ThriveableBiz

11/05/2024

There is nothing more rewarding than helping someone in need.

I'm working with a guy who is a creative inventor who needed a business plan and marketing strategy developed.

I won't lie, it's been a challenge getting all the information. But these often turn into the most rewarding.

I emailed him the first draft yesterday, and this is his reply...

"Thank you so much I'm in tears right now, yes a grown man balling his eyes out 😭😭I'm so over joyed with your accomplishments in this dam good business plan Judy the bank will be happy to see I'm not joking around."

We still have a way to go, because I'm not just about doing, I'm about teaching.

That empowers people to be their best. To reach their dreams.

13/11/2023

What’s the point of market research, customers have no idea what they want!

I was listening to a podcast with a well-known marketing creative who said marketing research was a waste.

He said, “it’s up to you to tell people what they need.”

He was right.

But...

It’s what many get wrong when developing research questions.

Some respondents will want to please you and say, yeah, that sounds great.

But that’s not real. It doesn’t mean they’ll buy – you can’t bank on it.

The purpose of marketing research is to unearth your market’s real motivations.

How they use the product/category, what can’t they do with the product, what’s wrong with current products/service, what would they do if X product wasn’t available etc.

These INSIGHTS feed the CREATIVE aspect of marketing.

Creative without this fuel can miss the mark.

Creativity in marketing is what engages & motivates people to CONNECT with the business.

It’s why marketing is a BLEND of science and creativity.

What’s desperately lacking in much of our digital marketing cookie-cutter approach.

We’ve been working in the dark arts of marketing research & creative our whole careers.

And decided to document all the lessons we’ve learned from working with large and small businesses around the globe.

We call it MARKETING = CUSTOMERS + HEART, and according to the reviews, it’s a great read! https://thriveablebiz.com/marketing-customers-heart-small-business-growth-strategy/

Remember, the purpose of marketing is to CREATE A CUSTOMER.

And it’s the marketing research role to connect marketing with the audience.

06/11/2023

COMMENTS are just as insightful as the post content.
They’re a window into people’s minds.

So don’t just scroll past, check out what OTHERS say about the post.
You’ll get insights that give you a different perspective.

And it’s not just your posts, but competitor’s or others, that sell to the same market segment.

Think of where your target fits and dig deeper.
It’s about building your KNOWLEDGE.

The more you know about your audience the better your creativity, with higher relevance and engagement.

I’ve always enjoyed reviewing open-ender comments from our clients’ research projects.
Given the title of ‘The Open-Ender Queen’, I open a window into the customer’s world.

It’s what they write in their OWN words about what really matters to them, without the marketing blah.

You might find a golden nugget in just one comment, or you might need to read a few to build the story.

Either way it’s a valuable, free resource.

24/10/2023

Are you being authentic and transparent in your marketing?

We can easily fall into the trap of over-polishing our content… I have to fight with myself to not have it perfect… “Do another take. The inflection on that word isn’t quite right”. Does my head in, yet being real is what your audience is looking for.

I talked about a few things small businesses can do to break through with marketing in this chat with Brad McDonald from Godfreys Law, The Real Solutions Business Podcast.

It’s my pet topic, and I could talk for ages about what people get wrong and how to connect to your audience today.

You can listen to the full episode on Spotify.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5DQAnBEPC219Z5AOn38kKr?si=a148392db80b4614

Listen to this episode from The Real Solutions Business Podcast on Spotify. In this episode I am joined by Judy Celmins from ThriveableBIZ. Judy and her partner run a marketing consulting business for small businesses. Judy is a practical, pull-no-punches, creative problem solver. She is a big pictu...

12/04/2023

Attention small business owners! 2023 has been a challenging year so far, but don't give up just yet.

Instead, let's act and set ourselves up to thrive with 23 steps.

From understanding your purpose to mastering the art of social media, this simple map will guide you through the unpredictable path ahead. Change is inevitable, so why not control it and take charge of your own destiny?

Be curious, observe what's happening around you, and seize the moment.

Remember, you have a unique story to tell and a big advantage over larger companies. Connect with your customer's emotions, inspire them, and make your marketing about feelings, not just features.

By unlocking your inner child and pushing yourself to be memorable in some way, you can be creative and try something new against the odds.

If it touches their life in some way, people will be inspired.
So, let's act, breathe, and thrive in 2023!

https://thriveablebiz.com/23-tips-for-small-business-owners/

Need tips for small businesses in 2023? This article offers a countdown of 23 actions to take, not in order of importance, but as a simple map to set you up for success.

09/02/2023

A Business in a competitive field wants to grow
It’s all about the strategy

Want to have your pick of staff
It’s all about the strategy

Want sales leads to come to you directly
It’s all about the strategy

Have social media posts that resonate with your audience
It’s all about the strategy

Knowing which advertising fits and delivers
It’s all about the strategy

Knowing how your target’s attitudes have changed
It’s all about the strategy

When you want to be a Thriveable Business
It’s all about the strategy

If you want to grow and have more qualified leads, we can help you build a creative marketing strategy.

23/01/2023

What’s our first reaction to RECESSION talk?

When we hear recession, we’re likely to go all doom and gloom.

We shut our minds to starting or growing our small business because we think everyone’s going to stop spending.

Yet that negative mindset is way more dangerous than the recession itself!

Recession can mean OPPORTUNITY.

IF we’re smart about understanding customers and creatively solving their problems.

Be inspired by famous brands that started in recession, such as Disney, Airbnb, Netflix, Revlon, General Electric, and Microsoft.

