Why Brand Empathy is Your Business’s Best Marketing Strategy

Why Brand Empathy is Your Business’s Best Marketing Strategy

by | Dec 20, 2017 | Insights

Brand empathy has been around for a long time and will only become more important as our technological world evolves. So what is brand empathy, why is it important for your small business, and how can you work brand empathy into your business’s marketing strategy?

What is brand empathy?

Generally, the term empathy means to understand, be aware of, and be sensitive to the feelings, thoughts and experiences of others:

  • When we show empathy towards others, we tend to use phrases like, “I see what you mean” or “I understand why you would feel that way”, to communicate our ability to see things from another person’s perspective.
  • According to a paper by Louisa Pavey, Tobias Greitemeyer, and Paul Sparks in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, those who display empathy are also more intrinsically motivated to be helpful.
  • Businesses embracing this philosophy and adopting an empathetic mindset have taken it upon themselves to outwardly demonstrate that they care about the individualized, unique needs of their consumers.

Why is empathy important for businesses?

Consumer loyalty isn’t nearly as strong as it used to be; small businesses need to work harder if they want to keep their current customers and engage with new customers in today’s retail landscape:

  • According to a study by Access Development, most consumers would take their business to a competitor within a week of experiencing poor customer service.
  • If you own a local business, you’ve already got a leg up on the big box stores when it comes to understanding local trends and what’s important to those who live and work in your town.
  • Savvy business owners who realize this advantage and apply it to their brand empathy campaigns are far more likely to gain the market share of local consumers than those who don’t.

How do businesses market empathy?

Because companies can’t convey empathy the same way humans do to one another, business owners need to get creative about how they demonstrate their brand empathy:

  • Companies can show empathy by offering product suggestions to online users or by sending shopping cart abandonment emails to users who shopped but didn’t follow through with a purchase, providing consumers with relevant, helpful information based on their unique shopping habits.
  • Companies can also promote brand empathy by mirroring their consumers’ thoughts and feelings through marketing imagery and media. Mirroring can be a highly effective way to showcase brand empathy because of its ability to connect deeply with consumers’ feelings.

Brand empathy for small business marketers

If you’re a small business owner, you may not have the money to produce and promote a commercial like Procter & Gamble, and that’s okay. Keeping in mind the goal, which is to show consumers that you understand who they are and what they need, there are plenty of ways for your small business to incorporate empathy into your everyday marketing campaigns.

  • Be a local resource – Many communities celebrate local events that the big box stores wouldn’t know about, for example, Fete en Blanc (the all-dressed-in-white party) in Lancaster. If you’re in retail, decking your window displays out in all-white clothing, picnic gear, and decorations in the weeks leading up to Fete en Blanc is a great example of how your local business can show connection to the needs of local consumers in a way that the big stores can’t.
  • Be a problem solver – Do you sell specialty items that are helpful to people in a specific field? Make sure those people are seeing your message by using targeted advertising strategies online. When you send the right message to the right audience, you’re showing those consumers that you understand their interests and needs.
  • Be a guide – Your promotions should reliably lead consumers into the next season or holiday. Consider planning your holiday promotions in advance so that you have more time to develop more personalized ad messages for your consumer groups throughout the year

Need some help?

If you’re looking for guidance on how to work brand empathy into your marketing strategy, our experts at LNP Media Group can help. Contact us today for a free consultation with our experts about how to better market your business.

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Business Marketing: 5 trends to plan for

Business Marketing: 5 trends to plan for

by | Nov 17, 2017 | Insights

If you’re getting started on your business’s marketing plan, knowing and understanding the latest consumer trends is the first step towards developing a well-rounded strategy before it’s too late. Marketing isn’t just about how you send messages to your customers, but also about how your customers interact and communicate with your brand. And if your business can create a marketing plan that melds these ideas together, you’re going to set yourself up for success in the New Year. If you’re not sure where to start, here’s a list of the top 5 marketing trends to consider incorporating into your marketing plan.

Promoting User-Generated Content

Whenever consumers are making a purchase, they’re looking for cues to affirm their decision making.  This is especially true for online purchases because they can’t touch or feel the product in question or make inquiries with a knowledgeable employee that’s standing by. Shoppers alone have to rely on affirmative clues to decide: is this something I feel comfortable purchasing without ever seeing it in person?  And those cues need to come from a source they trust. For example, a fellow consumer posting comments and reviews about how much he loves a product will always carry more weight than a business owner who talks up her own store. A recent study shows that 66 percent of consumers trust other consumer opinions posted online, compared to 46 percent of consumers who trust ads on social networks.

