Every company is in many ways unique, both in the composition of the people who work for it, and in the people that it serves, its customers. When devising a marketing strategy, there are two important factors to consider:

1. Who are you?

2. Who are your customers?

Who you are, as a business, can be broadly defined as the product you produce, and the way in which you deliver them to customers. As simple as it sounds, it’s important to go about answering these two questions as if you don’t already know the answer, because there’s a good chance that you don’t actually know the answers as well as you thought you did. With a small business, you may find upon closer examination (or you may know right away) that what you started out doing and how you had planned to do it has evolved to better meet the conditions of your market, and therefore that your initial line about who you are and what you do no longer applies. This isn’t a bad thing—an entrepreneur is nothing if not adaptive—but it is worth taking stock of. You’ll probably even find that you’ve been doing a lot of things right without even thinking about them.

Who your customers are is tricky, because again you may enter into the thought process with a number of potentially false preconceived notions about the answer. Perhaps the easiest mistake to make in crafting a marketing strategy, which could lead to the complete failure of the strategy, is to assume that your customers are coming from the same place that you are. This usually takes the form of assuming that they know something about your product that they don’t (but often, they’d love to).

You need to sort out, to the best of your abilities, the answers to both of these important questions, because otherwise you could end up getting your marketing in front of the wrong audience. Talk to Find It Local 411 about effectively finding the answers to these questions. We take the time to help our clients develop the strategies which will help them bring their products and customers together, and refine their marketing and sales processes.

Whether you’re in traditional or online retail, now is the time to plan out your advertising campaign for the holiday season. Find It Local 411 is here to help craft a marketing campaign which will help your customers (and you) have a the best holiday season yet. Here are a few tips for putting the shine on your marketing this year:

1. Use text messaging promotions. Include in your television, radio, and internet advertising a code to text for special deals in-store (or online). This can be especially effective leading up to Black Friday, when customers are already out shopping, and eager to get the best deals possible.

2. Emphasize the gift-worthiness of your product. Whether you’re selling shoes or life insurance, this is the season of giving, and that sentiment appeals to customers. If your product isn’t something that is traditionally given as a gift, your messaging could still be gift-focused. Get creative (we’re here to help with that). You could even craft a gift basket or gift wrapping ideas for your products. There are a lot of possibilities to explore, don’t rule anything out without thinking it through!

3. Be proactive. Customers are out there looking, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll find you and your products without some help! After all, there are a lot of competitors for their attention at this time of year, and they want to spend as little time looking for and purchasing the perfect gift as possible. Talk to Find It Local 411 about the best way to market your particular product. We know we can help.

When you’re using a business social media account, it’s important to not abuse the relationship you’re trying to cultivate with your customers. If your posts aren’t reaching customers where they’re willing to listen, then they may start blocking you altogether, and you’ve lost that opportunity. Here are a few tips for how to keep your customers attention (and make the most of it) on facebook and twitter.

1. Be yourself. If you’re using a business name (e.g. @Finditlocal411), and speaking on behalf of your business, it can be easy to slide into marketing speak, and while you are indeed marketing and networking when you use social media, it’s important that you don’t speak in such a way as to alienate your audience by making them feel like they’re just viewing pop-up ads in their feed. Have fun. You don’t need to tell your audience what you’ve just eaten for lunch, but be sure to breathe some of your own personality into what you say. If people sense that the enthusiasm in your posts isn’t genuine, they’ll lose interest in you. Let your enthusiasm for your business and what you’re doing shine though.

2. Think like your readers. Ask yourself what someone who subscribes to your business’ feed might want to know from you. It can definitely be worth mentioning that you’ve just hired a new employee, or attended an exciting local event, but primarily people want to know about your products and services. If you’re in retail, it can be a nice way to gain customer loyalty to include a coupon code for your online subscribers periodically, that they can use when visiting your site or store.

3. Don’t be too personal. This may sound contradictory to #1, but it’s worth mentioning that you’re still using your feed to have a professional interaction with your customers and partners. Online interactions aren’t the place to discuss a personal tragedy, a surgery you’ve undergone, or anything which might make a perfect stranger uncomfortable to read.

4. Reach out. If you’re happy to be partnering with another firm, or if a supplier has really come through for you, or even if your staff just loves to patronize a local coffee shop, go ahead and use those as opportunities for outreach. Not only is it an important way to build relationships with your affiliates, showing your willingness to reach out like that is good for your business, because down the road, the businesses who benefit from your referrals are very likely to return the favor.

