As another new year approaches, many businesses are having to reevaluate their marketing plans. Either things didn't go quite as they expected in the prior year, and they need to tweak their strategy, or things went exactly as expected, and now they need to decide how to take things to the next level.

However, those tweaks and changes can easily make or break your business, especially a small business in a small town. One wrong decision can easily blow your budget and put you years behind on the progress scale. 

One small business in Dillon, Colorado, learned this lesson over their operating years (sadly, they're closed now) but, with my help, were able to save a whopping $20,000 on their marketing budget per year. In the following blog, I share exactly how we did it. 

But first, a little background:

I started managing the cafe's social media and marketing tasks in 2013 so that they could focus on the restaurant side of things like cooking new dishes and creating a rapport with their clientele. Eventually, my role expanded, and through a custom service package, I was able to get involved with even more projects in different areas of the business. These projects included web maintenance and design on top of social media and marketing support. 

With the added tasks, I was able to see first-hand what was working and what wasn't. It took only a short time before we realized just how much they were wasting and losing on ineffective and poorly executed strategies. So, we had a chat and agreed to make some changes to "cut the fat" and leave them with a healthy strategy going forward.

Here are five ways this small-town cafe saved $20K on its marketing budget after our discussion:

1) They stopped saying "yes."

One big problem was that this cafe had been saying "yes" to absolutely every idea that came their way, whether it worked for them or not. Now, while I don't knock giving new marketing strategies and trends a try (especially in this day and age where they can come and go so quickly), what I don't agree with is taking on ALL of the bright and shiny things-- especially if it just doesn't make sense for your business, your budget, or your current level of resources.

Once we analyzed their marketing avenues, they quickly learned they were not working from a place of strategy but desperation, and this desperation was causing them to lose time and money. But once we sat down together to uncover the avenues that worked for them, we could recover that time and money and focus only on the things that positively impacted their business.

2) They redefined their brand.

As a small business in a small, touristy ski town, being memorable and having a solid presence in the minds of the local consumers is critical to success. The cafe realized they couldn't just be "another restaurant" among the more than 70 establishments. They had to stand out, especially during the low season when business was slower than usual.

So, we took the cafe through a complete rebrand to solidify its brand image. They wanted to be seen as a community breakfast nook that felt just like the comfort of their customer's personal dining room, from the friendly family feel and experiences to the delicious homemade meals. Plus, hold onto the historic feel and local vibe.

The best part is it didn't cost them an arm and a leg, but we worked with reputable designers and updated their dated website to fit the time and their new brand. 

Check out my guide on how to create a brand on a budget.

3) They solidified their social media messaging.

Once they redefined their brand and the image they wanted to portray to their current customers and target audience, we were able to ramp up their social media strategy and messaging to focus on that brand image.

Instead of posting "salesy" menu items and prices, we made their social media fun, feel-good, and personal. Now, this isn't to say that we eliminated their sales posts altogether (I'm a big believer in 80% serving and 20% selling), but we put more of a focus on the things that gave the cafe its home-like image:

• The staff who provided the services.

• The experiences that their customers had each time they dined there.

• Their efforts to give back to the community.

For this reason, their social media pages had some of the highest engagement compared to other restaurants in the area.

4) They made their website and SEO a priority.

When I started working with the cafe, their website was a second thought. They weren't knowledgeable about SEO and less about its importance in boosting their online business visibility. But the moment I educated them on how their website and its keywords could mean the difference between having their cafe discovered by new people versus being lost in the shadows, they decided to make them a priority.

We fine-tuned the keywords and key phrases used across their website to boost their local SEO and have them start showing up in the top results for "breakfast in Breckenridge," ranking 8th in the rankings on average in 2023 versus 15th in 2022. The number of clicks on their website also increased from 45% YOY in 2020, with a steady 8% increase every year after that. 

In addition to heavily emphasizing their keywords to increase their website traffic, they also added an online store to help them sell some of their branded merchandise. Even after the cafe's closing, this site remains active to keep part of the restaurant in the minds and hearts of their best customers while continuing to generate revenue for the business.

5) They rethought the meaning of advertising.

Like many small businesses, the cafe fell into the trap of believing that they had to spend a large amount of money on paid advertising to attract customers to their visit. But after realizing they saw more money going out for advertising than it was bringing in, they knew it was time to make a change.

Thankfully, they already had their website, social media platforms, and Google My Business page up and running and optimized for local SEO, providing them with free and effective advertising in the Breckenridge area. Because of this, they reduced their paid advertising significantly, using it only during the low season. Less paid advertising = More money in pockets!

So what was the BIGGEST lesson learned from this small-town cafe after saving $20K on their marketing?

At the end of it all, this local cafe learned that sometimes, it takes someone else to look at your business from the outside and see things from a different perspective. Sure, we can look at our own business from the inside and think that everything is "just fine," but only when we see things from the eyes of a stranger can we truly see how our business appears to our ideal audience.

Are you ready to "cut the fat" from your small business marketing budget? Contact me today for a free 30-minute consultation, and let's talk about it!