big brand names is convenience. Who do you think is more likely to have longer opening hours on a Sunday – the big multinational supermarket, or the local bakers? It’s probably the former.
If the local bakers didn’t have opening hours on its website, a customer is probably more likely to go for the big supermarket – after all, they can easily find out the exact opening times. Even worse, they may head to the local bakery to find it shut!
As a local entrepreneur, the solution to this isn’t to slave away working twelve-hour shifts every Sunday. Instead, make sure that information about your business is clearly and easily accessible. If people can quickly find out about your opening hours, the brands you sell and key details (like address and phone number) they can visit you in confidence!
3. Tell us your name
Another personal touch which is often overlooked is your name. Just like having a picture of you somewhere on the website, sharing who you are by name creates a relationship between you and your customers/clientele.
Sure – this one seems obvious. For example, usually, when we answer the phone it is common courtesy to introduce ourselves by name. It’s the same when signing off an email. However, you may be surprised at the number of opportunities to name yourself that you’re missing!
Name badges in-store are a good way to create a relationship between you, your employees and your customers. For many people, a quick chat with the person who makes their coffee in the morning is a daily routine – especially those baristas whose name they know! Similarly, signing off blogs, comments and social media posts with your name may forge a subconscious relationship in the minds of your customers.
4. Show your expertise
What sets you apart from the competitors in your area? Of course, there’s the passion which comes with loving something so much that you’ve dedicated a large part of your life to creating a business around it.
But there’s also your expertise. Whether you’re a hairstylist, a jeweler, an optician or a vintner, being an entrepreneur means that you have a genuine interest and more knowledge than other businesses around you. Chances are you’ll know your product inside out!
Passion, product knowledge and expertise are infectious. If you have extensive knowledge of local wines, that’s a reason for people to come to you rather than the local supermarket. If you know exactly what eyewear is trendy right now, you’re one up on the other opticians. Share your expertise using blogs or social media and place yourself as a thought leader in your local area. Also, show it on social media when you have given a training, workshop or a presentation. It underlines your position as an expert!
5. Show your passion for local events
For many businesses, there are opportunities to participate in the local area. Whether it’s craft fairs, market days or food festivals, you should try and get your brand’s name out there as often as possible.
However, putting the effort into showing your face and introducing your brand is only half the battle! You should also incorporate these events into your content strategy. Social media is a great way of letting people know where your stand will be at the next art exhibition and encouraging them to come down. Posting pictures of your employees working hard, or maybe with the people, you meet (with their permission, of course!) shows that you’re a fun, friendly business. And why not sponsoring the local sports club with sports glasses or a band on the local music festival with trendy sunglasses? Of course, they post about this on their social media reaching your potential customers.
For the entrepreneur, showcasing your passion at local events allows you to show a personal side of your brand which many more corporate businesses don’t have. Take full advantage!
6. Unleash your inner photographer
Yep – we’ve all got an enthusiastic photographer hiding within us somewhere! Nearly all small business owners, entrepreneurs, and local distributors have a plethora of talents. When you’re heavily involved in the day-to-day running of a business, you have to be able to turn your hand to nearly anything.
So unleash your inner photographer! You have control of how your store looks. You see your employees enjoying their work and your customers being delighted by your products. There are very few businesses who wouldn’t benefit by sharing high-quality, vibrant pictures of what they do. Furthermore, you no longer need a fancy camera to let your new-found talent for photography shine. With smartphones, it’s just a click away!
Or hire a photobooth at events at your store, let customers take their picture and post (with permission) the pictures on your social media. Like these pictures of Melanie and Marieke which were taken at the Silmo exhibition last September at the WOOW eyewear booth (we had great fun as you can see 🙂 ).
7. Engage online
As a local entrepreneur, engaging online is about more than just counting likes and responding to queries. Twitter and LinkedIn are great starting points for entrepreneurs to share their thoughts and tips, whether it’s in 280 characters or a long form article. Follow influential or inspiring people in your industry and start the conversation.
Why stop there though? Why not start vlogging your personal journey? Documenting the day-to-day life of your business is an exciting way to share insight with potential customers and a way to strengthen your personal brand. Check out our YouTube for our Embrosa vlog which we started at day one of our company two years ago (we just started in English instead of Dutch).
8. Keep at it!
You’re the heart and soul of your business. Entrepreneurs are expected to do all the hard work and more – they’re responsible for bringing a vision to life and on top of that they have to find time to create marketing content which packs a punch. All by themselves!
So our final tip is to keep fighting the good fight. Creating super-personal content that has the WOW! factor takes time and effort. It’s not something you can sit down and do in a day, nor will it be worth it if you don’t commit.
However, in the long run, injecting your personality into your online content will be worth it – it’s a tried and tested way to stand out from the crowd.
Now – go and show them what you’ve got!
We want to see your personal content in action! Let us know what works for you using the hashtag #EmbrosaEverywhere – we’re sure we’ll love it…
About Embrosa
Embrosa is a Dutch company which creates technical solutions to give local entrepreneurs more marketing power. They started in 2017 in The Netherlands with the Embrosa app containing ready-made social media messages. Download their new app Embrosa Pics (Google Play / App Store): an app filled with professional visuals from optical brands. Opticians can download the visuals and use them for their online and offline marketing. Of course, TEF is shining also in this new app, check it out!
Brands: add your marketing content for free. Send an email to our chief content Myrthe: content@embrosa.com. Get in contact with marketing girl Marieke about press and marketing questions: marieke@embrosa.com and let CEO/sales Melanie know if you want info about advertising: melanie@embrosa.com.
From left to right: Marieke, Myrthe and Melanie