When you’re ready to dive into this important field of interaction with your customers, FindItLocal411 is there to help you, through our full suite of online marketing services. We’ll always take the time to find out who you are, and incorporate your personality and identity into everything we do, from newsletters to mobile marketing to visual customization of your Facebook and Twitter pages.

In Michiana, to find a true family oriented, owned, and operated restaurant that has a history and appreciation for the region, you only have to look one place: Prime Table Restaurant. Nick, Mary, and Bill Giannakakis of Niles, Michigan own the family dining establishment that has been a part of the local community since 1993. The family story—like the flavor of their signature steaks—is rich, and begins across the Atlantic.

The Quest for a Dream

The Giannakakis family hails from a little mountain village in Greece, but as a young man, Nick Giannakakis had his eyes on another land several thousand miles away—America.

“At this time, it was the land of opportunity. It really was!” Nick exclaimes, while reminiscing about his decision to head to the States. It was the late 1960s, a time of change in the U.S., and Nick got work soon after arriving, first taking a position in the hospitality industry in 1966, and then a job in a coffee shop in 1967. He picked up the tricks of the trade quickly, and using what he learned, Nick opened his first restaurant in Liberty, Illinois only few years after his arrival in the U.S. Soon, the rest of the Giannakakis family joined Nick, opening more restaurants in Michiana, including the Niles Prime Tables Restaurant in 1993. “God has been good to our family,” Nick says, summing up the Giannakakis’ success.

Family First

Nick describes what he considers his family in Michiana: “My family at home and the family of my customers. They are my big family… they really are.” They have shared weddings, birthday parties and many other family-centered events with the customers of Prime Tables Restaurants, as well as the Millennium Steakhouse, which the family opened in 2001. According the Nick, even the name of Millennium Restaurant was a family effort (his children created the name).

Nick, his wife Mary, Bill, their children and grandchildren all had a hand in the success of the Niles Prime Table Restaurant. Nick also attributes the establishment’s 18 years of harmony with the community to the patrons.

The Return

“We appreciate them. [The customers] have been loyal…they come back…and we hear comments like, ‘we will come back next year.’” Nick says of the patrons that have become regulars. Nick calls them family. “They [are] here seven days. When the economy took [a] downturn, they still [came] here… three or four days a week.”

The Giannakakis family respects the hard-earned dollars that the diners spend faithfully at the restaurants. In return, Nick says they buy quality produce, and create quality dishes that the families of the community continue to enjoy year after year.

Join Nick and the rest of the family for a month-long celebration of the Prime Table Restaurant’s place in the Niles community. It’s a partnership that the Giannakakis family has cherished since their immigration to the Midwest decades ago.

“Over the years, we have really enjoyed living in the area. We find the Midwest is always the best of four seasons, best water views of the local lakes, and you can’t beat it.”

Spoken like a true Michiana resident.

Michiana’s greatest media hoax of the post-mortgage crisis is shaping up to be the death of South Bend. The city of South Bend was once placed alongside Elkhart as one of the poster children for the recession’s hardships. In recent articles, large media leaders such as Newsweek, and even some local outlets have tried to paint the town as a fatality of the recession.

Yes, the city has undergone some major changes since 2008. The collapse of the RV industry was certainly no help. The city’s unemployment rate spiked at 12.3%, and foreclosure rates were edging toward 3% of homes in the area at the height of the crisis. Both numbers are well above the national averages–at their peak–for unemployment (9.8%) and foreclosure rates (1.8%). But these numbers, though dire, are no need to write the city of South Bend’s obituary just yet. In fact, doing so may just lead to more than a little “egg on the face,” as the saying goes, when the city recovers, and recover it will. Here are only few of the many reasons why South Bend is not down for the count just yet:

New Business

Yes, the RV and automotive industries were large contributors to the economy in the South Bend area prior to their unexpected collapse in 2008 and 2009. The town was dealt a  significant blow, but was not crippled for good. In fact, the bustling service industries have already done much to pick up the slack, as the manufacturing industry is slowly coming back to life, and many would say that the down time was time well spent. In 2011, South Bend will welcome:

• South Bend Gear LLC, a joint venture of Schafer Gearworks, Inc (a South Bend native) and Italian company Somaschini S.p.A. The new company will employ many people making gears for heavy-duty trucks.

