Why Businesses Are Struggling
Running a small business today is tougher than ever before. The world has changed dramatically over the last decade, especially when it comes to how people shop, make decisions, and spend their money. Many business owners are finding it hard to keep up, and if you’re feeling frustrated or worried about your business's future, you’re not alone.
Let’s be honest—getting customers through the door isn’t as simple as it used to be. Gone are the days when posting a few ads or putting a sale banner in your window was enough to drive traffic. Today’s customers are doing more research, shopping online, and comparing options long before they ever decide where to spend their money.
The reality is that small businesses everywhere are struggling to stand out in this new, competitive world. Maybe you’ve tried running ads, holding sales, or offering discounts, but the results just aren’t what you expected. You’re not seeing the boost in sales, and customer traffic seems to be stuck at the same level.
So, what’s really going on?
The problem isn’t that you’re not working hard enough. In fact, if you’re like most small business owners, you’re working harder than ever. The issue is that many businesses are missing out on one crucial strategy that can help them stand out and win more customers: Education-based marketing.
Understanding the Modern Customer Journey
To understand why your current efforts might not be delivering the results you want, we need to talk about the modern customer journey. In other words, how today’s customers make decisions about where to shop, what to buy, and which businesses to trust.A few years ago, customers made buying decisions based mostly on location and convenience. If you had a good storefront in the right place, or if you offered the right product at the right price, you were golden.
But today, the customer journey is much more complex.
Before customers make a purchase, they:
* Research products and services online.
* Compare multiple businesses.
* Read reviews and testimonials.
* Look for educational content that helps them understand their problem better and find solutions.
The problem is, if your business isn’t showing up during the research phase, you’re missing out on potential customers before they’ve even made a decision. Think about it—when a potential customer searches for solutions to a problem, do they find your business? Or do they find your competitors?
This is where education-based marketing comes into play.The Power of Education-Based Marketing
What if, instead of just trying to sell to your customers, you focused on helping them solve a problem? What if you provided them with valuable information that helped them understand the solutions available to them—before they even made a buying decision?
This is the essence of education-based marketing, and it’s a strategy that the most successful businesses are using today to win customers.
How It Works: When customers are in the early stages of their buying journey, they’re not ready to make a purchase right away. They’re in “research mode,” trying to understand their problem and explore possible solutions. During this phase, they’re looking for businesses that can help educate them.
If your business can provide helpful, educational content that answers their questions and builds trust, you’ve already positioned yourself as an authority in their minds. And when they’re ready to make a purchase, guess who they’ll think of first? You!
By helping customers before they’re ready to buy, you establish a relationship with them. This makes them far more likely to choose your business when it’s time to make a decision.
How Education Leads to Sales
So, how does educating your customers actually increase your sales? Let’s break it down.
1. Builds Trust
People do business with those they trust. By educating your customers and helping them understand their options, you build a relationship of trust and credibility. Customers are far more likely to buy from a business they feel is honest, knowledgeable, and helpful.
2. Positions You as an Authority
When you provide valuable information to potential customers, you demonstrate your expertise in your field. Whether you’re a florist, mechanic, or accountant, showing that you truly understand your customers’ problems and how to solve them positions you as an expert they can rely on.
3. Keeps You Top-of-Mind
When customers are in the research phase, they’re gathering information from different sources. If you’re the one helping them along the way, they’ll remember your business when it’s time to buy. You’ll be their first choice when they’re ready to make a decision.
4. Gives You a Competitive Advantage
Many businesses focus only on selling—putting out promotions, ads, and discounts. But by focusing on educating, you stand out from your competitors. Most of your competitors are not offering valuable educational content, and that gives you an edge.
How We Help Small Businesses Grow with Education-Based Marketing—For Free
At this point, you might be thinking: “That sounds great, but how do I actually create this educational content? And how can I afford it?”
That’s where we come in.
We understand that small business owners like you don’t always have the time, budget, or resources to create this kind of marketing. That’s why we’re offering free website design and digital marketing services to help you implement these strategies and start seeing real growth in your business.
Imagine no longer having to guess at what to do to draw in buyers.
Say goodbye to the seemingly unending battle to figure out everything on your own.
That approach of flying by the seat of your pants while hoping and praying things will work out is likely to only lead to burnout.
And you know it.
Instead, take advantage of proven customer-acquisition systems and tools that were previously available only to big companies.
Technological advances have made it possible for us to offer the same effective sales-generating services to local businesses in Elliot Lake and the North Shore (west of Sudbury, east of Sault Ste Marie, and including Manitoulin Island).
Grow your business with proven systems that we will implement for you for FREE through our Golden Voices Reconnecting & Rebuilding Project.
How can this possibly be FREE?
So, maybe you’re wondering whether this is for real.
Any sane business person would naturally question a free offer.
But don’t worry. It’s all possible because we’re a local non-profit coordinating a holistic approach to help revitalize our community.
Let’s face it, the last few years have been tough.
Businesses, individuals, and whole communities could all use a hand in moving on to better times.
Through our Golden Voices Reconnecting & Rebuilding Project, we’ll be helping seniors get online and navigate the online shopping world with confidence.
And our aim is to empower local businesses to get online and connect with senior online shoppers.
This way, we can have a thriving community where everyone benefits.
