There's an old saying along the lines of "the cobbler always has the worst shoes," and if the last post date of this Simple blog is any indication, our Simple shoes are looking a little worn.
It's something I see with my clients all the time - the actual work of customers and sales takes precedence over your own marketing. That's where Simple swoops in, produces great plans and work, and frees up our clients' time to do what they do best.
This week, we're taking the time to do a little marketing for ourselves, by sharing a great case study on the value of living your brand and charitable marketing to create real relationships with your customers.
The Case Study
Insignia Engraving is a company that creates highly detailed engraved stone and glass commemorative items for Virginia Beach military commands and community. The owner/artist is herself prior military and a military spouse, so a huge part of starting her business was to fulfill this brand promise: "for the military by the military". And from the start, a big part of her business plan was to donate part of her sales to charities that support military-related causes.
On August 6, a helicopter carrying 30 SEAL, EOD, and SWCC team members, the majority from the Virginia Beach, was shot down in Afghanistan with all on board lost. This tragedy spurred Insignia Engraving into action to put its time and talent where its mouth was.
Within 24 hours of the tragedy, the owner had created the For The Families They Left Behind fundraising program.
Within 48 hours, we worked together to:
-- Create special products for the fundraiser
-- Program, populate, and launch an online store
-- Work with suppliers to get discounts on materials
-- Add content to the website announcing the fundraiser
Within 72 hours:
-- Create Facebook posts, notes, and links discussing the fundraiser
-- Gather and post links from other Virginia Beach volunteer/fundraising opportunities
-- Placed Facebook ad announcing the fundraiser
-- Update followers on fundraiser sales status
So, what happened? Within six days of launching the fundraiser:
-- Multiple sales of fundraiser items made at local retailer
-- Half a dozen online sales of fundraiser items
-- Insignia Facebook page audience doubled (and continues growing as I type)
But the most important thing that happened is something that you can't measure in analytical terms: Insignia established and grew their relationships in a real, meaningful manner with old and new customers alike.
How? They proved that they are "for the military by the military", not by what they were saying - but by what they were doing. And even more important to those relationships, they gave their customers a way to do something they believed in as well.
So beyond buying a mug - customers and followers became a part of doing something good. Not just by buying a product, but also by following links to learn more about the Navy SEAL Foundation, by learning when a local Sunday school group was gathering donations, by being inspired to donate their time to answer phones at a helpline. By taking a tragedy and becoming a helpful and hopeful part of the community - even from many states away.
The part of all of this that is most remarkable is that huge corporations do charitable marketing all the time, but this particular case study proves that small business owners can it just as effectively; perhaps even more so, as they provide opportunities closer to the source of giving, of local communities, less removed from layers of corporate structure.
Moving forward, Insignia will deepen its relationship with its customers, not because it is a clever marketing scheme, but simply because it is built into this small businesses code of ethics and their marketing has found a way to communicate that code to like-minded customers and potential customers.
It makes you think, doesn't it? What is the brand mantra of your small business? Are you living it? Are you building better relationships with customers with it?
