Small Business Week

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Anna Stella

Small Business Week

Small Business Week is Here

It has arrived… Small Business Week, one of our top weeks of the year, where we have the opportunity to celebrate with 65% of our clients, who are entrepreneur-owners of their own small-sized businesses. They are in the stellar company of 32,5 million small businesses in the USA alone.

Leaders who not only encourage but inspire and educate other entrepreneurs to follow in their footsteps, as shown in the 70% of all small businesses owned and operated by a single person. Visionaries who have broken the 9-5 barrier to follow their hearts and pursue their own dreams. Inspired by their attitude, 29% of all small business owners say they started their own business just to be their own boss.

Small businesses play such a vital and undeniable role in our economy that not only should their contribution be celebrated each day, but national efforts should be increased to cultivate the ‘small business mentality. In celebrating Small Business Week, we are listing the latest top trends in 2022 to keep an eye on that offer small businesses ample opportunities for growth and expansion:

Shifting towards eCommerce
Swift and improved outsourced marketing
Mobile marketing escalation
Establishing an online community
Being eco-friendly and socially responsible
Adapting to your customers
Protecting what is private
Video will continue to grow
Rise of hybrid and remote work.

1. Shifting Towards eCommerce

E-commerce is the source for new, small business options. Recent years have seen tangible stores packing up their premises and re-launching themselves online. The benefit of eCommerce is that products and services can be sourced anywhere nationally, or even internationally, on an ‘as and when needed’ basis. Whether eCommerce is a primary, a secondary source of revenue, or just an add-on to an existing offered service, an online store can improve the efficiency of a small business operations. In the following year, data-driven insights used to monitor performance will accelerate.

2. Swift and Improved Outsourced Marketing

Recent years have seen marketing become increasingly complex and personalized, resulting in marketing strategies and activities adapting to become more diverse and multifaceted. Businesses often face the dilemma of smaller marketing in-house teams, unable to cope with the constant changes and at a loss in managing the perpetual change needed to be effective. The solution is to harness external expertise by outsourcing marketing activities.

By outsourcing their marketing, small businesses get immediate access to highly qualified talent while at the same time removing a significant business function from their workflow. Marketing outsourcing also enables businesses to acquire specialized capabilities while simultaneously eliminating substantial workload from their operations. Now companies can concentrate on the core functions of their operations. Leaving the marketing activities to the professionals will give you the freedom to do what you do best. In the meantime, your outsourced experts can bring in new clients and build relationships with them while growing your business.

3. Mobile Marketing Escalation

Mobile marketing is one of the fastest-growing small business trends. It allows businesses to focus their marketing and advertising efforts on ‘users-on-the-go’ and their unique challenges using smart technology devices.
Smart technology is growing, with an estimated five billion smartphone users worldwide. As this market expands, the opportunity for mobile marketing is developing accordingly. With mobile technology aiding society, offering a myriad of daily activities to be run simultaneously, such as booking appointments and buying groceries online, small businesses need to become visionary and partner with other mobile apps to ensure longevity.

Small businesses that create their own mobile apps are on the rise as they open new channels for customer connection. We see this as an opportunity to engage with clients differently, e.g., by sending messages containing the latest product specials or easy links to use for purchasing.

4. Establishing an Online Community

Establishing and growing your online community can birth invaluable associations to boost your brand and strengthen your mark in the digital business world.
Building a community takes consistent time and effort and can be done by sharing content that demonstrates expert knowledge and experience by using multimedia tools that are on the rise, such as:

Webinars (classes, workshops, or presentations presented professionally online)
Vlogs
Live streaming
Video Q&A sessions
Online courses
Blogs, and more.

05. Being Eco-friendly and Socially Responsible

The younger generation of consumers calls on businesses to be accountable for social and environmental issues. No longer can social responsibility be excused; it should take its rightful place as the backbone of every business. Businesses can be empowered to participate by changing their work culture into one that embodies social responsibility. Two things small businesses can do to maximize their impact are:

Support a cause and champion an environmental cautions charity
Include sustainability in their daily business operations, for example, by minimizing packing waste, challenging social inequalities, or championing diversity in the workplace.

Just doing it is not enough; small businesses should also let the world know by including social responsibility in their bold mission statement and promoting their strategies to their customer base on multiple levels.

6. Adapting to Your Customers

In 2022 knowing who your customers are and what they need will be vitally important. By understanding customers’ behavior and establishing purchasing patterns, you will be better positioned to market your product, business, or brand. Customers no longer have the time or the energy to be overwhelmed by countless options; they want and expect service crafted to their preferences and will give precedence to businesses offering a personal touch.

