Suzanne Proksa:
Welcome To another episode of the Suzanne show. I am Suzanne Coxa, your hostess, business strategist and coach For women and businesses with visions and missions for themselves and others That make them leap out of bed in the morning. I talk a little business, a little personal development, And whatever else I come up with. If you love the podcast, tell your friends, and please do give me a rating. Hello. We all need those. Right? So let's move on with the episode. I hope you love it.
Suzanne Proksa:
Hey, guys. Suzanne here. So I am excited about this topic today because I think it's going to help a lot of people. I expect this one to actually get shared quite a bit. This is actually something that I was going to publish way back in March and decided, you know, to follow all of the advice with Stick with your niche and all of that and stick with online marketing. So I actually, are online business marketing and decided not put it out there. And then I realized as I'm watching businesses right now and the things that are happening in our country with the the COVID nineteen Just getting worse and worse, I decided that I was doing a disservice by not sharing this. So I think that my Friends with online businesses may still have some takeaways from this.
Suzanne Proksa:
So I encourage you, if you have the time, to stick with me and listen and see if there might be something that you can take out of what I'm going to talk about today. But this one is for my friends who have brick and mortar businesses, small businesses. You know, if you got a shop or you have a a restaurant or you're doing something with food, that kind of thing, the smaller businesses, you know, like, what you see when you go Downtown and that kind of thing. So and, actually hey. Even Other businesses might even be able to get some takeaways from this because quite frankly, I think that there are a lot of manufacturers and and businesses like that as well Who could be doing some things to actually change their mindset, change their strategies, and move forward in this ever changing environment. So as a long time online entrepreneur who has also run a product based online business, I am the former owner of the very successful Bliss Candles, And a service based online business, so I am a coach and strategist, it crushes My soul. To see brick and mortar, small businesses struggling more than they need to, and even worse, going out of business, When maybe it just doesn't need to happen, didn't need to happen. You know, we, online business owners, Know the importance of using several marketing tools, and I'm here today to give some in insight on how these things can save your business.
Suzanne Proksa:
So let's start with the obvious. You know, first of all, for me, it was very clear, You know, when the pandemic started that, you know, the the businesses, the brick and mortar, the small businesses in my town, etcetera, We're really caught with their pants down. I mean, several clearly didn't have email lists or weren't using them. They had no contingency plans, No diversification strategies, difficulties with marketing, the relationship building wasn't happening, and they just a lot of them just really seem to embrace giving up, really, over fighting to win in such a challenging situation. And, certainly, I think, you know, I obviously have been doing this for a while. I think that it's not uncommon for people to just feel such loss and such Hopelessness that they just can't see the light and the things that they might be able to do to save themselves. You know, it's just human psychology, and so I think that That was a lot of what I was seeing there. And, you know, truth be told, I saw some people who just absolutely refused to change their business strategies to To stay afloat.
Suzanne Proksa:
You know, I mean, I I can't tell you how many people that I've seen who want to Bash Amazon, you know, for obvious reasons, but then they absolutely refuse to put their own stuff online and offer that service to people. So, you know, that that is an issue. I I certainly had high hopes, that these businesses would learn from the pain of the shutdown. And, you know, in the summertime, start collecting email addresses, Amp up that social media presence, develop some new strategies, and probably get those offerings online so that people could still buy with ease and stay safe. Because let's face it. There's a lot of people like me who have actually listened to, you know, the information out there and have stayed home. And so we are not quick to physically go into places, and so whoever has their stuff online wins. And certainly some locally at least started collecting emails, which is great, but huge.
Suzanne Proksa:
They still haven't started using them. You know, I know this because I'm on those lists and I haven't received a thing. There's there's 1 one little shop downtown that I absolutely adore in Feene for, And I'm like, please send me something. Send me a coupon. Tell me how to buy from you. Let me know you're still even in business. I mean, I, Truthfully, because she's not communicating, I don't even know if she's still in business. So, Also, you know, a limited few have also leveraged their payment gateways, which I was super excited to see, who had tools for ordering online.
