At our LSA Bootcamp events we meet a number of small business owners and talk with them about what it’s like marketing their businesses online. We will periodically be sharing some of these stories here on the blog in hopes of helping you better understand the feelings and sentiment small businesses feel towards marketing.
“Being a small business owner means you need to be able to wear all the hats, at any given time. It’s a balancing act, more so than any other job I’ve ever done,” said Jonathan Gelaude, owner of Wines Off Wynkoop in Denver, CO.
Wines Off Wynkoop is a wine, liquor and beer store located in an alley in the historic downtown neighborhood of LoDo in Denver. After our recent LSA Bootcamp in Denver, we had the chance to interview the owner Jonathan Gelaude and digital marketer Jeremy Poley about owning and marketing a small business. Here is what they said:
What do you struggle with most when it comes to digital marketing?
Jonathan – “Until recently, we haven’t really done very much digital marketing. We’ve done generic email blasts and Facebook posts in the past, but that was about it. I’d like to change that though, and we’re making a concerted effort to do that going forward.”
What digital marketing methods have you found most successful?
Jeremy – “Within our area we show up on Google maps for keywords for our products. This leads a lot of foot traffic to us that otherwise wouldn’t know we’re here. We’re in an alley so this is very important to us. Keeping our store information consistent and reliable has helped us stay high with Google’s geo-search.”
Tell us about a campaign that worked well for you to advertise your business and/or products/services.
Jeremy – “We have an email marketing list that we send a monthly coupon to. That email list also has a coupon for signing up. Both the signup and monthly coupons have generated some repeat customers.”
Where do you go to get your digital marketing information?
Jonathan – “I’ve read through emails I’ve received in the past from various vendors, as well as attempted to learn about things via Google, etc. With that being said, I’ve felt reluctant to seriously pursue any of these avenues, due to not feeling confident enough in the ability to make the best decision. However, we’ve got Jeremy on-staff now, and I feel confident in his ability to help steer us down the digital marketing path going forward.
“As a small business owner, you’ve pretty much got a list every day of things that need to get done. You then try to prioritize that list. Sometimes you have to adjust and things that aren’t at the top of your list get pushed farther down and postponed. I’ve felt that until recently, marketing has been one of these things that’s been put-off.
“Sometimes you’ve got to stop pushing things lower-and-lower on the list. Digital marketing is one area I’m committed to making a priority going forward.”
For more about LSA Bootcamp and to learn how you can participate in future events, click here.