To do this, we’re tapping into funding from the Government of Canada.
For a limited time, grants are available to Canadian small and medium-sized businesses to help them grow online.
The Reconnecting & Rebuilding Project is an initiative of the Golden Voices division of the DiversityCanada Foundation.
We’re an Elliot Lake non-profit.
For the last two decades, we’ve been working to help engender a fairer and more harmonious world.
Our Golden Voices division works to support seniors and help them remain active in society.
The Golden Voices Reconnecting & Rebuilding Project is spearheaded by our executive director Celia Sankar, a former Globe & Mail journalist whose research and writing skills have helped to win close to seven figures in individual, business, and non-profit awards, grants, and government contracts over the years.
You can count on our experience to help you secure funds to grow your business online.
And, as a non-profit dedicated to helping to create a thriving community, we’re committed to tapping the free and low-cost resources available to us and passing those benefits on to you.
This way, you have access to technology and services to grow your business that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive.
Here’s how we can help:
1. Free Website Design
We’ll build a professional, high-quality website for your business that’s designed to attract and engage customers. Your new website will be easy to find in search engines, making sure you show up when potential customers are looking for information in your industry.
2. Free Educational Content
We’ll help you create valuable content for your website and social media channels that educates your customers. This content can include blog posts, how-to guides, FAQs, and videos that answer common customer questions and position you as an expert in your field.
3. Free Digital Marketing Services
Our team will work with you to create a digital marketing plan that includes search engine optimization (SEO), local search strategies, and online advertising. This helps ensure that your business is visible when potential customers are searching for solutions to their problems.
4. Free Training & Support
We don’t just set it up and leave you hanging. We’ll provide ongoing training and support to help you maintain and grow your online presence. Whether you need help updating your website or managing your social media accounts, we’re here to assist you.
But this is a genuinely limited-time offer.
The deadline to apply for the government funding program that makes it all possible is just a few days away: September 30th, 2024.
That’s why you should take action now.
What participants in the Golden Voices Reconnecting & Rebuilding Project are saying:
Luc Morrisette, owner of Alpine Flowers and an Elliot Lake Councillor:
"It's a no-brainer. It's a free program and if it could enhance somebody's business for the next eight, nine, ten months, it's worth it. I urge the business to go ahead and make that phone call."
Clair Eldon, owner of 108 Lifestyles and Sporting Goods:
"Just go for it. We all need to get into this [online] world that we don't feel like we have time to do it. So this helps us with the time we don't have to do it."
Mark Hutchinson, owner of Hutchinson Automotive & Glass:
"It’s a no-brainer…the opportunity to get basically a service covered completely by a grant…sort of stuff that I’ve been wanting to do and haven’t had the time or ability to do. Oh, I’d say absolutely, go for it. If you’re thinking about it, just do it."
Sorry, We Can't Help Everyone
While we would love to provide these services to all local small businesses, this offer is only for those that are eligible for funding under this federal program.
Here's what your business must look like for you to qualify to apply :
Your business MUST
- be a for-profit business (non-profit organizations don’t qualify)
- be provincially registered or federally incorporated
- primarily sell to consumers (rather than to other businesses)
- EITHER
- have had at least one employee (other than the owner) for at least three months prior to the date of the application for funding OR
- have made at least $30,000 in annual revenue in the most recently completed tax year and be registered for HST
- commit to maintaining your digital adoption strategy for at least six months
- agree to participate in follow-up surveys, share data about the experience, and have the business name published as a grant recipient
Having said that, there are certain types of businesses that are excluded from this government funding. They are:
- any corporate chain, franchise, or registered charity
- any representative of a multi-level marketing company
- any brokerage firm, such as real estate agents, investment advisors, insurance agents, etc.
- any business that is engaged in online reselling or drop-shipping that relies on third-party suppliers
- any wholesale or distribution business and manufacturer (unless they sell directly to consumers)
How to Get Started—It’s Free and Simple
Here’s how it works:
1. Book a Free Consultation & Strategy Session
Select a day and time for free consultation with our Business Development Officer Christopher Elliott. This will help us understand your business, your goals, and how we can best assist you.
2. Get Your Funding
We will be with you every step of the way to do as much hand-holding as you require to get through any red tape so that the funding application process is as fast and easy as possible.
3. Get Your Website & Marketing Tools
After your funding is approved, we’ll get to work building your new website and creating educational content designed to attract customers. You’ll also get access to digital marketing tools to help boost your online visibility.
4. Ongoing Support & Growth
As your business starts attracting more customers, we’ll be here to provide ongoing support, updates, and guidance. You’ll have everything you need to grow your business and continue educating your audience.
Don’t Miss Out—Start Growing Your Business Today
If you’re tired of watching your competitors attract more customers, while you struggle to get noticed, it’s time to make a change.
The good news is, you don’t have to do it alone.
By focusing on education-based marketing, you’ll not only help your customers, but you’ll also position your business for long-term success. And with our free services, you can start implementing this strategy today—without any upfront costs or complicated processes.
The opportunity is right in front of you. But you must hurry!
The deadline to apply for the government funding program that makes it all possible is just a few days away:
September 30th, 2024.
After that date, it will be gone.
Select your best date and time below to talk with us about how you can get your free website design and marketing services and start attracting more customers today.
