June 1, 2018

Seven months ago, I was retained by a fine painting and decorating firm, DFAF, Inc. Painting and Decorating, to assist with creating a differentiated brand, and promote the brand with content marketing on numerous digital platforms. Here is a brief overview of my journey with DFAF – a wonderful one at that.

The Challenge.  The owner – an artisan and color guru – wanted to tip the balance of her business toward  more lucrative 1-up custom painting and fine finishing jobs, and away from the more commodity-like paint contracts that didn’t allow her to express her artistic skills and instincts.  DFAF has 15 direct competitors in California’s Coachella Valley, and she wanted to stand out ahead of the pack.

Strategy.  After taking this owner and entrepreneur through a series of exploratory exercises, I created a formalized brand strategy whose objectives were to convey preeminence for DFAF’s quality work, expertise, and professionalism, and elevate the owner to one of ‘thought leader’ in its narrow niche market.

Tactics.  Upon completion of an annual marketing plan for DFAF, we got busy with the tactics that would drive new and building success.

1. SEO and New Website Design.  Copy on the site was sparse and not optimized. As a result, DFAF was nowhere to be found on Google searches.  The site architecture did nothing to compel viewers to stay and explore it.  So my first task was to write and upload new optimized copy and oversee the revamping of the navigation on the site to create a more dynamic and interactive environment.

• Social Media.  Four key social media sites were identified, and I started posting content every 15 days that would provide interesting and stimulating information about color, painting techniques, and trends in design. Every post had to be written in the ‘owner’s voice’, each accompanied by a stunning, attention grabbing visual – and most important – provide a unique point of view that would come from a ‘thought leader’.
• E-Commerce.  DFAF wanted to reach every B2B and B2C customer or prospect with timely newsletters that – again – provided a learning experience and a unique point of view.  Constant Contact was employed to reach sub-segmented audiences with monthly newsletters – written and designed to be ‘opened’.
• Blogging.  Each and every social post and newsletter has the potential to be customized or expanded upon for the website blog page.  Thus, every time I post or publish on social media or Constant Contact, a corresponding blog post is uploaded to the website.
• Networking.  Various outreach opportunities were identified for regular networking in the communities of the Coachella Valley, and the owner is regularly attending these events to personally promote a business that is poised for growth – and to also associate her face as a ‘though leader’ and influencer.

Does It Work?   YES IT DOES !  The website started coming up on page one of Google searches soon after the SEO copy was uploaded, and hits on site tripled in the first week.  Once the new site navigation went live, we saw bounce rates drop around 10% and stickiness increase around 10%.  Opens and reaches on social media posts continue to build in volume and – on average – tripled since the social media program started.  For the e-Newsletters, open rates have ranged from 36% to 51% with an average open rate of 42%  as bad contacts have been purged, and new ones added with qualified contacts.  The last 3 posts produced virtually no bounces or unsubscribes. The database has grown to 180 active, qualified prospects. Research infers an open rate of 42% in a narrow category covering such a small geographic footprint is an impressive metric.  On an anecdotal note, a few B2B colleagues have noted DFAF’s activity and commented to the owner that they have come to recognize her as somebody who is taking a fresh view of the industry – thus differentiating her business . Best of all, they want to work with her now.

Does It Cost a Fortune?  NO IT DOESN’T !  Given the continuous exposure for DFAF brand in social media and e-Commerce platforms, the cost is nominal when compared to the use of traditional mass media and direct marketing which tends to throw dollars against a wall.  And, during this time, my client and I have developed a partnership as well.  The work is fun, gratifying and it is showing positive results.

So, yes, armed with a solid brand marketing strategy and the use of affordable tactics that are producing a continuous uptick in all metrics provide a solid rationale for using content marketing to promote your small business.