When it comes to family pets, choices previously seemed to be Team Dog or Team Cat. However, we have seen family dogs, cats, chinchillas and rabbits on Social Media. If you scroll through Bowe Digital’s Facebook page, you can find pictures of Pebbles, Samson and Ike..donkey, dog and horse, respectively.
When looking to buy a home, pets also play a huge factor. Families no longer just focus on the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Many strongly consider how their dream home can also satisfy their pets’ needs, and for some, it can make or break the deal.
DID YOU KNOW?
In fact, according to an article from Business Insider, many millennials bought their first home based on the amenities available for their dog. Man’s best friend gets to vote on this big, life decision, and Bowe Digital can help you be a winner at the real estate polls.
When marketing and selling homes to pet lovers, Bowe Digital can help you increase your furry friends' customer base through social media, blogging, and marketing emails. Bowe Digital would love to show you how. Please email Bradley Erb at bradley@bowedigital.com, and check out our menu of service here!
Long ago, Dr. Seuss wondered, “What pet should I get?”, and whatever the decision is for you, Bowe Digital can help you market to pet lovers regardless of your business. Whether you are in real estate or another business sector, we will work with you to maximize your brand so you become the cat’s meow.
When you are asked to tell your story, what comes to mind? For many, it can be an intimidating experience. If you are a small business owner, what is the story of your company? Can you define your brand?
When given the opportunity to attend my first ALTA ONE conference from the American Land Title Association, my thought was, “I’m not sure what I am getting into.” Being both new to marketing and the title industry after a career in teaching, I am after all the information I can get. Little did I know, I’d be presented with a lesson I’d want to pass on to all of you so quickly!
One of my first sessions was called Telling Your Story: Why It Matters to Your Business. I am a content writer for Bowe Digital, and we tell the stories of title companies (and other small businesses) across the country, and this session seemed right up my alley.
Also, I recently attended an event and was asked to speak with vendors concerning their products and experiences. The goal was to collect information for our event planners/partners and to give each vendor a platform to present their stories. I was shocked to find that most vendors did not want to participate. Many didn’t know what to say and didn’t want to be recorded, but I considered it an opportunity missed.
What was reinforced during Telling Your Story is that as a small business, it is important to figure out how your brand intersects with your audience. Where does your business story meet your customer’s story?
Mary O’Donnell, ALTA’s outgoing president and one of the presenters during this session, told the audience, “Your biggest single selling point is you. You are your brand.” It is important to personalize your business so customers recognize that it is a part of who you are. It’s a point Wayne and the rest of our team has always hammered home for our partners as well, but it was good to hear it from an industry leader.
ALTA recently embarked on a marketing experience where its leadership walked through a process that eventually narrowed their business story down to one word...protection. (Check out this ALTA video that encompasses their journey.) As a team, they worked together to pinpoint exactly what it is they do as a company.
At Bowe Digital, we’re here to tell every chapter of your story. Our innovative and fun story arc experience can help you find your voice, your brand, your purpose! As a small business owner, you are busy and drawn in many directions. We can walk beside you as you pinpoint why you are who you are, how that links to your business, and how all of it connects to your customers. Please contact Bradley Erb at bradley@bowedigital.com to initiate your story arc. You have a lot to say...let Bowe Digital help you say it.
“Do not try to do everything. Do one thing well.” -Steve Jobs
Being a business owner is more than a full-time job. It’s the realization of a dream that has been your focus, possibly for a long time. You know what you do, and you do it well.
Whether searching for the right insurance agent or the best popcorn in town, most of today’s customers begin their search online. Your net presence is often a customer’s first impression of you, and your brand should be on point.
Bowe Digital can get your message heard. As you focus on your business, our marketing specialists put a spotlight on your efforts, and we work hard, play hard and respect everyone as our team steps up to the marketing plate for you.
Wherever you are in your marketing plans, Bowe Digital can position your brand for success without breaking your budget. Just look at what we offer!
Bowe Digital offers all of this and so much more. You know your business, and we know marketing. Together, we make a dream team with one goal in mind…to take you to the next level. Contact our Business Development Manager Bradley Erb, or reach out to us through bowedigital.com. Trusting us with your marketing needs is a step up on the ladder to success.
Growing up in Galveston, Indiana, Kokomo was THE BIG CITY to me. When I heard my parents talking about “going to town,” it meant we were headed to Kokomo for the best adventures. We came here for everything exciting -- shopping for school clothes, eating out after church, (Anyone remember Duff’s Smorgasbord?) and the occasional movie.