Suzanne Proksa:
Major props, if you're if you're one of those, I can't remember. I think it's Square, who actually has some, you know, tools to actually do that and do it pretty quickly and easily. And so while my technical niche is visibility for women in online business. You know, I just can't bear to watch these businesses continue to flounder and flap without offering some ideas And how to survive this crazy time, because it applies across the board. Right? It it works for all. I mean, there's a reason why you see the bigger companies doing these things. I mean, how many emails do you get in your inbox today? There's a reason why people are doing it because it works. So This is going to take some effort, though, and some grit on on people's parts.
Suzanne Proksa:
And, you know, while I know that you feel defeated And that can hinder progress. It's still time to do what needs to be done to thrive. And I think that, you know, based on what I'm hearing today, it's very possible that we are going to start seeing some more shutdowns again. Sounds like that might start impacting, restaurants again with some takeout only, that kind of thing. So, I mean, let's let's really start talking about the 4 things that you can do to really help your stuff yourself stay afloat. And then I'm also going to offer you some help as well. I actually have a special Black Friday offer. Very limited because I can only take many people to do this, because this is a 1 on you know, 1 to 1 intensive, just like what I do with my with people online, And the price is, really slashed because I know that the brick and mortar small businesses are struggling already.
Suzanne Proksa:
But you'd get your this particular investment, you would you would get back, rather easily. So first of all, let's Talk about action 1, and that is getting yourself online. You know, I fully fully understand that the entire foundation of your business is brick and mortar, Those in person sales, I I really, really do. I also know that you really count on those well placed displays To get people to buy more than they need or came in for. I mean, hello. Everybody talks about Target, right, and how genius they are that it works. It it certainly works. I've worked in enough retail as well, to know that.
Suzanne Proksa:
And, you know, I further understand because I've done product based sales that you really Want nothing to do with shipping and dealing with orders. I mean, when I had my candle business, my in person sales were at fancy craft shows. But I was doing most of my business shipping. Let's be honest. It's it's not fun. It's it's not a fun thing, you know. It does take time. It's not nearly as fun, as excitedly talking to your customers about the latest amazing thing that you've brought into your shop.
Suzanne Proksa:
I totally get it. Was it way more fun for me to you talk to my customers in person at at craft shows and show them all the cool stuff I created? Absolutely. Did it result in a lot of sales? Yes. It did. That was not the point. It was really it was exciting. It was fun, etcetera. So I get that the shipping just doesn't sound great.
Suzanne Proksa:
But what are we trying to do? We're trying to stay afloat. Right? What's more important? So here's why it's important to get your products online now. Like, you might think, oh, you know all the reasons, but let's just break this down. You know, first of all, we're gonna stay afloat right now. Right? Back to the matter is COVID cases are rising by the day. You know, just yesterday, Michigan recorded over 8,000 cases. I think we're up and over 7 again today. There's many more people who are going to start listening to the warnings and stay home.
Suzanne Proksa:
Yes. I realize there are people out there just Refusing. Refusing. Refusing. But I think you're gonna see more people start to, you know, wake up and realize that holy crap. This is serious. And so they want to either order online or do curbside pickup. And you may think that you're doing great if you're ordering curbside, And that's certainly a positive, but people also wanna see that you, you know, what you offer online and view the details.
Suzanne Proksa:
You know, many of us are busier than before, and we don't have time to hang out on the phone in order. And if your line's busy, No matter how much people wanna support you and how much they love you, if time is of the essence, they are going to move on. And let's not forget That just anxiety and depression and mental things are happening right now where we just can't deal with 1 more thing. So we just wanna go to the computer, order, see what you've got. Maybe we don't even we don't want to talk to somebody. Like, we just The meant the mental aspects like, I just I can't talk right now. I just need to order this thing. And so, You know, unfortunately, what's happened over the last few months is that people have already moved on because some businesses didn't adjust.