Personalized customer service is not just about tailoring your product but the entire user experience you offer around the customer’s unique requirements. Statistics show that loyal customers are more likely to increase their purchases by 23%; offering customized service can increase existing customer loyalty behavior and help establish new customer relationships.

7. Protecting What is Private!

A key trend is a concern for privacy. Small businesses need to work harder to comply with the changing Privacy Regulations. Customers expect their personal information to be protected, in whichever form they entrust it to corporations.
Brands will either have to comply or be left by the wayside, passed by competitors catering to customer needs.

8. Video Marketing Will Continue to Grow

The use of video in marketing has grown exponentially, providing far more sensory stimulation than any other marketing channel. Small businesses are not investing a lot in video marketing, and historically it has been utilized chiefly only by large organizations. However, it is time for small businesses to tap into the video marketing trend. A 2021 report by Wyzowl has found that 94% of marketers have stated that video media has assisted in increasing user understanding of their product or service, and 78% say that video media has directly increased their sales.

9. Rise of Hybrid and Remote Work

Hybrid and remote work is here to stay. Small businesses with a limited marketing capacity can find hiring outsourced marketing support instrumental and essential in their growth. The fine line between success and failure lies in alignment, and a partnership with a proven and trusted international marketing specialist can make all the difference.

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GET A FREE MARKETING CONSULTATION

Every business is different, but one thing that all have in common is the need for good marketing to win new clients, sell more & grow. Marketing activities take knowledge, time, effort, and consistency, so what if we told you that you could have a team of people taking care of your marketing so that you can just focus on what you do best – run your business?

Find out how BBSA can help. Learn more about our marketing outsourcing services.

Get a free marketing consultation.

BBSA – Anna Stella, Marketing Expert & CEO

Be the Change… Celebrate Earth Day with Five Inspiring Marketing Ideas

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Anna Stella

BBSA Earth Day

Be the Change… Celebrate Earth Day with Five Inspiring Marketing Ideas

Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22, with nations from the four corners of the globe demonstrating their united support in favor of protecting the environment. Building on the rich legacy of the first Earth Day held on April 22, 1970; our modern-day commemoration has grown into an array of global events hosted by Earthday.org.

Bolder and brighter, this year is bursting with opportunity, drawing more than 1 billion people from 193 countries and showcasing programs and products initiated by the very best of this generation’s creative and innovative minds. Exciting and exhilarating, 2022’s official theme is ‘Invest In Our Planet.’

Inspiring change means making a difference. The time is now, and brands must choose to be sustainability leaders and own an environmental position and commitment. Whether you are introducing your eco-friendly products and brand to the world or just taking a stand and making a difference, Earth day offers your business many marketing opportunities.

Improving and enhancing your environment doesn’t have to be challenging. If your marketing plan lacks your passion and zeal for creating a sustainable environment, then read on.
Effortlessly implement these five marketing ideas into your marketing strategy and make your mark on Earth Day.

Marketing Idea no. 1: Create Your Own Earth Event

Whether creating a big group event or a solo cleanup, you can host your company clean-up event anywhere. Don’t forget to promote it and register it here.

Marketing Idea no. 2: Get Inspired by the Giants of Eco-Friendly Change

Draw from the wealth of experience of companies that birthed and built their brand in the contributing fires of the climate change battle. Incorporate their best practices and grow your corporate environmental footprint.

Evidence is clear, we, as the world, will not meet our climate goals without substantial food production and consumption changes. Being significant in your contribution starts now… become an environmentally-minded business using sustainable production materials.

Marketing Idea no. 3: Showcase Your Business’ Recycling and Upcycling Achievements

Do you significantly impact your environment by recycling or upcycling the materials and ingredients used in your business? Do you convert what was once considered ‘waste’ into a material source, reusable to you or others?

Motivate your customers by offering them a chance to win a prize, purchase a discount or product offer, by inventing different ways of recycling your old product parts.

Marketing Idea no. 4: Collaborate with Eco-Influencers

On Earth Day, you don’t have to fly solo. Work with eco influencers and creators, inspiring your employees and clients to live greener lives, make an eco-difference and BE the change for future generations.

Marketing Idea no. 5: Clean Air

Promote clean air by inspiring your employees to cycle to work. Display bicycle racks in front of your business and offer their usage to your customers. Play a pivotal role in reducing emissions that pollute the air by allowing your employees to work from home and minimizing the usage of public or private transport.

