LISC Digital Growth Accelerator - Webinar Takeaways

Read the takeaways from webinars and take advantage of the resources shared by experts in digital marketing and growth.

Expert Webinar Series: Growing Your Business

RECAP

Kristen Ransom, CEO of Include Web Design and Development and Owlhoot Media, CEO, Osvaldo Rodriguez discussed the importance and benefits for small businesses to utilize digital and social media to grow their business. Kristen provided the key phases of web design that ensure optimum visibility and engagement, and Osvaldo demonstrated DIY digital software that offers small businesses the capacity of a big box store.

A few takeaways…

#1: A Website is an employee that works for you 24/7. Build a website that is equitable to ensure equal access to your information. Ensure customers can view and engage with the site and have the opportunity to become a future client or customer. The goal of a website is to 1) attract your target audience, 2) facilitate and engage your audience in your product or service, 3) capture leads. Properly designed it can serve as your most trusted employee that works around the clock.

#2: Brand Consistency creates customer retention. Build a cohesive brand identity that helps customers get to know your brand on a more personal level. Ensure your brand is easily recognizable across all marketing channels and touch points.

#3: Align DIY marketing with strategic development. Marketing bundles can be an excellent way to maximum time and efficiency while growing your business, with search engine optimization, social media platform ads, web design, and content marketing. Develop marketing strategies that align customer engagement, retention and your vision for growth.

Panelist Information:

Brandon & Kristen Ransom
CEOs, Include Web Design and Development

Osvaldo Rodriguez
Founder & CEO, Owlhoot Media

Shared Resources:

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RECAP

Juan Carlos (J.C.)Morales, Founder and Managing Partner of Surfside Capital Advisors, led off our discussion, sharing his experience driving small businesses growth using digital tools. J.C. shared insights from Surfside’s work helping over 200 businesses adapt to pandemic disruption over the last year. Of those, 77% believe they need a digital transformation, changes in their products/services, or both to keep growing. J.C. shared his insights about how to manage these changes. Alberto Calvo, CEO of Stop & Compare Markets and a client of Surfside, then shared his multi-year journey multiplying the size of his company and the digital tools he has deployed to transform Stop & Compare’s operations and power that growth. Alberto is also an alumnus of LISC’s Beyond Six Feet Apart Digital Accelerator (BSFA), and shared how the BSFA program helped him pivot and keep his doors open while addressing new customer demands and safety guidelines during the pandemic.

A few takeaways…

#1: Never waste a good crisis to generate new ideas. As an entrepreneur, you will hit difficult times in business. A crisis can be used to better your business. How you use your time in crisis is critical to moving from hardship to growth and expansion. Crisis helps push your limits to think outside the box, to be creative, and generate ideas and products that will solve customer problems and demands.

#2: Take informed risks. Business owners are risk takers by nature.If you want your business to succeed, risks are necessary, but learn to take calculated, intentional risks. Do your homework about your target margins and investing before making any moves. Analyze your financials and take risks that give you a competitive advantage. There are simple digital tools that can help you manage this information so you have it at your fingertips.

#3: Digital strategies are not optional. Digital transformation is as important to small business as it is to big box stores. Regardless of business size, all businesses travel through the same steps of growth, and the right tools are essential for operational efficiency. However, all digital tools require human capital to manage the tools and the business to success. Digital tools although essential, are only as good as their functionality and users.