Domino Theory's Marketing Blog

Whether you drink whiskey, or any alcohol for that matter, chances are pretty good you've heard of Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Southern Comfort, and Johnny Walker. But what about Fireball? You know, the hottest drink in bars and clubs everywhere? Fireballs' success is the perfect illustration of the small business advantage in digital marketing.

Fireball Whisky has been on the market in the US since only 2007 and has grown to represent 7% dollar share for its customers  - all without running a traditional marketing campaign. No advertising, no mailers, no free shots poured at on-premise promotions. Nope, Fireball broke through by tweeting to bartenders!

Check out Fireball's Twitter stream and what you'll find is a textbook example of social interaction. Fireball interacts directly, one-to-one, with customers all day long. They tweet directly to bartenders with drink recipes and sharing recipes bartenders have created (Fireball Whisky Applesauce anyone?).

What did they do that any small business can do?

1. They determined a target audience - in Fireball's case, bartenders.
2. They spent time listening to bartenders on Twitter and other social media to learn what bartenders need. It turns out one the top things bartenders are looking for to help them and their bar stand out is new drink recipes.
3. They built a list of bartenders' twitter addresses.
4. They began tweeting drink recipes directly to individual bartenders - not spamming them with email that doesn't get read. 

In a nutshell, Fireball did way with the campaign mentality and used digital for what it's best at, conversations. This allowed them to be more interactive, relevant and timely than with a traditional approach.

Fireball makes their marketing about the individual, not the product. By doing so, they build real relationships - just the way we do with our friends and family. In return, they don't just have customers, but advocates! Fireball drinkers know that when they tweet to or about Fireball, they'll get a response. 

This isn't always an easy shift in mentality for marketers. It requires marketers that view their prospects and customers as people, not dollar signs. It means wanting to create longterm relationships that deliver BIG total lifetime value, not one-time transactions. It also means the small business advantage is huge since it just takes you to decide that this style of digital marketing is your future!
 

Time and resources are limited for small business owners. If too much time is spent keeping up on social networks, other important responsibilities fall by the wayside. As a small business owners myself, I empathize. However, the opportunity missed by ignoring social media can be big. We suggest the following is the least you should do to build business with social media.

Facebook:
- Determine if you will use a business page or a personal page. If you are your brand, a personal page might work better. If, however, your brand and company are bigger than just you, set up a company page.
- Set up a regular schedule to post at lease three times each week. Post specials, pictures, local and company events and news.
- Be sure to read and respond to any comments made on your posts.

Twitter:
Tweet unique promotions and discount codes. Find and follow clients and prospects. Share articles related to your business and you clients' and prospects' needs and wants.

Pinterest:
Pin pictures of your work and work locations. Pin pictures projects similar to those you do that your customers might enjoy seeing and reading about. 

LinkedIn:
Think of this as your professional network. While you might find customers on LinkedIn, you will definitely find peers and suppliers. Post company updates, new hires, and open positions. 

There was a time when businesses didn't understand the need for email or mobile phones. There will be time soon when not using social media as a growth tool will sound just as impossible.

The longer you wait because you don't “get” social media, the more it is going to hurt your revenue, brand exposure, website traffic, and potential engagement with key customers. There is always esistance to change and with small businesses there is the constant struggle to find time. Sometimes it's best to get help.

There is much more that is possible with cocial media, but that's for another day. Whether you do it yourself or outsource, the steps outlined here should take no more than few minutes each day and is the least your small business should do on social media.