Dazzle Issue 5: Growth

Don’t shy away from encouraging your clients to leave you an online review;
these reviews will greatly help to build your business and increase your brand’s
online visibility through search engine optimization (SEO). This is because the
more people talk about your brand online, the more likely it will be for your
website to appear on the first page of results for searches performed on Google,
Bing or Yahoo. Some SEO experts claim that reviews represent around 9.8% of
all ranking factors. Additionally, online reviews are absolutely crucial for those
brands that wish to stand out from their competition.
Other reasons online reviews are so important include:
of people trust online
reviews as much as they do
personal recommendations
of people first check out a business or service
online; this means that most of the time,
prospective clients will form their initial opinion
on your catering business solely based on what
the reviews state
of people will only interact with brands
that have positive reviews, BUT if you do
get a negative review, take the time to
try and reconcile the situation because
the reviewer just might come back and
leave a positive note
ONLINE MARKETING
Introducing
Ideaworks president & CEO Donna Hansbury’s brainchild, gemworx
is a subscription-based online marketing platform built for caterers of
any size. It is designed as an innovative tool that affords caterers the
ability to create customized marketing collateral and event materials
in a matter of minutes. Subscribers simply select a design from an
extensive collection in the gemworx library, then customize the
content with their own logo, photos and the like. Caterers can then
download PDFs of their collateral or place an order for printing.
A GEMWORX SUBSCRIPTION GIVES CATERERS ACCESS TO:
table
12 DAZZLE: ISSUE FIVE
Burgundy Beef Tips
with Mushrooms
Braised Beef Tips in a Burgundy Wine and
Beef Stock Reduction with Onions,
Mushrooms and Fresh Herbs
Bailey &James
TOGETHER WITH THEIR FAMILIES
REQUEST THE PLEASURE OF YOUR
COMPANY AT THE CELEBRATION
OF THEIR WEDDING
SATURDAY
AUGUST 26 2018
SAINT VINCENT CHURCH
1601 VETTEN WAY, CHICAGO, ILLNOIS
dinner to fo low
AT FOUR
O’CLOCK
Hundreds of
professionally
designed tools and
materials created
specifically for
catering businesses
Marketing tools
that individuals can
customize with their
brand identity and
information
Operational items
like item identifiers
and table cards
that can be easily
personalized
Themed collateral
that caterers can use
individually or as an
entire campaign
90%
88%
72%
Revenue-generating
materials like invitations
and save-the-date cards
that event professionals
can sell to their
customers
Marketing resources
like white papers and
tip sheets to maximize
caterers’ marketing
efforts
Since launching gemworx at the annual Catersource
Conference and Tradeshow in Las Vegas earlier
this year, our team has been working hard to make
subscriptions even more valuable to users and
celebrating our collective success.
GPS
small
business
packages
GPS
GROWTH • PROFITS • SUCCESS
A SIMPLIFIED APPROACH TO CREATING A MARKETING PLAN THAT YOU WILL USE – NOT LOSE.
Built from years of industry experience, our team developed GPS Marketing:
A Simplified Approach to Creating a Marketing Plan You Will Use, Not Lose. This is
a powerful tool that helps turn any small or large business’ ideas and visions into an
easy-to-use, actionable marketing plan. We are currently in the process of putting
together small business packages to attract more local clients, partnering with them
to create actionable plans that boost sales and improve ROI.
Completing the GPS Marketing workbook is the first step in this process,
and it’s broken into five key areas, including:
TRUE NORTH: Where a business must conduct an honest
assessment of where it is in terms of its market, customers and
competition. The section includes sample questions business
professionals should ask themselves, a simple grid to conduct
a S.W.O.T. (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats)
analysis and more.
ROUTE: Where business professionals want to go in order to
grow their companies and increase profitability. Professionals
are asked to take this step after they have determined who
they are as a company. The Route section propels individuals
to establish S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable/
achievable, relevant and timely) goals using a template that
separates what they want to achieve, how they measure their
success, what actions are taken to achieve the goal and the
timeframe needed to complete it.
NAVIGATION: Where a business determines how to get
where they want to be through the use of strategies (the “map
view”) and tactics (“the turn-by-turn” perspective). Strategies
are determined by setting a reasonable expectation for producing
a desired outcome, e.g. “Communicate with clients at least 12
times per year to engage them and encourage new business
referrals.” Tactics are the specific actions you take, e.g. “Email a
monthly newsletter to clients featuring blog articles. Include links
to the blog, social media sites and upcoming events.”
SYSTEM DISPLAY: Where a business determines
what they want to say and where, i.e. the messaging and
mediums. The section includes mediums for consideration,
like loyalty programs, e-mail marketing, public relations efforts
and QR codes. Tips are also provided so businesses can craft
appropriate messages for their target audience that add value
to their lives.
EXPENSE REPORT: Where a business develops its
all-important budget. This is where professionals must
determine what they can afford to do without putting their
company’s financial health in jeopardy. A marketing budget
calculator is included for use.
When Donna presented on the GPS Marketing
Plan at the Catersource conference earlier this
year, she left her audience with a valuable piece
of advice echoing Benjamin Franklin:
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”
This sentiment has proven true to Ideaworks time
and time again, especially as we continue to evolve
our portfolio even after 20 years in business.
DAZZLE: ISSUE FIVE 13