When I met my husband at Ball State University, one thing we had in common was growing up in a small town. We got married and knew we wanted to raise our kids in a place that felt small but had all the big-city amenities.
Howard County was, and is, a perfect fit. We are proud to tell people that we are from Kokomo. Our first daughter, Jordan, graduated from IUK with an English degree, and our second daughter, Katie, is on her way to an elementary education degree. My husband, Jerry, is the sheriff of Howard County, and I have the privilege of working with Bowe Digital, a remote digital marketing company whose roots are all Kokomo. Led by founder Wayne M. Stanley, a 2004 graduate of Kokomo High School, more than a third of our team has ties to this great area.
One of my favorite things about Kokomo is the revitalization of our downtown area. There are restaurants, coffee shops, new YMCA, bookstores and the downtown library. I can go to Main Street Cafe for an Italian cream soda and head to Beyond Borders Bookstore in a matter of two city blocks, and I would pass (and probably enter) the Artworks Gallery by the Kokomo Art Association (These are personal recommendations. Full disclosure...none are Bowe Digital partners.) There is also a great chance I will meet a friend on the short walk.
All of the businesses mentioned above are locally owned and operated, and there are many great places to explore and discover. Bowe Digital wants to help small businesses create big-time marketing, advertising and communication. Our team can work with you (and your budget) to create a marketing strategy and increase your bottom line. In my time here, I’ve worked with partners from all over the country but would love to help businesses in this great community tell their story to new -- and old -- customers. We’re also proud members of the Greater Kokomo Chamber of Commerce.
Bowe Digital’s mission is to support your needs and become part of your professional family. If you are interested in checking out what we have to offer, click the Let’s Talk button at the top of our home page. Wayne or Bradley Erb, who is our business development manager and another Kokomo native, will get back to you quickly!
My city has so much to offer, and Bowe Digital can help you reach the Kokomo community and beyond. Bradley is currently visiting Chamber members, and he would love to stop by to show you all Bowe Digital has to offer. Schedule a meeting with Bradley today! We can help you become a first in the City of Firsts.
From Guest Blogger & Bowe Digital Intern, Marissa Weiner:
Like ghosts, ghouls and goblins, Instagram is feared because it’s unknown to many. Though the photo sharing app launched nearly a decade ago, many businesses remain reluctant in entering the “new” platform. Additionally, with most Instagrammers using Facebook as well, some business owners see no pressing need to join the Instagram realm if they already have an online presence on Facebook. However, if you want to reach a younger demographic, particularly millennials, creating a free Instagram account is paramount, as 71% of the app’s users are under the age of 35.
Instagram shouldn’t be spooky; it doesn’t have sharp fangs or long claws. It has red eyes, but those can be easily edited and removed. Though creating an Instagram feed followed by many may seem alien to the inexperienced user, the guide below will help your business stand out above the rest.
DO: Utilize Instagram stories to tell your story
No matter what your business is selling, your brand has a story-- consumers want to flip the pages. Did Veronica, your sales representative, just have twins? Thanks to Veronica, you’ve just gained 15 new followers. By sharing the little moments that make your company unique, people want to literally follow along. Along the way, your company builds trust and credibility, associating faces and memories to what was once just a company name and cheesy slogan.
DO: Filter your photos consistently
The word “aesthetic” seems to spew out of the mouth of every Instagram user nowadays. While building an aesthetically pleasing feed worth following may seem impossible if your company sells and manufactures toilet plungers (or title insurance), it isn’t as difficult as it may seem. Consistency is the key to Instagram fame and fortune, so it’s essential that each photo is filtered using the same preset. But b filter photos judiciously , careful not to oversaturate an image.
DO: Show company culture through Instagram’s Live Stories
It’s no coincidence that The Office is Netflix’s most watched show—broadcasting the mundanities of everyday life is appealing. Did Phil just spill his coffee for the second time this week? Kevin spilled his chili in season five episode 26 of The Office, and I’m still laughing. No, I’m not saying you should use Live Stories to bully your colleagues. Instead, use Live Stories to give consumers a real-time behind-the-scenes glimpse at the characters of your company. If your office has its own Kevin-esque character, consider yourself (and your Instagram) lucky.
