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Treating Your Customers Like Royalty

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My husband and I recently celebrated at Bistro Bella Vita in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was absolutely divine and here’s why.

Yes, making online reservations was super convenient. And yes, the venue was interesting and the made-from-scratch, sustainably sourced food was, oh, so good. What was most memorable, however, and why we’ll certainly come back, was the way we were treated.

So, it was our 44th wedding anniversary and every staff in house must have received the memo. From the moment we entered they made us feel special—not that staff-singing, all-eyes-on-you, embarrassing modus—rather a genuine warmth that brought smiles to our hearts. Many of the staff individually came to our table and congratulated us. They asked how long we’ve been married and marveled at our years. Our server offered complimentary desserts (I chose tiramisu, gastro-swoon!). When we were leaving, she wished us many more years to come.

Treating us like royalty has made us loyal customers indeed. Next time we’re in western Michigan, you’ll find us dining at Bistro Bella Vita.

CX is King/Queen in 2023

Those in the know say customer experience, or CX, has become a top priority for consumers. Royal treatment may sound highfalutin, but it’s the name of the game for small business marketing.

What experience do your customers have when they patronize your business? Are they coming back for more? What can you do to make them feel like royalty?

Not sure? Ask them!

What I’m Working On This Month

Check out my updated website (and please let me know of any glitches, typos, or dead links:-).

What I’m Tuned In To This Month

Let’s Work Together

Need help branding your business or promoting your product? Let’s discuss ideas.

CONTACT ME

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Wisconsin Outdoors is Calling.

Shop Here

Love Yourself, Love Your Business

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Ever wonder why marketing yourself is so hard? True confession—I can promote my clients much easier than I can myself. When it comes to my own business, I have to really push.

If you’re like me, you may feel awkward and self-conscious about marketing. You feel talking about yourself is a form of vanity. You worry what other people think, especially those you know. Here’s the thing, if this mindset overtakes you, you’re actually cheating your business from the positive exposure it deserves. Even worse, you’re cheating your customers from the valuable product you have to offer.

Here’s a pep talk for marketing yourself with confidence!

10 Self-Loves to Motivate Your Marketing

  1. If you don’t market your business, you’ll have no business.
    —Successful entrepreneurs everywhere
  2. Don’t let the expectations and opinions of other people affect your decisions. It’s your life (business), not theirs.
    ―Roy T. Bennett, author, nonpolitician 
  3. Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.
    —Brené Brown, professor, lecturer, author, and podcast host
  4. Criticism is the tool of envy and jealousy.
    —Joe Cervantes, attorney and member of the New Mexico Senate
  5. Your work has value and should be compensated accordingly.
    —paraphrased from Ilise Benum, marketing expert for creative professionals
  6. Marketing is really just about sharing your passion.
    —Michael Hyatt, NY Times Best Selling Author
  7. Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.
    —Coco Chanel, fashion designer and businesswoman
  8. There’s nothing wrong with staying small. You can do big things with a small team.
    —Jason Fried, founder & CEO of Basecamp
  9. Don’t let yourself off the hook by deciding that something is out of your reach, instead, ask yourself, ‘What would I do if I weren’t afraid?‘
    —Sheryl Sandburg, business executive, billionaire, and philanthropist
  10. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
    —Neale Donald Walsch, author, actor, screenwriter, and speaker

What I’m Working On This Month

January has been a month of maintenance. It’s all part of wintering, as they say. It’s also necessary for small business ownership. Hopefully all will soon be ready for launch!

What I’m Tuned In To This Month

  • RAW DEAL: A dirty underbelly that affects not only small farm producers but we consumers as well.
  • REST MANIFESTO: Winter’s a good time for resting. This article helps us feel less guilty when we do.
  • DEMON COPPERHEAD: Author Barbara Kingsolver says in life she is not a risk-taker but as a writer she chooses the fast car. She really did with this one.
  • IS EVERYONE DOING THE BEST THEY CAN? With what they’ve been given? Dr. Brené Brown makes us think in this podcast.

Let’s Work Together

Think Adunate might be a good fit for your next project? Give me a holler and we’ll discuss ideas.

CONTACT ME

Valentines in the Shop

For the Outdoor Lover in All of You!

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Does Your Bandwagon Promote Your Brand?

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June has been a busy month. In my world alone, June is Trails Day, Dairy Month, Pollinator Week, Make Music Day and Yoga Day. I say “my world” because these are my interests, they’re the things I care about. And because I’ve branded my business according to who I am, these are also the interests of my target market. 

Yep, my customers and I are on the same bandwagon.

What’s Your Bandwagon? Does It Promote Who You Are?

A bandwagon is a cause or movement based on a shared passion. We often jump on a bandwagon simply because it’s the current trend, but ideally we should be supporting causes that speak specifically to our brand.

Supporting a cause is a first step. Talking about it is the second. Our customers want to know who we are as a business. They want to know that our ideals match theirs and we are a business they want to patronize. Speak up and let them know what you care about!

If you need help with this, let me know. I’d love to give you a hand.

How 3 Brands Showcase Their Bandwagons

  • Adunate’s target audience are women-owned businesses, sustainable agriculture and more. I’m proud to serve on the board for Women, Food & Agriculture Network (WFAN). 
  • My client Forward Mutual Insurance Company carries a longstanding heritage in Wisconsin agriculture. It regularly supports June dairy breakfasts, tractor pulls and county fairs. 
  • Hope Lake Country targets the unchurched with a goal of changing lives and eternities. Its members regularly show love by donating towards community help organizations.
LET’s WORK TOGETHER

What I’m Working On This Month

My Wisconsin State Park poster is hot off the press and it turned out beautifully! Get yours today!

