Jamie Walloch

First Business Bank’s Podcast on Marketing Trends

Written by: Jamie Walloch

January 2021

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In 2020, the world shut down, everyone stayed at home, and businesses were forced to find new ways to market themselves. Most advertising quickly shifted to digital channels  and social networks. So how does a business stand out online and continue to grow during a pandemic?

In our latest podcast episode, Mark Meloy, CEO of First Business Bank speaks with Ed Peck, Founder and CEO of Filament; Sara Kiley, Digital Operations Manager of Mid-West Family; Fritz Grutzner, President and Founder of Brandgarten; and Tom Dott, Commercial Banking Relationship Manager of First Business Bank about the best marketing practices that business leaders and professionals should consider as they navigate changing buyer behavior.

Businesses need to keep up with their customers if they want to survive. Right now, we are seeing more people online than ever before. If customers are online, then businesses should be, too. Marketing was already shifting to a digital world, but the pandemic pushed this trend forward at an unprecedented pace.

More than just a product or service

Last year, every business meeting and personal interaction quickly went from face-to-face, to socially distanced and fully virtual. Businesses had to adapt and find other ways to stand out to their customers. They needed to find new and innovative ways to position their products and services to stand out in a crowded arena. Simply offering a great product or service doesn’t cut it anymore.

2020 taught us to value authenticity, even in the businesses we support. Consumers want to get to know the people behind the brand in order to solidify their trust. It is no longer about what a company provides, but who they are and what they stand for.

Recently, many companies have struggled to find the balance between letting their customers know they are open, while also being respectful of the new realities of in-person business.

The message that a company shares with its customers through marketing quickly became more important than ever. But how do you know you are sharing the right message with the right audience?

Who is the target audience?

Today, there is no end to the different ways a company can advertise itself. Often, the amount of money spent positioning a company, or its products and services, is not the determining factor in success. What matters most is that a company knows its audience, knows how to reach it, and has a consistent message across all platforms. 

Whether it’s traditional marketing such as television and radio, or digital marketing such as pay-per-click and social media, it can be successful if the marketing message is reaching the correct potential customer.

It is important for a company to spend its marketing money where its customers are, and that can take a lot of research and analysis with marketing professionals to figure out exactly who and where that is.

Consistency is key

No matter what is being advertised and where is it being advertised, all marketing messages should match. What is advertised about a company on television should be the same message on their website. Know your mission, know your message, set goals and stick with them.

Messaging requires frequency to stick with potential clients. A customer might not reach out as soon as they hear about a product, service or company. But when they are presented with the same, consistent message across multiple marketing channels, it will stick with them and be top of mind when they need the advertised products or services.

Maintaining customer relationships

Customer service is a large factor in a business’s survival, especially in the current economic climate. Customers want to feel a high level of trust in the companies they give their support to. Remember, support isn’t just financial, it also comes in the form of referrals and social reviews. This is where quality customer service can make or break a company.

Customer service has shifted away from just asking “Hey, where did you learn about us?” before they walk out the door. It is now about being transparent and honest about who you are as a company and doing it primarily online.

A company is more than just a product or service. There are real people behind a brand, and it is those people that consumers want to get to know, and who they will ultimately leave an online review about.

The customer journey in 2021

In recent months, businesses have started releasing advertising dollars they had placed on hold at the beginning of the pandemic. It is a great time for a business to re-strategize their marketing plan to build a stronger relationship with customers.

The customer journey, from knowing nothing about a brand, to becoming a raving fan, makes marketing different for every company. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy that works to build a brand. Something a marketing professional cannot necessarily teach a business is how to encompass the right ethics and values necessary to create trust and loyalty with consumers.

To be successful in 2021, not only does a business need to provide a genuine marketing message to the proper audience, they must also remain authentic while doing it.

Listen to our latest podcast: Marketing Trends, and learn more about how a business can adapt to buyer behavior in 2021. The First Business Bank podcast is dedicated to helping business owners work better, faster, and smarter to achieve their financial goals.

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to the First Business Bank podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

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New Marketing Trends

Marketing tactics continue to evolve year after year, and 2020 was no exception. In this episode of the First Business Bank podcast Mark Meloy, CEO of First Business Bank speaks with Ed Peck, Founder and CEO of Filament; Sara Kiley, Digital Operations Manager at Mid-West Family; Fritz Grutzner, President and Founder of Brandgarten;, and Tom Dott, Commercial Banking Relationship Manager with First Business Bank, about the best marketing practices business leaders and professionals should consider as they adjust to changing buyer behavior.

Topics include:

• Why businesses should be online
• Current marketing trends
• Marketing in a pandemic
• The move towards digital

Libsyn Notes

New Marketing Trends

If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that everything is shifting in the digital direction, and it is imperative that business leaders and professionals keep up. If customers are online, businesses should be, too. A consistent, online presence is crucial for a business to survive today.

In this episode of the First Business Bank podcast Mark Meloy, CEO of First Business Bank speaks with Ed Peck, Founder and CEO of Filament; Sara Kiley, Digital Operations Manager at Mid-West Family; Fritz Grutzner, President and Founder of Brandgarten; and Tom Dott, Commercial Banking Relationship Manager of First Business Bank, about the best marketing practices that business leaders and professionals should consider as they navigate buyer behavior.

 This discussion focuses on:

• Why businesses should be online

• Current marketing trends
• Marketing in a pandemic
• The move towards digital products

The First Business Bank podcast is dedicated to helping business owners work better, faster, and smarter to achieve their financial goals.

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to the First Business Bank podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. First Business Bank, member FDIC.

“Your marketing messages all need to match. If you’re saying one thing over here in traditional and TV or wherever you’re sending the message, let’s make sure that it exists within your website and within your social networks. So, everything is consistent. We need a lot of consistencies, so people hear the message, they hear it multiple times, and then that’s when your clients are going to react and, and reach out to you when they need you for your service or product.” – Sara Kiley, Digital Operations Manager at Mid-West Family

“Focus and be authentic are really important. It seems to me that the underlying common denominator from this entire discussion today was really about being human. And there’s probably no more important time than now to be human. People are, as Ed said, your emotions are raw, they’re feeling new emotions, and a brand that can really connect now in an emotional way is going to win in the long run. I mean your head follows your heart. So, if you win their heart, you’re going to win their head eventually.”- Fritz Grutzner, President and Founder of Brangarten

“So, I really have seen more and more people who are starting to engage more directly with marketing professionals to really, truly help them cohesively and comprehensively build that brand and come up with a coherent and consistent strategy, you know, as we come out of the pandemic here, and really understanding … and I think maybe more so now than ever the value of branding and marketing, and more importantly, doing it with a professional. “- Tom Dott, Commercial Banking Relationship manager with First Business Bank