This notion captures the underlying concept behind user-generated content, which is broadly characterized as any type of content (e.g., photos, comments, reviews, etc.) created by consumers to convey their interaction and experience with a business’s product or service. By incorporating user-generated content on your website, you can provide your online shoppers with a more immersive, relatable, true-to-life feel for your business. Here are some ways to gather user-generated content for your business:

  • Search your business by hashtag to find photos you’ve been tagged in.
  • Encourage photo submissions on your website and provide users with a hashtag.
    • Take it one step further: Supply website visitors with a fun how-to guide on how to take a great photo. Users will like the free photography tips and you will get better content in return.
  • Encourage users to interact with social posts by using prizes and giveaways.
    • “Comment on this post and you’ll be entered to win a free coffee!

Being “Local”

In the sketch-comedy Portlandia, the show parodied Portland’s obsession with everything local in a skit where a couple wanted to know if the chicken they are ordering for dinner was local, if it had a nice life and if they could visit its farm. Actually visiting the home of your soon-to-be dinner entree is a ridiculous notion. However, this parody was funny because it carried some truth, especially in Lancaster County. Businesses that sell local products or hand-made items in Lancaster County are flourishing, and if your business can get in on the action, you will too. Shoppers in Lancaster County are willing to drive farther and pay more to get authentic goods because they want to support the community in which they live and work. Additionally, local produce and products tend to be of a better quality, almost making their purchase a status symbol. So how can your business show local support? If your business has a physical location, try a mutually beneficial strategy like partnering with a local artist to have their paintings hung on your walls. If your business provides a service with no physical location, try researching local products to replace those that you currently mass order.

Going Mobile

In 2017, researchers at Adobe predicted that more than half of holiday website visits would come from mobile phones and tablets, surpassing desktop computers. Mobile usage will continue to grow making mobile advertising one of the top methods for businesses to reach consumers with their ad messages. Mobile also stands out for its geographic targeting capability called geofencing. With geofencing, business owners can send their ads to mobile users in any location. If you’re a business owner, consider the benefits of displaying your ads to people who are near your store, or even near your competition. LNP Media Group will work with your business to determine the best location for you to target mobile users in Lancaster County or throughout the United States. Then, we help you with your ad message, ad design, and targeting to users within your chosen location.

Video Advertising on Social Media

Have you ever said you’re getting on Facebook “for just a minute,” to find yourself 30 minutes later trapped in a loop of cooking videos about making bloomin’ onions? Many of us have found ourselves in situations like this because videos captivate us through story-telling, more so than photos alone. Studies have found that video content gets 135 percent more reach than photos on Facebook. Furthermore, video is consumed thoroughly by 55 percent of users, making video content perfect for Lancaster County business owners who want their messages heard.

Businesses with limited resources can use the live video feature that Facebook offers to give users a sneak-peek at new items or promote upcoming events. If your goal is to create a video with staying-power, investing in video story-boarding, production and placement is key. Well-produced videos can live comfortably on different platforms like social media, websites and YouTube. If you want to add video marketing into your strategy, LNP Studios can help. Contact us today to starting building your brand through video.

Being Authentic

The name of the game is authenticity in advertising; and like many trends, this one is driven by the millennial market. Authenticity doesn’t mean that sales and coupons should go out the window. For millennials, authenticity is about brand trust. And how do you build trust? It all goes back to delivering on what you promise to your customers and doing what’s right. Here are some best practices to follow that will help you build brand trust, thus becoming more authentic:

  • Building a reliable website with helpful, up-to-date information
  • Being open during your listed business hours
  • Having a reasonable return policy
  • Showing support for your community
  • Being environmentally friendly

If you’ve identified areas of improvement within your own business, now is the time to begin making adjustments in preparation for your marketing plan.  If your employees aren’t opening on time, set firmer rules. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, contact LNP Media Group for help converting your site to responsive design. Making these small changes now will ultimately result in a better experience for your customers.

Ready to Get Started?

When you consider the top marketing trends, they’re primarily focused around the same goal: creating a great customer experience. If you can design a marketing plan with these principles in mind, you’ll be setting yourself up for marketing success for years to come. Not sure where to start? Contact LNP Media Group today for a free consultation.