Suzanne Proksa:
And they have found the type of ease they need elsewhere, you know. Again, busy, you know, mental concerns where you just can't deal with it, etcetera. So you absolutely may be able to recapture those people, once you have online ordering, and that's in place, so we'll talk about that later. And that's something that I can help you with, if you do the Intensive. We can really, zero in on how you can do that. Number 2, it's gonna help you remain successful later. So over the past few months, People unfamiliar with the joys of online shopping, curbside pickup, and delivery have now experienced it. Okay? I was doing this well before, so I was already loving on it.
Suzanne Proksa:
But vast majority of people Really weren't quite there yet. And guess what? They like it. I post COVID, I firmly believe That people are going to continue this trend, and here's why. Because life is busy, and this newfound ease is going to be Something that people aren't going to want to be giving up anytime soon. You know, we have to remember as business owners It's about them. It's about our customers. It's about our clients and what they want. It's not about what we would prefer.
Suzanne Proksa:
That is the absolute Fastest way to go out of business. It just is. Number 3, boosting sales. Yes. Boost sales. There so there's a couple of things at play here. 1st, some people don't realize, business owners don't realize that you can feature other products that you might like, on their websites, you know, much like the displays in your shops. So that's impulse buying at its best.
Suzanne Proksa:
Moreover, if you dive into the world of online shopping and offer shipping, You've just opened up your business to a whole other level of success. If you pair online shopping plus shipping With a stellar online marketing strategy, you could find yourself doing really well, because you are reaching out to whole other markets. It is indeed a change in strategy and again, if we're being honest, not as fun as talking to people in person. But again, we have to decide what's important. So I would consider looking at your business mission and vision, hopefully, you have those, and see how you might be able to tie this in. Okay. Back to the action. So action 2, Wow those lists.
Suzanne Proksa:
So when we online folks talk about your list, We are talking about the ever important email list. Okay. There's a reason why people are doing classes on List building and charging a fortune for it because there is money in it. There's relationship building in it. It is something that is going to be there even if Facebook shuts down. Okay? So And social media does not get the reach it used to. In addition, with social media, it can be days before someone sees your post About your event today. Not super helpful.
Suzanne Proksa:
Right? It's it's set up that way to create a situation Where you have to pay for ads if you want things seen. That's just how it works. Granted, there are certainly things that you can do to improve reach, And it takes time and a lot of consistency. But I'm guessing you don't have time to wait for all of that to happen. Now if you do, we can do, like, a 3 month to 6 month package and talk about it there, How you can develop that strategy. Okay. If you've been collecting emails but haven't leveraged your list yet, It's time to start. If you haven't started collecting emails, now is the time, as in get it set up Within the next hour.
Suzanne Proksa:
I am so serious right now. So If your store ends up closed or your social presence isn't working, this is your direct line To your customers. Not to mention, there are all kinds of things that you can do just for people on your email list, no matter what your situation is. This should be a no brainer on your list of marketing efforts. It's low cost and it's all yours. So my email strategy was a huge reason why my candle business was so successful. I had a candle club and those people were on my email list. They got news, they got special offers for me constantly.
Suzanne Proksa:
They felt connected to me because I focused a lot on my personal brand in addition to the quality of my product. Reach out regularly. Give them special deals. Let them know about new products. Offer memberships and spoil the daylights out of these people. K? Spoil them. You can also spotlight social posts, ding ding. To get people engaging and moving those up in the algorithms.
Suzanne Proksa:
So you post on there on social media. Hey. Get the rest of the information out on Instagram. Go check it out. They start looking at your stuff on social. You're boosting your stuff in the algorithm. This is what I do. This is the this is where it's at.
Suzanne Proksa:
Do contests. You know? Let them know How your latest products solve their problems. The sky is the limit, and this can bring some fun into your business and help you develop relationships That people will be less likely to break and move on to Amazon. Because if you're building those relationships, You know, people like to know who they're buying from. And if you've done action 1, you've put your stuff online, you're offering curbside, You're you're making things easier for them, and so, you know, that is huge. Now you've got quite the winning combo. So if you need more help with how to set up and leverage your list, I'm taking limited brick and mortar small business clients for 1 month intensives. In November, December 2020, that that's the that's the only time you're gonna get this rate, at a discounted rate of $997.