And The British Business Bank which specialises in start-up loans, which says “As strange as it seems, a tough economic period might actually be the best time to launch a business”.

In this new article Eriks Celmins, Insights & Story Director here at ThriveableBiz shares Harvard research on the Four Types of Customer Behaviour in a downturn.

Not everyone shuts down all their spending, and in fact the largest group continues to spend because of the primal human needs for both Essentials and Treats.

But they’ll be much more selective, and challenge you to deliver more VALUE for their dollar.

Eriks gives examples of tactics to adapt your small business offering and messaging to retain customers when they’re under pressure to keep functioning in life.

And also tips on how to tap into your own customers’ motivations, write your unique Recession insights Story, and create new ideas to meet opportunities.

The only limit is your imagination!

https://thriveablebiz.com/how-to-find-business-opportunities-in-recession/

Insights to help you find opportunities to engage with customers in a recession, based on research and current marketing thinking.

27/11/2022

When needs are huge, every drop helps.

That's why we're donating 100% of the profit from our book sales to the effort in Ukraine.

To date we've been able to donate $1435 via ReliefAid
You can learn more here... https://thriveablebiz.com/marketing-customers-heart-small-business-growth-strategy/

For an update on how the funds are being used please keep reading.

Kia Ora Judy and Eriks,

On behalf of everyone at ReliefAid, we want to thank you for your continuous support, compassion and generous donation. We apologize for the delay in receiving a receipt; our communications team has been on the ground in Ukraine the past few weeks, where power was out more often than not. Anne and Mike asked me to extend their thanks and regards from Ukraine!

Your generosity allows us to distribute much needed food, medical supplies, winter clothing, children education programs and shelter aid to people impacted by conflict in Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan. This work brings comfort and dignity to individuals living through unimaginable circumstances, and we are so grateful for people like you all who enable us to carry out our work.

Our team is in full swing, delivering essential items to assist families through the winter. People like Natalia in Ukraine, whose photo I have attached below.

In the photo, Natalia stands where her home once stood; all that remains of her home is the charred remains of the stairs that led to the second floor. The fur coat she is wearing serves as an enduring memento of her previous life. As she evacuated she dropped her coat into the cellar, when she was able to return her home was in ruins, but miraculously the coat in the cellar survived. Natalia is working tirelessly to get help for the people still living in the village. When we thanked her, she momentarily broke down, before taking a deep breath, shrugging her shoulders saying, ‘if not me, then who?’.

We are consistently humbled by the strength of those we assist, as well as the compassion of those whose generosity allows our work to continue. Your support stands as a beacon of hope and a reminder of humanity amidst tragedy.

Kind regards,
Brie Monetti
Communications Coordinator | ReliefAid

21/08/2022

How do you stand out from competitors and be different?

I just love this short segment from our mate Wade Kingsley. Have a listen now, and take his challenge today.

https://omny.fm/shows/monday-muse/doing-things-differently

In this episode, Wade Kingsley is in the USA looking at an amazing success story that came about from doing things differently.

21/08/2022

"I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed reading this book and everything about it."

That is an extract from our latest independent review from the Online Book Club. The reviewer goes on to say...

"Judy and Eriks took out a lot of energy to invest in this beautiful piece. This book tells business persons all that needs to be known about marketing and owner/customer relationship. It educates both prospective and already existing business owners on how to manage their businesses to yield incredible results. Most importantly, it tutors them on how to capture, keep, and serve their customers right and efficiently.

There are many positive aspects of this book. I like what the book teaches and how the teaching processes progressed. I like how the book was in seriatim. I've never picked interest in marketing or petty business. I also have zero likenesses for books that teach about marketing, but I dare to say this book makes the very first exception."

Whether you're a seasoned business operator or just starting out, there are nuggets of gold in this book.

You can get your copy in either print, digital or audio here https://thriveablebiz.com/marketing-customers-heart-small-business-growth-strategy/

You can read the full review here
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=247936

16/07/2022

It's either the negative or positive that stands out.

I tend to remember the extreme ends of shopping experiences. Which sparks the question, what makes dealing with a business memorable?

I can think of countless experiences that left me feeling flat. And a few that were so good they regularly flash into my mind and still give me a warm feeling of satisfaction.

But most fall into the forgettable category. You make the purchase, and everything is fine, but it's gone into this pit of sameness - nothing out of the ordinary.

I make many commodity purchases online and search on delivery time, reviews, and price. Mainly because they don't offer anything more than that.

In New Zealand, privacy laws still permit businesses to access your email for ongoing promotion. So my inbox gets filled with their latest specials. But I couldn't tell you what I purchased from them.

If I need to purchase something else in that category, I start the search process all over again. So, I might or might not find them - it's entirely random.

When I buy wine, however, I go to my favourite site. I might get a better price elsewhere, but the difference is the LOVE they put into the sale. The box arrives with a personal note from the 'human' that packed it, plus a bag of sweets. Not hard, but just that extra connection gives me a warm feeling.

If you're selling anything, you need to make every part of the process MEMORABLE for the right reasons.

It's a large part of what we talk about in Marketing = Customers + Heart. Now a Gold Award book from Literary Titan, and you can get your copy here.

https://thriveablebiz.com/marketing-customers-heart-small-business-growth-strategy/

I'd love your view on what makes a memorable experience when dealing with a business - so we can all learn from it.

Follow the 7 Stages revealed in our book Marketing = Customers + Heart. Stop wasting your advertising money and build your Small Business Growth Strategy.