Grant Stanley Consulting

In days gone by small business advertising was a simple task. You would call up either the local newspaper or the Yellow Pages, get a borderline-extortionate quote and then pay it. Advertising was expensive, but it was simple and, when done well, it worked. Today the opportunities for small businesses have proliferated and become much more targeted thanks to the internet, but with so many options available it can be difficult to decide which the best fit is for you. Ultimately, advertising is only worth the money if it drives people to buy your company’s products or services. So here’s a run through of the main opportunities you should consider investing your advertising budget in, in order to reach your target audience and generate leads for your small business: Google Adwords Adwords is the single biggest system for small business advertising. Google will display your website’s ad above results generated from particular searches. Choosing to display your ads against the r...

The New Year will be here before you know it, and 2015 promises to bring exciting trends. Before you make the leap into 2015, it is important to look back and see which parts of your company flourished and which areas could use improvement. Which tactics did you use and were they successful? You need to know if you were able to exceed your company’s forecasted financial goals and how the marketing tactics you used attributed to that success. Marketing professionals are already making their own estimations about what kinds of trends to expect in the very near future. Here is a list of a few trends you may want to keep in mind as you develop your 2015 marketing strategy: Visual Storytelling. Short videos have gotten very popular, especially with the younger demographics. They are short and engaging and, when done correctly, instill a strong message. Get your staff and customers involved by shooting a quick video of how your business operates  and post it to your social media a...

Branding is the process of figuring out who you are and what you stand for, conveying that to your audience, and then maintaining that perception. And it’s hard work­! It requires careful management, but those that manage their brands well instantly stand out. Obviously brand management has changed a fair amount in recent years, in response to changes in consumers and the culture at large. Brand management today includes a mixing of tried and true principles and an ever-evolving adaptation to the age we live in. As you look ahead to the New Year, here are a few reminders from CSM Consultants for managing your brand successfully in 2015.  1. Experience is everything   From front-end employees and project managers to the nit-picky details of a website, each and every aspect of interacting with a brand plays an important role in how consumers will value their overall experience and relationship with your brand. It’s the small things to a brand that can often be the big...