The Beginnings of BBG&G

I met Deborah Garry at a Chamber Trade Show back in 1995. At the time, we each had our own small businesses that complemented each other. Debbe owned Ideas Design and I owned Rock Bridge Graphic Design. Debbe had already been working with Gene Bove on a large project and pulled me in on another. I had previously been working with a copywriter/illustrator who was intended to be our fourth partner. 

BBG&G was formed in 1997 when the four of us came together. Bisel, Bové, Garry and, well the fourth partner never quite made it through all the corporate paperwork before she realized that being a partner in a corporation wasn’t for her. So, instead of changing the name, we decided to keep the last “G” and let God be our silent partner. We knew he would be anyway.

When we first started the company we were working out of home offices, but it wasn’t long before we found a beautiful office space on 17K in Montgomery. One of our first employees was a seasoned bank professional who we hired for New Business Development. Izzy Lopez was wonderful and brought us our first bank account. It was less than a year that Izzy worked for us when we had a winter storm and he was killed in a car accident just a half mile from the office. It was awful. Izzy was the father of two young children, a good Christian man, and a hard worker. We still think of him often.

The agency really started taking off in 2001 — until September 11^th. 

On September 11^th, we were scheduled to sign contracts with a medium-sized, high-profile account in the entertainment industry. The contracts were never signed. As a result of 9/11, many NYC agencies shut their doors or had major layoffs. As a result, many ad executives moved up to the Hudson Valley and this area was bombarded with small start-up agencies. The competition increased tenfold.

By 2004, BBG&G had recovered. Now in business for seven years, the agency was becoming more well-known and respected. In fact, in 2006 we were hired by McDonald’s® to promote the McDonald’s travel plazas along the New York State Thruway. What an honor!

At the end of 2006, our partner Gene retired. The four partners became two (plus our silent partner, of course).

In the spring of 2007, we celebrated our 10-year anniversary with a lovely celebration at the Trotter’s Museum in Goshen. We invited clients, family, close friends, and business associates from the Orange County Chamber, Leadership Orange, our various vendors — heck, even some competitors whom we are friendly with. It was a great night. And although I sprained my ankle while I was down in the paddock feeding the horses that night, it was the best after-party ever, and such a special day for Debbe and I.

It didn’t seem as though we were basking in the glory of being in business for over ten years for very long, when the recession hit. And, what’s the first thing businesses cut back on when money is tight? Marketing.

We are proud that throughout the recession we made no layoffs. Our team is so important to us — and we have painstakingly built this team for 15 years now. We care about them and their families. As partners, we have often done without so our employees would have secure employment. 

With the onset of the recession also came the increase of social media, mobile marketing, and tablet use. Our industry has undergone an incredible amount of change in a short time period. The slower workflow allowed us the time to dig deep into the realm of social media and the digital world of marketing and to be at the forefront of the learning curve in discovering the benefits that abound for our clients.

Two thousand and thirteen is looking very promising for BBG&G (aka “The BGs”). Our long list of successful marketing initiatives, continued involvement in the community, dedication to our team, and reputation for integrity, honesty and hard work are opening new doors for continued success. BBG&G has become a well respected agency in the Hudson Valley by local business leaders, our competitors, and by talented industry professionals seeking employment. We have earned ongoing awards for our work throughout our 15 years and expect to continue to do so. We are currently poised for rapid growth and are looking forward, with enthusiasm, to the next 15 years!

Friend-Sourced Travel

If you are a company in the travel or hospitality industry, you will want to pay attention to this new trend for 2013; ‘Friends’ as travel agents.

 

People desire more meaningful experiences and a host of new online services enable travelers to go “off the beaten path” and discover the hidden secrets of their destination, offered by trusted, local experts whom consumers see as friends. Some websites are even giving options for people to overnight at the homes of their local tour guides, dine with locals, and take tours with a city resident. 

One site that has really been gaining an extensive following is Vayable. Their mission is to
“... enable entrepreneurship, cultural exchange, community-building and exploration worldwide by empowering people to share experiences with others.” You can discover, book, and offer tours and activities almost anywhere in the world. Vayable hand picks experiences submitted by users. Travelers really appreciate the high quality and ‘realness’ of the site. 

As much as the travel industry relies on travelers, it also relies on destinations. Survival of the tourism industry translates into the survival of the communities that sustain it. Vayable provides these smaller — almost forgotten gems of communities — with a new safe and fun way to accomplish sustainability. Small towns can post getaways and invite friends to come join them. 

With travel being so inherently social, it is important that the tourism industry becomes just as social. If you are in the business of travel or tourism, check out these sites as well: Trippy, Airbnb, and Trip Birds.

