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Gnarketing Marketing Tips Uncategorized
Adversity in endurance sports and marketing go hand in hand

If you are like us, you’ve probably been emerging yourself in business webinars lately. On a recent marketing webinar, hosted by several top international companies, there was a discussion on failure and why failure is important for growth in marketing. Failure – that’s a mouthful to swallow! However, failure IS important in many aspects of life as we learn from it. If you have a background in competition, endurance sports, or have found yourself stuck in an adverse outdoor adventure, you will understand how relating those trying times to marketing will help you succeed with your business marketing strategy.

 

My background (and passion) is in competitive cycling with 8 years racing at the professional level in road and mountain biking. In all aspects of cycling (road, mountain, cyclocross) there are several elements that yield to a successful finish: fitness, fuel, skills, strategy, risk, and luck. Being the fittest or the fastest won’t win a race – many newbies learn this the hard way. Having top fitness, great bike handling skills, staying hydrated and fueled, and understanding race tactics (like teamwork) and strategy will help you be in the right place at the right time to take that element of risk needed to potentially win the race. Sometimes that risk will work out, other times it does not. But, the more you try and fail, you learn what elements need to be adjusted for the next time. You also learn how to evaluate your goals and performance. At some point, you break through that barrier and start to have better results!

 

Marketing is somewhat similar to endurance sports as adjusting your message, timing, and who you are targeting can be a little bit of a puzzle. But once you find the right mixture, you will be successful! You will always need to adjust your elements as you go but you will start to understand your customer better and know what you need to do to be successful.

 

Whenever you feel puzzled or overwhelmed by marketing, just take a step back and remember that you have probably encountered this type of challenge one way or another in competitive sports or during an outdoor adventure. COVID has sure thrown everyone for a loop. It’s a great exercise of how having support (like a teammate that hands you an extra bottle or lets you sit on their wheel) can help you through these tough times.

 

Gnarketing is here to help you succeed on a small budget and get you through these marketing challenges.

 

My favorite quote that I would say to myself when the going gets tough is, “pain is temporary, glory is forever.”

 

We invite you to tackle your marketing challenges – however big or small they may be and contact us for support!

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eCommerce Gnarketing Marketing Tips Resources Uncategorized
Free online resources to grow your brand

At Gnarketing we are passionate about helping brands streamline their marketing on a tight budget. There are many resources out there that are free that we would recommend to brands.

 

Canva

Canva has become one of our favorite online tools. You can create professional-looking ads, social media posts, and use stock photography- all for free! The platform is made so even a mediocre graphic designer can learn how to use the tools. There are many pre-made templates to choose from. Need a logo or infographic? You can do it all in Canva! 

 

Mailchimp 

Mailchimp is another great resource for email marketing. With a drag and drop platform, you can easily create polished-looking emails. They have features to create a landing page, add a pop-up form to your website, and can even create an automated email series. E-commerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and WordPress will also connect Mailchimp to your website. Many of these features are free however you can upgrade for more features.

 

Hubspot 

Hubspot has become a new favorite for a CRM service. You can do many of the same email features as Mailchimp however, there are more features to keep track of individual prospects and track their conversions. You can really dive into how each person is interacting with your emails. If you have a sales or marketing team, this is a great tool. They have a free version that is sufficient for new start-up companies or small brands. 

 

Grammarly

Grammarly is a free service that does more than spell check, it does extensive grammar checks on your content, based on your goals. You can also set up Grammarly as a chrome extension and it will automatically analyze your emails, blog posts, and most of your online content. You can upload a document to their platform and it will check the entire document. When you are producing a lot of content it’s nice to have a second set of eyes to find those human errors and keep your writing grammar free!

 

Google Analytics 

This is a free tool to help analyze your website traffic. Knowing how people are interacting with your website will help you in your marketing and website development.

 

These are just a few of the resources that we have tested and like. Let us know if you have others that you enjoy using! If you need help setting up these services for your business, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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Gnarketing Marketing Tips
Best Practices for Email Marketing

At Gnarketing we love the strategies behind email marketing. If done right, email campaigns can generate a ROI, create long term fans, and immediate sales. There are a few things to consider when diving into your email strategy.

 

Grow your list organically.

What does “organic” mean in email marketing? Organically growing your email list is where you obtained permission to use someone’s email. This could be from hosting a free event, webinar, having an email subscription on your website, or gathering a person’s email when they have made a purchase. When a person provides you with their email, you have a higher chance of them not flagging your email as spam and also getting them to open and engage with the content. You don’t want to have a massive email list of people who did not permit you as this will likely create a high spam rate and cause more frustration. We want to work smarter. Narrow down your target audience by first obtaining permission.

 

Send valuable information in your emails. Highlight your expertise.

When sending emails, provide information that your audience would find valuable. This can mean educating them on product features or topics related to your industry. Right now people are craving information and trying to learn as much as possible so when they are ready to buy, they will likely be a loyal and educated customer. You have an opportunity to reach your target audience, show your expertise, and let your brand stand out.