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3 cost-effective ways to advertise this holiday season

3 cost-effective ways to advertise this holiday season

by | Nov 1, 2017 | Insights

If you’re a small business owner, giving your holiday advertising a boost is one of the best ways to draw in new customers and increase profits this year and for years to come. Your business’s advertising budget may not be large, but there are still plenty of budget-friendly ways to promote your store’s holiday gifts and create brand awareness with people who prefer to shop local. LNP understands that money can be tight for small business owners during the holidays, which is why we designed a series of holiday sections specifically with small business needs in mind.

LNP’s offers three different holiday sections that are designed to give small business owners ad frequency at a low cost so that any type of business can get the most bang for their buck:

Guide To Entertaining

LNP’s Guide to Entertaining is an informational piece that covers a range of topics related to attending and hosting events:

  • This section contains advice and answers to common questions related to holiday meal planning, gift etiquette, traveling and DIY projects.
  • Tell readers how your business can make their holidays easier and more festive.
  • If you have an ad in this guide, think about promoting an item that holiday entertainers and travelers would find helpful. If you sell apparel, you could promote funky hats or innovative ear-muffs. If you’re a restaurant owner, advertise your holiday catering options. And, if you’re in the service industry, remember that consumers still need your services whether it’s the holiday season or not.

Guide To The Perfect Gift

Holiday shoppers are always on the lookout for unique gifts that their friends and family will love. To assist these shoppers, we’ve designed a guide that’s packed full of the best local holiday finds called Guide to the Perfect Gift:

  • This special section covers a variety of popular, unique, custom, service-oriented and experiential gift ideas.
  • Retailers and restaurants are the obvious advertisers here, but businesses in the service industry can benefit too. Use your ads to remind readers that gift certificates for home, car, beauty, and other services are appreciated because they save time and money.

Letters To Santa

Letters to Santa is a heart-warming piece that’s become an annual favorite for readers of LNP:

  • This special section is filled with letters from children to Santa telling him what they want for Christmas this year.
  • Parents of the children whose letters have been published love to share this section with relatives and store it as a keepsake, making its popularity and long shelf-life a huge benefit for advertisers.
  • Businesses designing ads for this piece should take into account its long shelf-life. Parents and grandparents could be looking through this section for years to come, thus making a general branding message or simple holiday wish most suitable in the long term.

Contact Us

If you own a small business, remember that no advertising budget is too small to make a positive impact on your business. Contact LNP today and we can help you create an advertising plan that fits your business goals and budget needs.

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LNP Newspaper Supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month

LNP Newspaper Supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month

by | Sep 24, 2017 | Insights

Breast Cancer has affected our friends, families and employees. One in eight women in Pennsylvania will be diagnosed with breast cancer, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.  Each year it is estimated that over 246,660 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die.

LNP supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and raises funds for the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition. The PBCC is the source of action and information for women in Pennsylvania with breast cancer. Through outreach and education programs, legislative victories, and vast patient resources, PBCC is the  “one stop shop” for both the newly-diagnosed and the long-term survivor.

Fight breast cancer AND promote your local business

When advertisers buy an ad in LNP Sunday on October 1, they not only reach more than 200,000 readers in our special PINK edition, LNP donates a portion of the ad revenue to the PA Breast Cancer Coalition.

Need more reasons to participate?

  • You get a discounted rate of just $30 a column inch
  • Full color is free
  • You can pick-up the same ad throughout the month of October for the same low rate.

We’re also offering a limited number of 2 col. x 5” ads — Pink Ribbon Sponsorships. For these ads, we donate 20% of the revenue back to the PA Breast Cancer Coalition.

Find out how your Lancaster business can be a part of the PINK edition

The year, you can support your business AND be a part of an important cause. Contact us to advertise and raise money for the PA Breast Cancer Coalition.

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10 Tips for Attracting Black Friday Shoppers to Your Small Business

10 Tips for Attracting Black Friday Shoppers to Your Small Business

by | Sep 24, 2017 | Insights

Business owners are always trying to maximize their sales during the busiest times of the year, none more so than Black Friday weekend. Black Friday marks the peak of one of the biggest retail weekends of the year; according to the National Retail Federation, an estimated 196 million people took part in Black Friday shopping in 2022. If you are a business owner, attracting these holiday shoppers could make a significant impact on your bottom line. If you’re wondering what you can do differently this year to increase sales, we’ve put together a list that can help:

1. Start planning now.

As a business owner, one of the best things you can do to prepare yourself for a profitable fourth quarter is beginning to plan your marketing strategy early. When you plan early, you’re allowing yourself time to think through ideas, make adjustments, and tackle unforeseen projects before it’s too late. If you aren’t sure where to start, you can begin by thinking through high-level concepts; ask yourself questions like:

  • What products and services do I want to promote?
  • How and where will I advertise my specials?
  • Will I offer in-store and online deals?
  • When will my marketing campaign begin and end?