Share the story of your efforts to protect the environment on Earth Day. Post photos on social media showing how your business utilizes best practices to promote clean air.

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GET A FREE MARKETING CONSULTATION

Find out how BBSA can help. Learn more about our marketing outsourcing services. Get a free marketing consultation.

BBSA – Anna Stella, Marketing Expert & CEO

Celebrating IWD: 20 Leadership Quotes from the World’s Top Female CEOs

Posted on March 7, 2022 by BBSA

Celebrating IWD: 20 Leadership Quotes from the World’s Top Female CEOs

On International Women’s Day we celebrate the many and varied achievements of women in marketing and business across the world. Women are a driving force in our industry and are highly represented in the marketing sector, as reflected in the fact that here at BSSA 67% of the associates are women. The high level of representation in the sector perhaps protects us from some gender inequity issues in our day-to-day workplace experiences, but we have not lost sight of the fact that true gender equality is yet to be realized anywhere in the world.

Traditional brick-and-mortar companies have a low percentage of female CEOs, with figures in the U.S. reaching just under 5% for the Fortune 500 list and only 6.3% for the current S&P 500. The situation persists despite corporate and societal efforts to progress towards gender parity, harassment-free workplaces, and pay and promotion equality. With the hope the gender gap will be breached soon, today we proudly celebrate the great women in our sector as we inspire them to be their best selves.

We have gathered leadership quotes from 20 of the most extraordinary female CEOs of the world who have inspired, motivated, and empowered those around them and hopefully, their words can do the same for you.

1. Estee Lauder – Founder
“I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard.”

2. Gail Blanke – President of Lifedesigns
“Walt Disney told his crew to ‘build the castle first when constructing Disney World, knowing that vision would continue to serve as motivation throughout the project. Oftentimes when people fail to achieve what they want in life, it’s because their vision isn’t strong enough.”

3. Robin Chase – Founder of ZipCar
“I have never been motivated by money.”

4. Anita Roddick – Founder of The Body Shop
“Whatever you do, be different. If you’re different, you will stand out.”

5. Virginia Rometty – CEO of IBM
“I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist.”

6. Ann Handley – CCO of MarketingProfs
“Be an amateur. Not everything you do has to be good, especially at first.”

7. Mary T. Barra – CEO of General Motors
“Don’t confuse progress with winning.”

8. Alaina Percival – CEO of Women Who Code
“I realized that if I was willing to step up and be in the spotlight, I’d be able to make everyone else around me much more powerful as well.”

9. Leah Busque – Founder of TaskRabbit
“I wake up every morning and think to myself, ‘How far can I push the company forward in the next 24 hours.”

10. Marissa Mayer – Former President of Yahoo!
“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”

11. Virginia M. Rometty – CMO of IBM
“Don’t let others define you. Define yourself.”

12. Denise M. Morrison – CEO of Campbell Soup Co.
“You can lead the change or be a victim of change.”

13. Meg Whitman – CEO of Quibi
“The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of a mistake.”

14. Alexandra Chong – CEO and founder of Lulu
“Build something you’re passionate about. As an entrepreneur, you have to have the passion and drive to stay the course.”

15. Ellen J. Kullman – CEO of DuPont
“With kids, they don’t do what you want them to do when you want them to do it. Organizations don’t necessarily, either. You’ve got to listen. You’ve got to learn how to influence.”

16. Irene B. Rosenfeld – CEO of Mondelez International, Inc.
“Our emerging workforce is not interested in command and control leadership. They don’t want to do things because l said so, they want to do things because they want to do them.”

17. Lynn Good – CEO of Duke Energy
“Effectiveness comes from those qualitative things that give you the ability to network, communicate and lead people toward an outcome they can’t see.

18. Sara Blakely – Founder of Spanx
“Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.”

19. Coco Chanel – Founder of Chanel
“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”

20. Indra Nooyi – CEO of PepsiCo
“Leadership is hard to define and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader.”

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GET A FREE MARKETING CONSULTATION

Find out how BBSA can help. Learn more about our marketing outsourcing services. Get a free marketing consultation.

BBSA – Anna Stella, Marketing Expert & CEO

The Top 5 Marketing Trends for 2022

Posted on January 1, 2022 by BBSA

The Top 5 Marketing Trends for 2022

Where will marketing be heading in 2022? Let’s take a look at five trends that are predicted to change the face of marketing.