 

Create an email strategy when launching a campaign.

The frequency of your emails is important. To have appropriate frequency, you need to understand your audience. Some people like to receive several emails and email reminders while others will find constant emails a nuisance and may opt-out. One way to know what your audience wants is to conduct a survey. See what topics interest them and how often they want to hear from you.

 

Add hyperlinks to your website.

The goal of emails is to get more traffic on your website and ultimately increase your sales. Link content such as the title and photos back to your website to ‘read more’ or to view ‘related topics/products’.

 

Remember to add consumer reviews.

Always remember to add consumer reviews when appropriate. Nothing works as good as seeing your product or service used by a consumer. If you don’t have consumer reviews, then it’s time to ask for them. We will talk more about this strategy on another blog!

 

If you have more questions about email marketing or need help with your campaigns, drop us a line at [email protected].

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eCommerce Gnarketing Marketing Tips
5 Steps to Launch your Online Store

If this is your first time selling online, here are five steps you’ll want to consider before launching your eCommerce store.

 

1. Build your online website

Depending on the complexity of your business and products that you sell will determine the best options for setting up your store. If you are on a budget, we recommend using an e-commerce platform like Shopify or BigCommerce. These sites make setting up your site and store seamlessly. If you use third-party services for accounting or fulfillment, you can connect them. WordPress is a great option if your operation is more complex as it uses plugins to customize how your site works. Your web developer would be the best resource on how to set up your site. Another consideration is the upkeep of the site and adding or editing product information. You want to be mindful of who will be doing this and how familiar they are with different platforms. At Gnarketing we work closely with our clients to customize their site to fit their goals (short and long term) and budget. We also provide monthly services to help brands update their existing eCommerce sites.

 

2. List your store on Google and other relevant platforms

Once your website is up and running, set up your Google listing. If you don’t have an office, google has the option to just list your area, rather than your home address. Your Google listing is a start to helping people search for you. Don’t forget to list your business on other relevant sites such as Apple Maps, Yelp, TripAdvisor, or Bing. Remember to keep track of where you have your listings so you can update them and respond to reviews as needed.

 

3. Set up your social media accounts

Depending on what you are selling will depend on the type of social media accounts that you will need. You also want to take into consideration how much time you will devote to updating your accounts. Facebook isn’t for everyone. Twitter isn’t always appropriate either. Understanding your target audience will have an influence on which platforms will be the most successful for you.

 

4. Have a call to action on your website to collect emails

When someone attends your website, the likelihood that they will immediately purchase something isn’t as high as you think. Think about your tendencies when browsing other sites – that’s right, you are often browsing. While people are just browsing, grab their email. Having an email allows you to connect later and hopefully make a sale or even better, create a loyal customer. Offering 10% off their next purchase is a small price to pay for their email address. Companies pay thousands in ads to get emails from people, so why not spend anything when you can offer a small discount. Don’t overuse your discounting power either as you don’t want to depreciate your products or services. We will talk more about this in another blog.

 

5. Consider creating an ambassador program

If you are a new brand, an ambassador program, if managed right, can be a huge source of referrals without the cost of hiring extra salespeople. Ambassadors (also known as affiliates) can be like a megaphone to your brand’s message, especially on social media. Ambassadors who have a large fan base or social following, can help you reach your target audience and help boost your credibility. Not sure how to get good ambassadors? Stay tuned for more tips on ambassador programs. If you need any help, Gnarketing works with brands on establishing and managing their ambassador program.

 

>>Do you need help getting your eCommerce store off the ground? Contact us for a free consultation to see how Gnarketing can support you!
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Gnarketing
Ride into Gnarketing
Welcome to Gnarketing! We are a creative marketing and website design company that is passionate about helping brands tackle their business challenges and provide unwavering support along the way.

Like you, we love the outdoors and want to successfully communicate that passion to our customers. But, as a small business you might feel overwhelmed or intimidated by this thing we like to call gnarketing. Gnar is slang for tackling a challenge. In this economic climate – we are faced with many challenges and are constantly needing to pivot. Having an efficient strategy and a team that has your back will give you the wings you need to fly.

 

Now, more than ever is there an opportunity to reach your target market and communicate your unique story. How would your day look if you were able to attract the type of customer that wanted your product and kept coming back for more? How about having an automated system that followed up on prospective customers and helped to increase your sales revenue?

 

Gnarketing focuses on powerful turnkey solutions from over a decade of working in marketing and website design for cycling companies, outdoor brands, and small businesses.

We hope to create the framework so you can become self sufficient, save money, and grow your business. We provide training, ongoing support, and customize our solutions with each client. We work with you as an extension of your team.

If you’re interested in learning more, we invite you to schedule a free consultation. If you aren’t ready to dive into gnarketing, no worries – you can still check out our free tips by signing up for our newsletter.

 

Be exceptional.

 

 

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