Why Marketing Is Frustrating: How to Succeed at the Local Level With Large-Scale Practices

Here is why marketing can be frustrating.

We see hundreds of ads every day, but most people aren’t ready to buy a product or service after simply seeing an ad. That should be obvious.  Even when someone needs you at some point, seeing your message is just the beginning.

That’s where most local businesses get frustrated. They invest in short-term advertising strategies, then feel that their marketing doesn’t work.

For marketing to be effective, two things must happen. First, your ad must be seen. Second, it must reach people who can afford it when they actually need it. This means a key element of effective marketing is timing. And the only way to get the timing right is to always be there. That’s why you see and hear big brands advertising constantly. 

So where does that leave a local business owner? 

One secret to applying large-scale marketing practices while remaining accessible for a small business is to understand the power of building a local brand. 

Tim Hortons didn’t start out with 4,000 locations. They opened one location in 1964 and built their brand and developed systems over three years. You’ve probably noticed that they have’t stopped branding and advertising, even though everyone knows Tim Hortons. 

The key to building a brand locally is to stay in front of your target market consistently and frequently—and it must be the same audience.

Think of memorising times tables with flash cards. If you practiced 7 × 9 one hundred times but showed a different answer each time, that’s inconsistent and the answer would never stick. If you practiced once a day with the correct answer, learning would take a long time. And if you practiced one hundred times but showed the card to a different child each time, the repetition wouldn’t help.

Branding works the same way. To build a strong brand, you need a consistent message, delivered frequently, to the same audience. Was that repetitive? Yes. Was it intentional? Absolutely.

That’s how we help.

We use a multi-touch, multi-channel approach to help local businesses maintain a constant presence with their target audience, both offline and online.

Our focus is to help service-based businesses who serve homeowners. These businesses may have billboards, branded vehicles, or even a storefront—which are great touch points—but those alone don’t provide the consistent and frequent visibility needed to build a strong brand. By connecting businesses with homeowners, we help local businesses build a brand where it matters: in the home. 

By being there early and often, your business stays in front of your relevant target market before they even start searching. When they are ready, your brand is familiar and trusted, which helps you to be chosen.

Our approach integrates print and digital marketing to ensure your business is seen everywhere—on social media, search engines, and in people’s homes. This multi-touch strategy keeps your brand top of mind, so when people are ready to buy, they recognise you above the competition.

We also ensure your business can be found easily when people are actively searching. We list you accurately across major search engines, maps, and voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, and other influential sites that improve search visibility. 

Let’s keep marketing simple. We help you apply the strategy of big brands so you can reach the right people again and again.