Local Commerce Unleashed

Small businesses listen up! This year, more than ever, consumers will be compelled to shop locally. New technology is providing services that identify local shops offering exactly what consumers are looking for. Shoppers are tech-savvy and expect purchasing to be quick, convenient, and hassle free. The facts are straightforward, if the experience is not convenient, consumers are less inclined to use you as a merchant. Here are two ways to jump on this tech-savvy bandwagon:

1. Intuit, otherwise known as mobile payments on the go. The commercials show an on-the-go personal trainer using Intuit but in actuality, it is great for any small business that currently does not accept credit cards. In some cases it might be less costly than getting a traditional credit card reader! Intuit offers a free application for you to download (for your iPhone, iPad or Android) and a free card reader that easily attaches to your mobile device. You are charged per credit card transaction, and it is commitment-free. 

Still not convinced about mobile payments? Check out this infographic.  Mobile payments level the playing field for small businesses, giving you the tools to recapture lost sales from large chains.

2. Goodzer is an app that is popping up on every smartphone. It is a search engine for unique boutiques and small neighborhood stores that can be easily overlooked. The concept is to find local products. Consumers can type in any product and Goodzer checks prices and availability in real-time of any local merchant that list items on a website. Retailers can easily add themselves to the Goodzer database by clicking ‘Add Store’ on the Goodzer websites’ navigation bar. The system is growing – if you do not add your store, local competitors will add theirs. When consumers search, who do you think they will find?

Local merchants who are not ready to make the transition to mobile services may lose sales to mobile-ready competitors and risk the long-term success of their business. So check it out!

The Tale of Back-Story Telling

Our lives revolve around good stories, they make us feel warm inside and connected to one another. Applying this to your business, making customers feel all warm and fuzzy inside, can make them feel connected to you. Your story can capture and put into words the emotional DNA of your brand. 

 

Like any good story there should be some main elements: personal challenge, struggle, conquest and triumph. Think back to the beginning. What sparked the idea for your business? What inspired you? How did you launch? This is the starting point for your story. Capture consumer attention by reeling them in using a character filled with optimism and hope.

As any exciting story, there should be a complication. If no obstacles arose from the beginning, think of last month, yesterday, last week; any difficulties? Then, talk about prevailing or overcoming that difficulty. Do not be afraid to add drama; remember to keep it genuine though. Do not fabricate obstacles. This story, your story, must be authentic to really win over the hearts and wallets of consumers.

Avoid the number one mistake, adding a sales pitch. Consumers are smart and they do not like to be bought. The creation of this story is to convert consumers into brand activists; if they know and love your back story, they will share positive gossip about your business.

Most small business owners tell me the same things: they are not good writers, they are too busy or they have no story to tell. Frankly, ANY business can create an authentic back story. No time? No writing skills? Call us at BBG&G and our writers can create your story with a “lived happily ever after” ending.

New Year’s Resolutions for Your Small Business

It’s that time of year again - making personal promises to better our lives, kick those bad habits, or improve behavior. Maybe it is time to position your business for added success in 2013; make a new year’s resolution to enhance your marketing strategies. Here are some resolutions that are a must for this New Year: 

• Identify and pursue new growth opportunities. Whether it is new products or new customer segments, how can you expand? Look at upcoming customer trends.

• Spice up your marketing materials. Start with your website. Get rid of items that have the previous year’s info. Use bullet points to break things up and make sure all your links work correctly. Also, make sure your business cards, website, e-mails, etc. are all coordinated with the same theme!

• Explore mobile marketing. Mobile internet will surpass traditional desktop use by 2014. If you haven’t done so already, use this coming year to explore mobile-friendly ways of advertising. Maybe an app?

• Further your reach in the social media world. Social media is here to stay and if you have not made the dive into it, 2013 is the year where it needs to happen.  If you have a social media presence, commit to furthering your reach by making daily updates and interacting with consumers more frequently.

By knocking out your business’s 2013 marketing strategy now, you can set the tone to be one- step ahead of your competition. Thinking ahead and making strategic decisions now will help you skip the game of constant catch-up later on. 

 

If you are interested in learning more about ways to construct a 2013 marketing strategy for your business, give us a call. The BBG&G team has the knowledge and experience to get your business ahead of the game!

Incorporating The Holidays Into Your Brand

In an earlier post, I spoke about how important it is to not only be consistent when it comes to your brand, but it is also important to take a lesson from the Boy Scouts and be your brand.  With the holidays approaching, many businesses struggle with how to go about spreading some holiday cheer.  Do you say Merry Christmas? Or do you take the safe route and wish everyone a happy holiday?

The fact is your brand is a big part of your personal life as well as your professional one.  Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza or just nothing at all, don't feel guilty about extending this to your brand image.  You wouldn't hide this aspect of your personal life would you? Then don't feel like your business has to! 

At BBG&G, we love telling all of the people we work with about our Christmas stories and we enjoy sending out Christmas cards to our clients.  It's not offensive.  It's who we are! After all, aren't marketers always preaching about adding a personality to your brand image? Though we respect every religion, this is who we are and we are not afraid to tell everyone. 

Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanza — or just have a safe and happy day.  We look forward to hearing all of your holiday stories and to sharing some of ours as well.