27 Jan 2020

Part 4. 3 People you should contract & HIRE to create a Hybrid Marketing Team.

Agritourism, Marketing Tools, Seasonal Business
https://youtu.be/g62UZS5MUxg What started as a Facebook group post response turned into a four-part course on hiring a marketing team or not... or something else.  Our recommendation for many small to mid-sized businesses is that something else, we'd call a Hybrid Marketing Team (HMT). Hybrid Marketing Team - People The Owner or top manager - Likely, YOU! To keep in touch with the pulse of your business, you MUST be a part of the team. The Doer - As the owner/leader, you should NOT be doing everything! This person can be part-time, work from home, be a teen, but must have the…
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20 Jan 2020

Part 3: Problems YOU cause when working with a marketing company.

Agritourism, Marketing Tools, Seasonal Business
https://youtu.be/3uxjSheW2sQ Part 3: Problems YOU cause when working with a marketing company. Unclear expectations.Unclear roles and authority.Late event announcements.No or late on-site pictures for event promotion. The #1 Problem on the client-side: Abdication, followed by denunciation, is one of the most painful mistakes in MC/Client working relationships.  Once an MC is hired, a brief "get to know you" meeting is held in which the Client believes everything necessary has been communicated; then, the marketing company is free to do, or not do, anything it wants. This is the abdication. This abdication feels like freedom! It seems excellent until that fateful…
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13 Jan 2020

iPhones – X or Newer

Camera and Video Tools
LINK: https://www.apple.com I am an Apple guy. Have been since the Apple II+ in the 80s. The iPhones are just magnificent for photos and video. We've created most of our social media pics and videos, especially LIVE videos, on iPhones.
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13 Jan 2020

MailChimp – Email Management and Automation

Email Marketing Tools
LINK: https://mailchimp.com MailChimp is our current recommendation for all but the most complex marketing businesses. MailChimp automatically integrates with Facebook and most other platforms for versatility. The $14/mo package allows event-based email campaigns, sometimes called autoresponders, which are key for marketing automation. (Imagine that you can send a series of timed emails automatically after a new lead completes a form.)
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13 Jan 2020

Screenflow – Screencasting

Video Editing Tools
LINK: Screenflow Screenflow is an easy video editing program for prerecorded classes, advertising videos, and educational programs. Screenflow allows recording the screen and the webcam at the same time, easy audio imports and easy picture drop-ins. The timeline is easy to see what's happening, text is easy to add and move around.
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13 Jan 2020

Canva.com

Graphic Design for Marketing Tools
LINK: https://www.canva.com Canva is the best for making Facebook post pics, event headers, cover photos, Instagram post pics and more. All templated designs so you don't have to do much to customize and make each your own. We use the FREE version, but Canva Pro has many more extra features and designs to keep it fresh.
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13 Jan 2020

Part 2: You should certainly NOT hire a marketing company.

Agritourism, Marketing Tools, Seasonal Business
https://youtu.be/WKmd9RXEcN4 Part 2: You certainly should NOT hire a marketing company. There is NO WAY you should hire a marketing company. This was my thought for years as I toiled away under the assumption that, because I was clever enough to start and run an entertainment business in the middle of nowhere and charge people for the privilege of walking through a corn maze (Unheard of back then!), I certainly didn't need any help marketing. I was right, just not for the "I'm-too-smart-reason." In fact, my stubbornness was precisely why I shouldn't hire a marketing company. (MC for short.) The…
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06 Jan 2020
Part 1: You definitely should, & certainly should NOT hire a marketing company.

Part 1: You definitely should, & certainly should NOT hire a marketing company.

Agritourism, Marketing Tools, Seasonal Business
https://youtu.be/Mgy-AWx06Rs The debate rages on: Should you hire a marketing firm or not hire a marketing firm? This debate is happening in my head, typically in Spring, as I look down the barrel of my upcoming to-do list and think, "Gosh, there are 1,000 marketing firms. Surely ONE of them could take this off my plate?!" Spoiler Alert: I did hire a marketing company, then let them go. Then hired another one, then let them go. Then hired another one, then let them go (and that one was just this year!) Spoiler-Spoiler Alert: We WERE marketing company at Maize Quest,…
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