DON’T: Use stock photos
Stock photos have a place in your marketing plan, but it’s not on Instagram. The photos may be better utilized on a platform like Facebook, in which an older generation is targeted. Millennials, however, will take one look at the photo of your “receptionist” and know there’s no way “Miguel” is smiling that wide on a Monday morning. Rather than finding artificial photos on Shutterstock or Pixabay, take real, in-office photos. Maybe you spend one Friday evening having a photoshoot, allowing a database of photos to be locked and loaded for future use.
Marissa Weiner is a senior Butler University student pursuing degrees in Communications and Media and English Creative Writing. She interned with Bowe Digital during the summer of 2019.
Candidates in today’s job market will do their homework to learn about the climate inside a company. A job applicant today wants to know about how your employees and customers view your company behaviors and how you fulfill promises. They want to know if you are a fit for their needs and skills before they apply. In order to attract a better applicant, you need to know where you stand now.
When we talk about all the things that need to happen when recruiting new team members, we cannot forget our current bench. Your current bench is sharing your current culture to anyone who will listen. In the Maxwell Daily Reader, John Maxwell calls this managing the revolving door. Making sure that candidates joining the team are better than those who are leaving. To attract that level your reviews need to reflect a strong culture.
I do not believe anyone takes a new position with the mindset that they want to fail at it. Unfortunately, several leaders hire poorly, place people in positions they can’t do their best at, or simply manage them with a leave alone… zap mentality. Leave alone… zap means you do not give direction or feedback until someone makes a mistake, then you zap them with criticism. The goal should be to retain staff. You hired them because you saw something you could appreciate and needed. It falls to the leader every time to create an environment that promotes and encourages development. The culture your company is known for is the talent that it will attract for the future.
Your bench is your future. Investing in the bench will increase the number of starters within your inner circle. Loyalty comes from the heart not a contract. A loyal culture comes from the belief that you have the team’s best interest at heart. What does the company do to get the right tools for success in the hands of their team member? Future success for your bench is making sure they have continued training and are encouraged to share and use their new found knowledge. When this is not happening, they may look for a greener pasture. First, they will be sure to let others know that you did not fulfill your promises.
Flexible hours is one of the top priorities of today’s job seekers in terms of benefits. Source: Harvard Business Review. Flexible work hours and work-life balance are particularly popular among millennials and parents. According to FlexJobs, around 8 out of 10 parents polled chose flexibility and work-life balance as the most important factors in a potential job opportunity. While it is not possible for all businesses to offer some of these flexibility ideas, they can learn to be more creative. For instance: Closings do not all have to happen between nine and five. If a closer could attend a child’s school activity and then perform a closing after 5 or on a Saturday, at the benefit of the client who also works nine to five, it is a win win. Have you ever looked at a four-day work week? Work through the pros and cons for your office. You could have later hours for some, offer Saturday work for those who prefer it or have a need to be off occasionally on a week day. It does not have to be inconvenient for everyone. It is called being flexible. Not all jobs can be remote and not everyone is capable of working remotely. They simply want another consideration.
Building a strong culture towards being the employer of choice can start with a simple checkup of where you are now. Learn what steps you should take next. Attracting the right people to your company will save you lots of time, frustration and money. Being an employer of choice can improve your profit margins. Understand how your story can be shared better by those who you depend on daily. We can help bring to life your vision of your culture by emailing us at contact@bowedigital.com.
LinkedIn’s mission is to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.
And so far, they’re executing well. It’s likely you already know the platform as your go-to spot for hosting your resume. But this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what LinkedIn can do for you and your company.
Thanks to its focus on professionals, LinkedIn has fostered an engaged community that wants to hear what career advice, work tips and professional development guidance you have to offer. It’s an amazing (and often underused) platform with a fast-growing captive audience. It’s time you make posting content on it a priority whether its through a company account or your own personal page.
We put together this handy list of best practices when it comes to posting, such as what to post and how often to post. These tips will help stop your content from getting lost in the noise and turn it into content that can truly make an impact.
The foundational best practice: We can’t stress this enough. You need to start by completing your LinkedIn profile. According to LinkedIn, companies with a complete profile receive 30% more weekly views. This means that your description, logo and company information all need to be filled out. (If you want some inspiration to get started, check out this Best of LinkedIn Pages that LinkedIn created.)
Now here are answers to two follow-up questions that you might be asking us.
LinkedIn is a platform that needs to be taken off the backburner and made a priority. Where else can you find so many people who are ready to engage with you? If you need more help creating and managing content, call Bowe Digital today at 317-410-1690.