I. Omnichannel – the future is digital

More and more digital channels are emerging as a result of increased customer engagement with the online world. Effective marketing entails consolidating data and customer experience across multiple channels. Customers expect and want branding consistency throughout the various channels they use to communicate with friends and family, and such consistency is what ultimately enhances brand recognition and trust.

Accordingly, marketers must be able to seamlessly transition conversations from voice to SMS to social media. The challenge is how to present an attractive and coherent brand experience that works across all channels and the many ways in which customers access information.

II. Outsourcing – do it faster, do it better

Recent years have seen marketing become increasingly complex and personalized. As a result, successful marketing strategies and activities have become ever more diverse and multifaceted. Sometimes in-house teams are unable to cope with the constant changes required, and companies are starting to outsource a growing number of activities in order to harness external expertise.

By outsourcing their marketing, companies can obtain immediate access to highly qualified talent while at the same time removing a significant business function from their workflow. This allows them to concentrate more on core activities. It’s a no-brainer: leave those specialist marketing tasks to the experts. They have the knowledge and skills needed to win you new business, develop client relationships, and take your company to the next level, while you can get on with what you do best.

III. Producing Attractive Content – don’t forget the pictures

The use of smart speakers and voice search has escalated dramatically in recent years, and this trend is certainly having an effect on how marketing content is conceived and created. But does it also diminish the importance of visuals and graphic design? The answer is a clear “no”.

People respond strongly to attention-grabbing visual images. Research consistently indicates that people prefer visual content to plain text. Proof of the power of the image can be seen in the expansion of platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram. Be sure you do not neglect visual content in your marketing strategies.

IV. Social Commerce – on the up

Social commerce isn’t a new concept, but now it’s finally catching on as a significant factor in people’s shopping habits. And successful brands are keeping pace with this trend, employing a range of increasingly sophisticated techniques such as e-commerce platforms that mesh smoothly with social media channels, the adept use of influencer marketing, and generating advertising that fits seamlessly into social media feeds.

According to research by Statista*, social commerce will be a growth area in 2022, and there is no indication that this growth will slow in the foreseeable future.

Instagram and Tik Tok have played a big role in pushing forward this social commerce trend. Instagram Checkout, for example, has been zeroing in on the e-commerce market by allowing brands to easily promote and sell their products in-app. Meanwhile, with tools like Creator Marketplace (where brands can link up with creators who are a good fit with their products and priorities), Tik Tok is completely re-writing the rules when it comes to influencer marketing. Likewise, Tik Tok Shopping skillfully enables brands to engage with their customers right through the app. Social commerce is clearly an area that cannot be ignored.

V. Keep the Customer Happy – privacy & security

Just as importantly, we expect the trend of customers’ high regard for their own privacy to continue in 2022. Many people are apprehensive of trusting businesses, even those they’ve trusted in the past, due to well-publicized concerns about big firms and social media platforms collecting and using personal information about their customers. As a result, we’ve seen many firms, including social media platforms, rushing to provide guarantees about how they will protect their customers’ privacy and security.

Notable in this trend have been Google and Meta, two tech behemoths, both of which have come in for adverse publicity about privacy issues. Meta (formerly Facebook) was rebranded in part to distance itself from poor consumer impressions of its record on privacy, and with that transition will come new security initiatives. Similarly, Google announced plans to limit data collecting on its Chrome browser back in 2020.

While it is recognized that time will be needed to put an end to the use of basic data gathering features like cookies, there is no doubt that in 2022, the level of privacy expected and demanded by users is going to rise. Brands will need to respond constructively to this demand to avoid losing out to their competitors.

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GET A FREE MARKETING CONSULTATION

Find out how BBSA can help. Get a free marketing consultation

BBSA – Anna Stella Marketing Expert CEO

Webinar: How to Write a Marketing Strategy and Plan

Posted on November 23, 2019 by BBSA

However good your idea, the reality of business is this: 75% of companies fail in the first three years, and 46% of them fail because they don’t have a marketing plan.

Though you likely have an idea of how to get your products out into the world, your marketing plan will help you define how to get your first client — and your second, your third, and more. A marketing plan is easily overlooked: but the evidence shows that, without one, you’re likely to fail.

Agenda

In this webinar you will learn:
– The benefits of a Marketing Plan and how to take your startup in the right strategic direction
– Tips to create a persuasive Marketing Plan that you will need during funding rounds
– How to structure your Marketing Plan
– Best practice insights from top marketing experts.

Join us in November to learn how to write your own Marketing Strategy and Plan. Book your place here.

