Santa clarita business owners, Santa Clarita business owner, Santa Clarita, Santa Clarita small business, Santa Clarita small businesses, marketing mindset, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita video, Santa Clarita video marketing, Santa Clarita video production

Santa Clarita Business Owners: 5 Crucial Marketing Mindset Shifts

Kirsten QuinnVideo, Visual Marketing

This year has been a roller coaster. Here are five crucial marketing mindset shifts for Santa Clarita business owners to enjoy the ride. 

Santa clarita business owners, Santa Clarita business owner, Santa Clarita, Santa Clarita small business, Santa Clarita small businesses, marketing mindset, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita video, Santa Clarita video marketing, Santa Clarita video production

Immediately after the pandemic outbreak, 90% of people said they were spending more time consuming media in digital spaces, and most turned to online shopping options wherever possible. Though some in-person shopping and dining picked up in the summer months, the upward trend in digital consumption is holding steady. 

Digital marketing, social media, online branding and virtual shopping are NOT going away – not now, not next month, not in the near future. 

In fact, most business categories can expect a 20-50% growth in online spending, according to consumer reports, which also show that consumers don’t plan on changing these behaviors any time soon. 

What does that mean for Santa Clarita business owners? Your customers are online, and very likely, so are your competitors. The only question is: Are you? 

A Shift In Marketing That’s Here To Stay 

Santa clarita business owners, Santa Clarita business owner, Santa Clarita, Santa Clarita small business, Santa Clarita small businesses, marketing mindset, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita video, Santa Clarita video marketing, Santa Clarita video productionMarketing, whether on a national or local scale, is changing for the long-term. These pandemic-related consumer behaviors are, in many cases, here to stay. And the longer you wait to pivot your marketing plan, the more time your competitors have to get a head start on saturating your digital market. 

Marketing has accelerated into the future, whether you’re a Santa Clarita business owner, big-box chain store, service-based startup or small business storefront. There’s no going back from here. And there’s no more time to waste. 

In fact, you’re already losing ground if your digital presence isn’t intentional, consistent and captivating. 

So how do you pivot your marketing plan to align with this “new normal?” Well, before you jump head-first into a shiny, new marketing strategy, let’s talk about a few mindset shifts that will set up Santa Clarita business owners for success in the post-COVID digital world. 

5 Marketing Mindset Shifts For Santa Clarita Business Owners

Santa clarita business owners, Santa Clarita business owner, Santa Clarita, Santa Clarita small business, Santa Clarita small businesses, marketing mindset, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita video, Santa Clarita video marketing, Santa Clarita video production

1. I just need to survive this crisis → 

I need to adapt my marketing plan to align with the changing market.  

We’re long past living in survival mode. It’s time to focus on thriving despite our difficult circumstances. If you haven’t accepted that some of these changes are here to stay, try recalibrating your expectations. 

That’s not to say it’s time to lower your expectations or give up on goals. But you may want to consider that fighting the change may not serve you as well as leaning into the change. 

There’s always a hidden opportunity in every challenge, and if you can accept that this year did not go as planned – and it may continue to influence our immediate future – then you might find fresh energy, creativity and hope in choosing a new direction. 

Decide what changes you need to embrace, and consider how your marketing plan can change for the better, too. 

2. I need to reach more people →  

Santa clarita business owners, Santa Clarita business owner, Santa Clarita, Santa Clarita small business, Santa Clarita small businesses, marketing mindset, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita video, Santa Clarita video marketing, Santa Clarita video productionHow can I cultivate brand awareness and build my audience over time? 

Yes, you likely need more customers, especially if you experienced a drop in sales throughout 2020. But that doesn’t happen overnight. And even the strategies that do bring in customers overnight typically aren’t long-term strategies that build your audience over time. 

It may feel like you need clients now and fast, since we’re all running in crisis mode to a degree, but you also need to widen your reach and build a foundation of trust. That’s why it’s more beneficial to focus on the long game. Without it, you’ll always feel like you’re stuck on the hamster wheel, making up for lost time. 

The best way to grow a steady stream of new leads is to cultivate your brand awareness by getting in front of more people, and then engaging that audience in a meaningful way until you build enough trust to secure them as a client. 

That requires an intentional marketing plan that targets each phase of the customer lifecycle: Awareness, Consideration, Inquiry, Sale. 

3. I need more customers →  

I need to build meaningful connections with potential clients. 

Especially when we’re in panic mode, we tend to think the best way to increase revenue is to find more and new clients. But studies have shown that customer loyalty has dropped since March as people shift their priorities to safety, convenience and value. That means loyalty is more important than ever. 

This is the time to stand out by creating meaningful connections and relationships. Yes, you need to make your customer experience safe, convenient and valuable – but a solid relationship will give you the extra edge over your competition. 

We’re all in this together, and people want to support the people and Santa Clarita business owners they love. If you’ve nurtured your customer relationships, now is the time to cash in on that hard work. 

Santa clarita business owners, Santa Clarita business owner, Santa Clarita, Santa Clarita small business, Santa Clarita small businesses, marketing mindset, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita video, Santa Clarita video marketing, Santa Clarita video production

4. I need more engagement → 

How can I create content worthy of my audience’s engagement? 

Your audience will tell you what they want. And they’ll also tell you what they don’t want. So if you’re not getting great engagement on your social media, it’s time to try something new! 

Gather your team or trusted professionals and do some research and brainstorming to discover who makes up your customer base and how you can best serve them. What platforms do they like best? How do they like to learn about your services – video, blogs, podcasts, social media stories, webinars? Find out what they like, and start experimenting with content. 

Put yourself in their shoes – or better yet, ask them yourselves. What would you want to watch? What would catch your attention? Give them something worth Liking. 

5. I need to do more video → 

What problem can this marketing strategy solve for my business? 

Because so much is changing, a lot of people are coming to us saying: “I need to do video!” That’s great. Of course, we agree. But why

The beauty of video is that it solves a lot of common problems in a very powerful way. It’s extremely engaging. It’s versatile enough for all your platforms. And it’s an impressive, polished way to share information with your team or your customers. 

But for video to work for you, it’s crucial that you narrow down the purpose of your video projects. What problem can video solve for you? What area of your marketing do you want to improve with a video strategy? What goal do you want to achieve? 

By starting with your marketing goals first, you can use video to solve problems, increase revenue or productivity, and make your life easier. But you have to know why you’re using this strategy if it’s going to make a significant difference.

About Our Santa Clarita Business Videos

SchlickArt Business Video Sessions are story-driven films about your business, non-profit, product or service. Our goal is to discover your ‘why’ — the true reason you do what you do. Our specialty is telling stories, and we believe communicating your story is the best way to build your brand. We can’t wait for you to see how the world notices when you take the time to tell your authentic story. 

Visual Marketing In Santa Clarita 

At SchlickArt, we offer more than photography and video services to the Santa Clarita area and beyond. We do our best to provide our clients with marketing expertise and direction every chance we get. We know you need your images and video to help grow your business — that’s why you invest in them, and that’s why do, too. Please take a minute to search through our blogs to find the visual marketing information that will help your business, or give us a call. We’re happy to help! 

About SchlickArt Photography and Video

SchlickArt, a boutique photo and video studio in Santa Clarita, started in March 2012 with the simple idea that empowerment creates a kind of beauty and authenticity that shines through every camera lens. Built on a philosophy — rather than a product, service or person — SchlickArt has rapidly evolved, meeting professional portraiture, business photo and business video needs as diverse as the community we capture. It’s the desire to take care of you, the client, that drives us at SchlickArt.