I was in a Chocolate boutique the other day and I began talking to the owner as I shopped.  I mentioned that I had not noticed his shop before and asked how long he had been in that location.  He told me that they had been there for over 2 years.

This is a neighborhood that I am in 4-5 times a month so I immediately think that this guy might want to think about doing something to raise brand awareness.  One-track mind I guess.   He reads my mind and tells me, “Yeah we have thought about doing some marketing, but we make handmade chocolate which have a limited shelf life.  So if we get a large amount of business from advertising we won’t be able to service the new customers.” 

He says his fear is that instead of new customers you have unhappy regular customers and disappointed newcomers that arrive for a diminished or empty stock.  I commiserated, purchased my chocolates and took them home (making it home with minimal losses to my purchase, I might add).

I kept turning the problem over in my head as I ate my chocolates and then I arrived at the answer.  Instead of a big bang, this business needed a series of smaller explosions.  Like the way they take down large structures.  Yeah one huge blast would take out the building (and be super cool) but the collateral damage is unacceptable.  Therefore, a series of smaller explosions will collapse the building under control.  The smaller planned explosions are social media.

Instead of a huge dose of business that might be unmanageable, there is smaller growth of the brand and business through building relationships.  Sure, they could not handle 500 new customers in a day but 10 is doable without stretching the resources to far.  And with all the demographic tools available through twitter or facebook this is a largely cash light investment.  This method also allows targeting with a rifle vs. a “spray and pray” type of strategy.

Before social media, I think that a business like this would not have a viable avenue for raising awareness and garnering new business. We as business owners today, though have this tactic and the more arrows in our quiver the better.  Do you have questions about how to market your business in Fort Mill contact us for a FREE Marketing consultation.