What I’m Tuned In To This Month

  1. Grow Our Community Resilience: Save the dates for “Together We Rise, Exploring Intersectional Feminism in Agriculture”
  2. Imagine being a survivor of a school mass shooting. Let’s not set this aside. Listen to the message these survivors share.
  3. A Rare Alignment: See all the major planets bunched together in June.
  4. The Art of Fermentation. It’s that time of year when I revisit Sandor Katz and talk fermentation with Wormfarm Institute. Neither ever get old.
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Are You Ready For Your Turn to Run?

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Did you watch the Kentucky Derby earlier this month? We happened to be passing through Louisville and everything—I mean EVERYTHING—was derby. And after Rich Strike’s exciting win, well, who couldn’t fall in love with that gorgeous horse?

We’re all suckers for an underdog. At 80-1 odds, neither Rich Strike nor his team were in the high rolling circuit. In fact, they were in the derby lineup only because another horse was pulled at the last minute. But if there’s one thing Rich Strike’s team was, it was ready. When the opportunity arose, they ran for the roses. That’s what made Rich Strike everyone’s darling.

How Ready is Your Product?

In this Forbes article Rich Strike’s trainer Eric Reed said, “We’re not supposed to be here, but I knew this horse loved the track. He’d been training so good all year.” Reed knew his horse and had him ready to run when put to the test. 

How well do you know your product? Is it ready to go when you have an unexpected “run for the roses?”

How Ready is Your Messaging?

Jockey Sonny Leon said, “I knew I had a horse for this race.” Owner Ric Dawson said, “We never enter a race we don’t think we can win.”

Not only was Rich Strike set to run, but his team was ready with their PR messaging. How ready are you to talk about your product? Can you run with impressive promos on the spur of the moment? (I know, I know, enough of the horsey puns.)

How Ready is Your Media?

Mercury Equine Center, the training facility owned by Reed, makes a bold online presence. Its website is supurb and the imagery is stunning.

Is your website up to date? Do you have quality photos ready for brochures, press releases and other promotions? Can people find the right information when they want to learn more about you?

Make sure you’re ready when it’s your turn to run!

LET’s WORK TOGETHER

What I’m Working On This Month

I’m wrapping up a new poster! It’s been professionally proofed, tweaked and readied for press. Watch for hooplas in June!

In the meantime, check out my Ice Age Trail poster for more Wisconsin highlights and make plans for your summer outdoors.

What I’m Tuned In To This Month

  1. Networking for Introverts: Four great ideas for when you need to act like an extrovert.
  2. Cool App: Everyone needs a household inventory for insurance purposes. This makes it fun and easy.
  3. Shaved Asparagus Pizza: It’s asparagus season and I love this recipe (actually I love all her recipes)!
  4. May is Small Business Month: We’re half way through the month but this site is a great resource all year long.
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Organize Your Media Library For Successful Marketing

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In my last newsletter, we talked about creating a media library filled with great photos for marketing your business. This newsletter, we’re talking organization—as in organizing that media library. 

If you’re like me, you’re taking smartphone pictures and videos all the time. I’m snap-happy for all things artistic, seasonal, business, people, branding, storytelling, scenic…uh, just about everything. One never knows when a shot will come in handy for a blog post, press release, or social media announcement, right?

As you can imagine, I’ve got a wide assortment of media. The real trick is FINDING that picture or video when I need it. 

Sound familiar?

Developing an organized system for your media library is important not only for your business but also your precious memories. Here are quick suggestions for keeping things findable and ready to go.

  1. Delete duplicates and unnecessary photos
    There’s no need for multiple shots of the same thing. Delete duplicates to save valuable disk space and time.
     
  2. Download photos
    Stick to a regular schedule of downloading photos and videos from your smartphone to your computer.
     
  3. Use photo management software/storage software
    There are many reputable photo management apps. I use Bridge, which is part of my Adobe subscription. There are others equally recommended, both for free or purchase. Find one that fits your needs and use it regularly. 
     
  4. Establish a consistent practice of labeling files
    • Rename your photo or video files with descriptive names. File them under folders named with equally descriptive names—perhaps a date or subject. 
    • If your software allows, tag photos with further descriptive keywords
    • Descriptive, descriptive, descriptive—get it?
    • Develop a system for yourself and be consistent. 
  5. Backup your files
    Regularly backup your computer to a reliable storage source, whether online or external hard drive. 

Interested in Learning More?

Registration has started for 2020 WFAN Annual Conference. We’ll cover this topic and more so be sure to check it out!

What I’m Working On This Month

When it comes to promoting my clients, I love getting out and shouting the good word. It’s easy because I design for clients whose passions I share and products I love!

This month I’m traveling the beautiful countryside (tough job, but someone’s gotta do it) and delivering our very cool, zine-style Fermentation Fest guide. It’s brimming with inspiring stories, poetry, and art. Find the guides in venues throughout northern Illinois, Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota, like here in Bluff Country Co-op in Winona, Minnesota.

What I’m Tuned In To This Month

  1. Zoom Etiquette:  A year ago we didn’t know Zoom, now we have rules. The comments following are also good.
  2. Kelsey Ducheneaux on Strength Through Connection: “We can’t afford to regress. We have to find ways to bridge gaps and move forward.”
  3. Food Rules, by Michael Pollan. COVID disproportionately affects those already suffering from diet-related diseases. I’m revisiting this quick and easy read. My two favorites: “Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” and “Spend as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it.”
  4. Hindsight in 2020: Quit giving blame, starting taking responsibility. 1) Know your mission, 2) Know your gifting, 3) See your opportunity.