BBSA and Malibu Runners Club Sign Long-Term Strategic Deal

Posted on March 16, 2019 by BBSA

BBSA and Malibu Runners Club Sign Long-Term Strategic Deal

BBSA and running club Malibu Runners Club have signed a long-term partnership, which will see BBSA support Malibu Runners non-profit activities.

Starting in April 2019, BBSA will be the official partner of Malibu Runners Club, supplying all representative teams including men’s, women’s runners.

This BBSA and Malibu Club Runners partnership is shaped by shared values of continuous improvement and diversity, and a genuine love for beautiful running. These values will drive the partnership to pioneer new ways to push forward the clubs’ communities, and runners.

“We are very excited to partner with Malibu Runners Club, and this announcement marks the start of an exciting new chapter for BBSA” said Anna Stella, BBSA CEO. “We want to maximize the club members running performance as well as the running culture” continues Anna Stella.

The partnership will run for three years, starting 01 April 2019.

JOIN US AT THE MIDLANDS BUSINESS NETWORK EXPO

Posted on March 4, 2019 by BBSA

Join Us at the Midlands Business Network Expo

Are you headed to Birmingham for the Midlands Business Network? BBSA is exhibiting in the Expo on March 8.

We would love to speak to you if you are attending the show and are interested in finding out how outsourced marketing can help your business to win new clients, sell more and grow.
At the show, we will be showcasing our marketing solutions including our Outsourced Marketing solutions, our Marketing Projects services, and our StartUp Marketing Strategy and Plan.

Get in touch

For more information on these products or to pre-book a meeting at the show, please call our London office on +44 20 7193 4257.

Is Your Business Ready to Grow?

Posted on February 6, 2019 by BBSA

Is Your Business is Ready to Grow? (But it Won’t Without a Marketing Strategy)

At BBSA, when we first meet a new client, we ask them two key questions:

Without customers, how can your business survive?
What plan do you have in place to attract and keep them?

These sound like simple questions. But many businesses, both large and small, work without that plan in place.

The plan, though, is the key to your success. In your marketing strategy and plan, you have the blueprint for how you’ll communicate your key benefits, identity and reach your target audience, and grow your business. A workable strategy and plan will provide a clear path to your goals — but developing one takes time and research.

Explore the Key Benefits of Your Marketing Plan

Try to beat your competitors without a plan. Here are some other key benefits of your plan:

Your marketing plan will become your single point of reference for success, helping everybody in the business work toward one goal.
Because your strategy is documented, you’ll avoid the decision paralysis and constant strategic changes that affect companies working without a plan.
Your marketing plan is also a key component of your pitch deck: every potential investor will ask to see it. Put simply: a marketing plan is a necessary part of every business plan.
Your marketing plan serves as a guide for the growth of your business and as a roadmap for making the right marketing decisions now and in the future.

As well as giving confidence to investors, staff and your own leadership team, your plan will direct you as your business develops. It’ll help you through periods of high growth and major success, and it will guide you through challenging times.

Taking that into account, a well-researched, well-written and well-executed marketing plan will be a cornerstone of your organization.

Find out how BBSA can help. Get a free marketing consultation.

BBSA – Anna Stella Marketing Expert CEO

WIN A MARKETING PLAN COMPETITION

Posted on November 13, 2018 by BBSA

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Business Show we’re offering 10 lucky show attendees the chance to win a Marketing Strategy and Plan, written by our of our award-winning marketing experts.

There’s no catch. No hidden contracts. Just you, us, and a marketing plan that will help you scale up and grow. Just fill in the form for your chance to win here.

Now in its 40th edition, The Business Show is the largest of its kind in Europe, designed to help companies scale up and grow. Packed full of the very best speakers, features, innovations, and opportunities in the business world, the event is dedicated to guiding startups, SMEs and large corporations on their business journey. We are on stand No. 410 – see you there!

SEE YOU AT THE BUSINESS SHOW

Posted on November 12, 2018 by BBSA

There are only 2 days to go until we will be heading to the Excel Centre, London to exhibit at the Business Show, and we couldn’t be more excited! We’re going to be setting up base on stand 410, and we’d love to invite you to come and see us so that we can tell you all about our marketing services in person!

This is a great chance for us to meet properly – be sure to grab your free ticket so that we can arrange a meeting at the stand! Plus, if you register now you will receive a printed show guide in the post prior to the event with all of the information you need to plan your day.

Click here to register for a complimentary ticket. We look forward to seeing you at stand 410!

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