• The Career Academy Charter School will open in August 2011 creating new jobs for teachers and a new opportunity for middle school teens to learn using “a career-vocationally based curriculum” (something that was said to be lacking in South Bend).

• McCormick & Company, the spice and sauce maker, has announced an expansion in 2011 that will bring new positions and new product brands to their current South Bend facility.

• Indiana University and University of Notre Dame will collaborate on a new cancer center opening in April. The 55,000 square foot facility is being created from a $10 million donation from ConAgra Foods’ former CEO Charles M. Harper.

These are a handful of examples that illustrate South Bend’s continued appeal to new business. Had the town really been in a tailspin, these businesses and others would have quickly reconsidered the millions of dollars needed to build or expand in an allegedly dying city.

Incoming Funding

In 2011, the city of South Bend will receive $310,000 in grant funds to hire firefighters for the city. This money comes from Assistance to Firefighters Grant created in 2010. That’s not the only funding. The U.S. Housing and Urban Development Agency or HUD will receive $36, 748 to aid families in need and the organizations that aid those families. Such investments are being made in a town that is recovering from the recession, not dying as a result of it.

Dropping Stats

The numbers speak for themselves.

Indicators predict that the unemployment rate will go down from its peak in 2009 to 9.8 % when adjusted for seasonal job losses. This will be the first time since the recession that the city is under double-digit unemployment, even when surrounding cities like Elkhart are still struggling.

Analysts project South Bend to have lower costs of living and doing business than around 82% of cities in America.These numbers have improved from 2009, but have been consistently lower than most other cities in the U.S. throughout the recession.

The city that boasts seven movie theaters, over 1,000 restaurants, and 28 libraries in a 15 mile radius is far from dying out. In fact, the city of South Bend is poised for a rebound, with the help of new industry, new funding, and citizens who realize that their hometown’s swan song has yet to be sung.

Late winter in Michiana is a time when the snow is lingering, temperatures are frosty, and customers are itching to get out and about. They are afflicted with cabin fever, a term the dates back to the 18th century. Back then, settlers of the Midwest were stuck in their log cabin homes throughout the long winters to endure the lake effect snows and frigid temperatures. Today, people are able to get out during the winter, despite the snow. However, people do not come away from the warmth of home without a compelling reason. As a savvy business owner, it can be a challenge to draw customers in these winters months. Fortunately, with a little creativity, you can use cabin fever as a weapon to bring your customers out long before Michiana’s March/April thaw.

3 Ways to Use Cabin Fever to Your Business’ Advantage

1. Educate

Contact your local library to pitch a class, seminar, talk, or event based on your business’ products and services. The library is ideal as they already have the facility and additional customer base to draw from. However, you can also use your place of business if it is roomy. Some ideas include:

• Tax preparation tips (it is tax season of course)
• Craft demonstrations
• DIY demonstrations on how to perform some light home maintenance tasks around the house
• A small business advice session for budding business owners. Share your experiences and offer resources. The Small Business Administration or the Chamber of Commerce in your area may have some tips, materials and other helpful resources to use.

Think about the products and services you sell for profit. How can you use them to educate your customers further? Answer this question and move forward.

2. Socialize

Create an event where your target market can gather away from the solitude of home. Contact a South Bend area restaurant to cater a tasting menu. Ask Michigan and Indiana wineries about conducting a tasting at your business. With food and drinks covered, think about entertainment. You could incorporate the arts using:

• book club gatherings,
• local author signings or readings
• artists showcases
• art or writing seminars

Use the arts and entertainment scene in Michiana, and the residential affection for the arts, to lure your target audience. Make the event age appropriate for younger audiences by losing the wine tasting menu for finger foods and punch. Have hands on activities and invite local children’s entertainment groups, clowns, and storytellers. Many local artists will jump at the opportunity to show or sell their wares–at no additional cost to you!

3. Join in the local efforts

For example, South Bend, is the home of scavenger hunts for Chinese New Year, parades for St. Patrick’s Day, performances by local and nationally known entertainers, and much more. A signature event available to South Bend areas businesses is First Fridays. On the first Friday of each month, South bend area businesses get together with the local arts and entertainment scene to sell their wares, offer activities and interact with the public. Each month has a different theme. February, for example, is “Fit and Fabulous”. Businesses tailor special sales, and entertainment toward the month’s theme.