A few weeks ago, I found heaven in Arizona—Bloody Mary heaven! During the National Settlement Services Summit (NS3), I had the opportunity to visit Hash Kitchen. There were so many options and you were completely in control of how you made your drink. Spicy rim salt, jalapeno infused vodka, spicy Bloody Mary mix, shrimp, cheese, a Slim Jim piece, jalapeno, horseradish pickle, bacon, celery and, of course, more bacon -- that’s how I made mine, anyway.
So, what does all of this have to do with marketing your business? If you think about it, marketing is a lot like that Bloody Mary bar, and no I’m not writing this after a few drinks myself! Think about it. There are so many different ingredients that can go into both a Bloody Mary and marketing, and you just need to find the perfect combination that fits your needs and desires.
How does marketing have ingredients? In the form of options. So many options. And not all those options will work for your market, but when you find the ones that do work, it’s like a perfect Bloody Mary crafted by your own hand. What ingredients do we recommend? A well-rounded strategy that meets people where they are. What does that mean? Where are your customers spending their time? Are they on mobile devices, social media, email etc? Wherever they are, that is where your marketing should be.
Just because someone else is putting jalapeno infused vodka in their Bloody Mary, doesn’t mean it will be the right flavor for you. Same goes for your marketing. You may have business friends in a different state using Snapchat and seeing great results from it, that doesn’t mean you should use it. And it definitely doesn’t mean you will get the same results from using it. Test your market. See what works for your area, and don’t be afraid to throw away some ingredients that just aren’t working. Not sure how to test? Just start by asking your customers where they are most active.
Get started today! Pick some ingredients and begin experimenting on your way to that perfect concoction. Need some help getting started with your initial testing? That’s why we’re here. Contact me today at 317.410.1690.
Let Bowe Digital be your business best friend. Together, we’ll find what works well for your business and toast to your future success.
There's a Norwegian saying worth remembering: there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Watch as Bowe Digital owner, Wayne M. Stanley, talks about the ways you should change your "marketing clothing" this fall and better market your business.
Today’s internet access allows applicants to be savvier when searching for an employer. Recent studies show that job seekers do their home work before applying to most companies. You may not realize that you have a reputation in the job market already. Knowing what and where this reputation comes from is important to attracting the right applicants. Today’s applicant wants the new job to be just right for them as well.
There are a couple of housekeeping tips that need to be addressed before you advertise any job opening.
Having a clear job description is essential. This highlights the basic requirements of the position. It is not uncommon for many companies not to have written job descriptions. (I am not saying this practice is good.) Over the year’s, tasks were assigned to certain people and they alone were responsible. These same people were with the same company for 20+ years. Now as they leave or retire, we need to know what it takes to replace their knowledge.
When you ask an employee to list all the tasks they are responsible for and the tasks they know how to do, even if they are not held responsible for them, there are usually surprises. Employers and their managers are not always aware of who knows how to complete certain tasks, or better yet how they learned to do the tasks.
Don’t hesitate to get help to write job descriptions that will let you and the applicants know if they are qualified for the position. They can help you write detailed job descriptions and step by step training manuals if needed. Be sure to remove the jargon and industry phrases from descriptions targeting new candidates. You want them to be accurate and appealing to attract the best humans for the job.
Emphasize the benefits your company has to offer. Make a complete list of everything that you do for your employees. This is your time to shine. Include, health care plans, retirement /401K packages, scheduling requirements and holiday schedules, company vehicle/computer/cell phone use, vacation/personal days, even pet insurance! Be sure to list any policy that gives the employee a chance to be appreciated or make their life easier! Ask why you started offering this benefit, if there is still a need, or is there something missing you could add. Applicants want to know how you recognize and appreciate the worth of those who work for you. The benefits being asked for these days does vary a great deal from years past. Each generation has a different want or need for what they consider a benefit. Companies should look at this list be sure they are still needed, wanted, and more importantly viewed as a benefit by the staff. It is nice to see more weight being thrown at personal time than possibly just pay scales. It has been said many times that the mental health of our work force shows in their productiveness. Do your research and know what you can afford to offer. Learn what your team needs to happier and more successful for all of you.
There are many points to the hiring process. This is only the tip of the iceberg. We will address more ways to attract and retain great employees in the future. If there is something you are struggling with promoting let us know how we can help. We will get the information you need to be the best at hiring and retention, to help save you money and headaches. Email us today at contact@bowedigital.com.