2. Follow the eyeballs—Get in the go-to guide.

If you want to drive holiday shoppers into your store, you need to place your ads in areas where consumers expect to find Black Friday deals:

  • One of the most effective ways to get your message in front of shoppers is to advertise in the Thanksgiving Day paper, also known as the “Black Friday paper”. If you’re a local business owner in Lancaster, taking advantage of LNP’s Black Friday advertising specials will get your business’s message in front of more than 200,000* readers seeking special deals and coupons.

3. Multiply your message on several platforms.

If you’re serious about having a profitable fourth quarter, you need to create a marketing plan that involves promoting your message multiple times on several platforms:

  • Running one ad to promote your big sale will never get you the returns you need.
  • LNP Media Group offers holiday marketing packages providing you with ad frequency in print, on LancasterOnline, and through mobile devices.
  • These advertising packages include ad design, photography and video services, making it easy for you to set up a successful ad campaign at an affordable price.

4. Give them an offer they can’t resist.

When it comes to holiday deals, offering at least 25 percent off is a must for most businesses that use specials for the purpose of attracting shoppers:

  • According to a study by CreditDonkey, “forty-three percent of shoppers agree that clipping coupons is a good investment of time when the discount is worth up to 25 percent off.”
  • Consider your industry and competition, and let that be your guide for the discounts that you choose to offer.

5. Don’t forget about shoppers who are buying for themselves.

We’ve all been guilty of personal shopping during the holiday season when we should have been buying for friends and family. If you’re a business owner, it’s important to think about how you can position your products in a way that attracts gift buyers and personal buyers:

  • According to the National Retail Federation roughly 58 percent of consumers said they will shop for themselves during the holidays, spending an average of $139.61
  • Consider offering a two for the price of one deal so that personal buyers can get something for themselves and a gift for someone on their list.

6. Think small, earn big.

Thanks to American Express, Small Business Saturday has become the biggest day of the year for small business owners across the country. Local shoppers are loyal shoppers, making this demographic one you can’t afford to miss out on:

  • If you own a business in Lancaster County, you already know that our community has an uncommonly strong commitment to shopping local.
  • To reach this audience, advertise in places where locals will be looking, like LNP’s Small Business Saturday section. This special section provides advertisers with a variety of ad sizes to choose from with rates designed to fit into every budget.

7. Step-up your digital presence on Cyber Monday.

If you don’t yet have an online presence, expanding your business to include e-commerce sales could help you capture more of the local market share. If an e-commerce website isn’t in the cards, get creative. Consider emailing a coupon on Cyber Monday that’s valid in-store during the following week. You could also run a similar offer using digital ads on LancasterOnline.

Not sure how Black Friday advertising fits into your overall advertising plan?  Contact us for your free Marketing Strategy Session. 

8. Offer flexible options for pickup.

Consumers doing their holiday shopping may prefer to shop and pay online, and then come to your store to pick up their purchases. This saves them money, with no shipping fees, and also saves them time. Plus, curbside pickup is a consumer-friendly option for people with impaired mobility or other health concerns. Curbside pickup exploded in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, but a strong percentage of consumers intend to continue using curbside pickup as part of their shopping routines.

9. Consider E-commerce.

Even brick-and-mortar stores in Lancaster County are getting into e-commerce because it adds an additional channel for orders, and revenue, to flow into your business. Forbes picks Squarespace as the most popular e-commerce platform for brick-and-mortar businesses, with its intuitive interface and flexible features. E-commerce is no longer just for online-only retailers.

10. Build Excitement.

Consumers look forward to Black Friday with excitment, making their lists and checking them twice. Capitalize on that anticiation by teasing your deals well in advance. Provide a countdown clock to Black Friday on your website and let consumers know what types of deals to expect. Be sure to mention if certain items will have limited inventory, to encourage consumers to buy early. Social media and email marketing are great channels to use to build excitement for your business’s Black Friday deals. Video is also an excellent (and social media friendly) tool to convey all the unique and festive offers your business will have ready for consumers.

Not sure how Black Friday advertising fits into your overall advertising plan?  Contact us for your free Marketing Strategy Session. 

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