The South Bend area is but one small part of Michiana with the tools already in place to boost your business in the dreary late winter months. Give customers a reason to shake off the cabin fever. In the process, you may just build some much needed public relations that will be valuable once the area thaws out.

Small businesses can and do benefit from holiday sales. However, many of these businesses fail to get the most out of the holiday shopping season.  Proper planning and timing can do a great deal to help boost your returns during the most important quarter in the retail industry.

Here are a few things to keep in mind that will help you get the most out of your holiday promos:

1. Start early with a plan. Like any other promotional campaign, holiday marketing takes planning in order to accomplish a successful season. In the rush of the season, a plan also helps retail owners keep their promotions on schedule, without much effort. This way, each new part of the campaign is pulled off without disrupting sales.

In your promo plan, decide which items will be promoted and the length of time each promotion will last. Figure out the types of marketing tools that you will use and write a schedule for not only launching them, but also for preparing them. Doing so will help you to work the promo and its preparation into your regular holiday sales routine.

2. Select an angle. Yes, Christmas is your primary theme, but what angle will you take to make your promotions stand out from the crowd? An angle or approach to the holiday theme will also help you to structure your promotions. For example, a “holiday necessities” angle can start with sales on the types of things that people usually buy early on. Then, hook the last minute buyers with promos for items that are necessary for a holiday celebration or those things that people tend to forget until the last minute. In this way, an angle will also help in promo planning, while helping you find creative ways to draw customers. Select a theme that best fits your products and services.

3. Build the promotions gradually. Starting early with subtle hints at the holiday season may work better than decking the halls in October. You must get a head start, especially in such a slow economy. Start with ideas for Christmas presents or early bird specials. As the end of October nears, move in a more festive mode with your marketing, holding back the fun holiday fare until November 1.

This gradual approach will ensure that many customers are not be jaded by the time you start your Black Friday promotions. It will also help build name recognition and increase your web traffic in the meantime.

These tips are just a few that should help any small retailer looking to capitalize on this year’s holiday shopping season. The key is planning and organization. Attack the season like it is a project crucial to your business, because it is. For retailers, Christmas is the most vital time of year.

As Fall arrives and the leaves change from green to crimson, auto owners begin the process of preparing their cars for the impending cold and bleak Michiana winter. Depending on where you are in the area, you may have to face temperatures well below freezing for several days or weeks at a time. Your car has to be in fairly good condition to survive this crazy weather and the best way to ensure that is by performing the proper maintenance before the cold winter weather hits. Here are five of the easiest and most essential things you can do to gear up:

1. Check the tires and lights.

Michiana winters are known for their heavy ice and snow, the causes of many winter weather accidents (not to mention delays). To stay safe on these slick roads, check your tires and lights. The tire tread should be deep enough to stick a penny in the groove far enough so that Lincoln’s head is covered. You should also check the tire pressure (the proper PSI can usually be found on the tire itself of on the label inside the driver’s side doorjamb).

2. Top off or change out fluids.

Anti-freeze is vital in the Michiana winters to keep the engine from freezing. Test the mix yourself with a home tester or have a certified Michiana mechanic test the amount of water to antifreeze in your system. Adjust or change it as necessary. Get an oil change if needed and top off all other fluids – ice melting wiper fluid is key!

3. Prepare an emergency kit.

Everyone should have a roadside hazard kit – you never know when you’ll be stranded in subzero weather for hours before a tow truck arrives. Your kit should include a flashlight, reflective traffic cones, jumper cables, and first aid items. Michiana residents should also add items like cat litter to help provide traction when stuck in the snow, collapsible shovels, blankets, non-perishable food and drinking water, as well as candles and matches for warmth. A windup cell charger is another helpful item for the kit.

4. Check the battery.

Clean the corrosion off the areas where the car meets the battery post. This will help your battery stay at full power during the winter. If you haven’t already, read up on the process for jumping a car. You never know when you’ll need it. Also, check the batteries in the flashlights and other battery-powered hazard kit items.

5. Take it in for professional work.

The Michiana area is a great place to find mechanics that are knowledgeable of all the auto systems affected by the winter weather. Michiana auto repair shops are thriving businesses in the winter because of the breakdowns that occur from improper maintenance.