Suzanne Proksa:
So this is normally 200,497, so that is a huge discount. So head to susaneproeksa.com backslash intensive to get the details and secure one of those limited intensives if you want 1. So what you can do is you can either pay for it right away to lock in your spot, Or if you're not quite sure, you can sign up for what's called a discovery call with me. We'll talk it through, make sure it's a good fit, before sending out the contracts and all of that good stuff. K? Moving on to action number 3, Leverage social in ways that matter. So we've already established that Social doesn't have the reach that it used to, but it's still a necessary element in your marketing strategy. So Social media is an important part of your customers' lives, and they're on it daily. There's not a lot of people that aren't.
Suzanne Proksa:
If you practice consistency and relationship building on social, you will see increased interaction and presentation in the feeds. Leverage the social media channels where your brand fits best and where your people hang out. And I think that People often overthink, like, where are my people hanging out? I don't really know. You do I think you do if you think about it. Like, are they more, like, Instagram people? Are they more Facebook people? I think, instinctively, we all know because we have people in our lives. Right? We know what we do, so don't make it too difficult. You also wanna leverage your strengths so you can put your best foot forward. Hopefully, video is a Strength of yours, because it's a huge benefit for most businesses.
Suzanne Proksa:
If you're selling products, what better way to show people the latest amazing thing that you have to offer so that they can realize how much they need it. In addition, it gives you a chance to showcase your Personal brand. The personal brand is becoming more and more impart important. So, sure, The name on the door is your business name. Totally get that. But people wanna know who they're buying from. So when you do hear people who complain about the big box Stores, what do they want? They wanna know who they're buying from. And I think most people really do, and I think that's why you've seen such a push to support local and so you really need to take this to heart.
Suzanne Proksa:
You know, connection and community are incredibly important right now. You know, we're in a world where Connections lacking. To see your face, know who they're buying from could be the difference between buying from you or just heading to Amazon where it's easier or because it's easier. So show them the faces of your business and tell them your story, you know, the product story and more. You know, if there's more than just you, then, you know, see if your team members Would let you even share about them and things that they love and that they do and what products do they like and that kind of thing. You see where I'm going with this? You make it more personal and interesting. So if you struggle what to share, remember that you're a customer yourself. You know, what do you like to see? When you reflect on your products and services, you know, what is going to be the most helpful for people right now? How can you showcase how that product will help them or solve a problem? If you have special sales or offers coming up, Brainstorm ways to promote those items and create a schedule for sharing.
Suzanne Proksa:
If you need more help, again, How to create a strategy to leverage your social media or that and the list. Again, I'm taking those limited intensives. Suzanneproxa.com backslash intensive. Make sure you put the k before the s. Lot of people make that mistake, so that you can secure one of those spots. So So action number 4, last 1, reach out. So this is super fun. And I've seen a, A couple people do it after I suggested it, and it's a really cool thing.
Suzanne Proksa:
This suggestion, it really takes a whole different kind of effort, but could be very well worth it for you. You know, partnerships with other businesses and your customers can be a great way to get more eyes on your business. This is important because it provides some social proof for your business And it gets the eyes of audiences who may not be familiar with you and all of the great things that you are doing. So here's here's some thoughts. Are there other businesses in your community that you can partner with to either promote each other or create shared product offerings. For instance, you know, a lot of people are staying in. Can you Offer a family night in special with other businesses that features, like, some combination of entertainment, food, and even items for the furry members of the family. I've not seen anything like this particular thing.
Suzanne Proksa:
This is a Suzanne idea, that you're getting for free. You know, I mean, how cool would it be to have a Mexican food movie night, you know, complete with a taco platter, margaritas. You know, some places are able to give you drinks to go now. Popcorn, of course. Movie snacks. You know, the kind that come in the The big boxes and stuff just like you buy at the movie theater, and a special treat for the furry members in the family. And then all either curbside in one place, so one of the businesses, or delivered. And I honestly, in my town, I can think of 3 to 4 local businesses who could make this happen easily, including the movie snacks Including the movie stacks.