Your car doesn’t have to be among those winter casualties, though. Locally owned and operated business like DC Tire and Dick’s Auto Parts, in Michiana, can provide you with a variety of parts and solutions for your customization needs. So go out and get a jump-start on your pre-season prep, it’ll save you from unnecessary expenses and accidents.

Is there anything else you check when prepping your car for winter? Leave your ideas in the comments!

Let’s face it, the type of aggressive shopping that results in dinner for a family of four under a dollar per person isn’t always possible in areas like Michiana. Sure, there are nearby cities like Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit and Lansing that offer the best of urban shopping. But, to execute the tips found throughout the “Save Money” media, one must frequent these retailers often on a daily basis. Doing so with the urban shopping tactics that many tipsters advise will only result in a loss of money due to gas and vehicle wear and tear.

Fortunately, there is a way to shop savvy during this recession, using local—Michiana—grocery chains. Just try these five easy tips.

Forget about samples sales

Urban shoppers swear by sample sales as a way to buy good career clothing at a low price, but this option isn’t available in our area. What we do have, however, are outlet malls that work just as well. Visit the mall’s or individual store’s sites online to find coupons, discounts and a heads up on sales.

Use those coupons wisely

Stores like Martin’s Supermarket chain, located throughout the Michiana area, encourage the use of manufacturer coupons. They do not double and triple the coupon savings like those savvy television shoppers suggest, but they do allow you to use manufacturer coupons in conjunction with instant coupons and $mart Values items (specially priced items) to maximize savings in this economy.

Coordinate your shopping list around the store discounts and coupons

Using the $mart Values for example, create a list using the items found on Martin’s Supermarket’s Online circular’s $mart Value section. Cross reference these with the coupons in your arsenal. Depending on the Martin’s Store, you may be able to use more than one coupon per purchase (if you purchase more than one item per coupon). You may find yourself buying foods and nonfoods for up to 70 percent off the retail price!!

Stock up

When the coupon, instant savings, and specials come together in a perfect trifecta of saving, stock up! This is where you usually see women pushing shopping carts full of cake mix or toilet paper. Don’t buy more foods than you can use in a year, because the excess will just become a waste.  As you build a healthy stock of goods and foods, you’ll see your investment in long-term cost-cutting. You’ll find yourself going to the grocery store less and less.

Co-Op

Many urban areas do have co-op shopping facilities that allow communal purchasing. However, you can have the same experience by forming a co-op with family and friends. Buy in bulk and then split it up to spread the savings. Many area farms allow individuals the opportunity to buy livestock for the meat. These thousands of pounds bought at a discount can be easily shared—both meat and cost—amongst your little co-op.

Taking the urban shopping guerrilla tactics to your local retailer is possible with a few adjustments. Just look the ways in which your retailer accommodates through their coupon policy, special values and in store savings. You may find that it doesn’t take an urban setting to save.

Sometimes the hometown bank can suit your needs better than the national branch. However, many small business owners will disagree, stating that community banks are more conservative lenders and less likely to loan to a new business. On the contrary, community banks like Mutual Bank located throughout the Midwest are very small business-friendly institutions.

In truth, there are many reasons why a community bank is better, especially for small business owners.

Lenders know the area and its needs

The loan officer at you community’s bank may even be in your bowling league or your kids’ soccer coach. They live and work in the community and are better equipped to know what a business in Michiana needs in order to grow.

At Mutual Bank, they make a considered effort to getting to know their community. Visit their Resources Page, and you’ll be able to watch videos from various members of the Mutual team welcoming you to the site with a story about what local banking means to them.

Community banks look beyond the spreadsheets

Local bankers will also consider your savings history, as well as your relationship with your checking account. Your place in the community is also a consideration, as small businesses that are firmly anchored in the community tend to survive at a much higher rate than others that struggle for a foothold. National bank chains don’t have these options and must rely only on the numbers, making your chance of getting a loan less likely.

Invested in Your Community

When involved with a local bank, your banker has most likely considered similar projects in and around your area.  Therefore, a local bank like Mutual Bank has funded many other projects within the community. Thus, they have an interest in seeing not only your business flourish, but also that it contributes to the betterment of the community as a whole.  Another bonus feature is that your bank can point you in the right direction for resources that your small business may need.

Banks like Mutual Bank are ideal for small business in Michiana, because they are a community based. So, in addition to competitive rates and multiple loan offerings, Mutual Bank is invested in the community and the success of your business. They can be a link between the business you run and the community you live in, one that strengthens your business success in the future.