Suzanne Proksa:
So as you can see, it's okay to think outside of the box. That's where success happens. I think that, you know, whether it's online or brick and mortar, we're so stuck with The old way of doing things and how it it used to work and how it currently works that we're just creating more struggle, You know, we need that creativity right now because let's face it, things are weird. 2020 is weird. The COVID thing is weird. It's all just unsettling to people. It's a hot mess. Let's face it.
Suzanne Proksa:
Everybody talks about being a dumpster fire. Right? So if you've fallen down on list building, you know, can you reach out personally somehow to frequent customers? You'll think of how you can reach out in meaningful ways and then get people on that list and start sharing your content. And if you're not familiar with what content is, so, you know, that's like short posts, articles, you know, information, Podcasts. These are all things that are called content. It's just the stuff you're putting out there. And then are there contests and events that you can do to expand that reach to new audiences with the help of current customers, other businesses, or even your local chamber. Now I do have to say that I'm just really surprised that I Just don't see the chambers doing what I would expect right now. So I don't know how much your help you're gonna get there, But maybe, certainly, still, if you're paying them, it's certainly a great place, to check-in with to see how they can support you in expanding your your reach.
Suzanne Proksa:
Because, again, you can partner with other businesses. You can, you know, have contests and do things that encourage your, your customers to to share, that kind of thing. So and, again, that's the kind of thing that I can help with too. One of the blessings for me is that not only do I have the background and just running different types of businesses, but I have a weird Gift of creativity. It it's I come up with some of the coolest ideas ever, so out of nowhere. So, anyway, that's part of why my candle business was so successful because I just did some of the coolest things. But So bottom line, reach out however and wherever you can that's appropriate. So that was the 4.
Suzanne Proksa:
So remember, the first one was getting yourself online. Okay. Very important. You need to be accessible to people in a variety of ways in this crazy environment. Number 2, wow those lists. K. You gotta start using that email list. And if you don't have 1, oh my goodness.
Suzanne Proksa:
Start 1 today. If you sign up for the intensive, I'll help you with With that, I've certainly used a lot of the email service providers out there. I have a couple of them that I think are best. And, you know, we can we can go from there and talk about what that looks like and, you know, how to get people on there, etcetera. Number 3, leveraging social in ways that matter, you know. And a lot of this goes along with your your Your brand, what you're trying to promote, what you're trying to do, what matters to your customers, and where are they hanging out, and what is the best way to reach them. And then number 4, again, reach out to, customers and partners. You know, see what you can do together with other people and encourage other people to So in closing, as you can see, there are actually choices, Okay.
Suzanne Proksa:
To keep your business afloat and even thriving during this crazy time, it just depends on what you're willing to do. And, also, you know, these things require a shift in thinking and strategy and a willingness to accept changes necessary. And once you do those things, you are free to soar. Okay? I mean, I'm you know, there's obviously no promise, you know, that there's gonna be just some big huge change. But if you start moving in a different direction, you start creating new strategies, and you pivot when you need to, and you start Getting yourself into the places that matter and doing the things that matter, that will have an impact. Okay? So, again, if you need more help, limited I'm taking very, very, very limited brick and mortar small business clients for 1 month intensives, in November December, at a discounted rate of 9.97 997. If you want one of those spots, head over to my website, suzanneproksa.com. That's suzanneproksa proksa.comback/intensive, I n t e n s I v e to get those details and secure one of those limited intensives.
Suzanne Proksa:
So I hope that you found this helpful. I hope that this gave you some hope and some ideas to get started with, and I hope to hear from some of you soon For one of those limited intensives, I think these will be some super fun projects, and I am very excited, to get started on those. So until the next episode, I wish you the absolute best. Keep plugging away. We will get through this. Talk to you soon. I hope that you loved this episode. If you did, give me those shout outs, show me some love on iTunes, give me a rating and hey, if you wanna know where to find me, You can find me on pretty much all social media at suzanneproksa.
Suzanne Proksa:
That's s u z a n n e p r o k s a. And you can also head over to my website, Suzanne probsa.com. Until then, we'll see you in the next episode, and here is parte music for you.
