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Here’s a story for you… (a true one!)

Here’s a story for you… (a true one!)

Business Mindset, General Information, Marketing Tips, Websites | 0 comments

You know how “they” always say take care of yourself first?
Well, it’s true, you must put your own oxygen mask on first (and make sure your gas tank is full!)

For those of you who are my personal friends, and not just clients, you may recall I lost my closest friend in September. I was just developing a new normal, when her mom passed away, and so now I’m dealing with those emotions and travel plans for the funeral. (I’ll be out Jan. 28-Feb. 1, BTW)

However, this is a quick story on how I do need to take care of myself and my family first. With growing up in the middle of nowhere, I am usually very vigilant with filling my gas tank up when it gets to a half tank, and at the very least a quarter of a tank. Even though I now live less than a mile from a gas station, I still usually keep my tank at half or fuller.

This week I ended up taking my son to school two extra days than normal (usually carpool), and between finding out about the death, working on my clients projects, and driving Lincoln to school and extracurriculars, I didn’t notice how low the fuel gauge was.

My normal morning routine was thrown off on Thursday and I headed out the door for school drop off. Had the kid, his lunch and his backpack; had my water and my keys, but I forgot my purse… normally not a big deal. I go to school and come back (hour+ round trip).

On the way back from school I was listening to a podcast, and when I got to a quiet stretch of road decided to return a client call. When I was doing that I noticed that my need fuel light was on. I quickly glanced over at the “miles to empty” reading and it said 6 miles! I had JUST passed the last Tucson exit heading south, the next gas station was 15 miles. I immediately took the next exit, mapped it back to QT and it said 3.8 miles. I decided we’d see how trustworthy the miles to empty actually was!

I jumped back on interstate, being careful to not accelerate to fast and drove 55 mph back to the next exit. Thankfully the light was still green so I didn’t have to idle at that one… 1.8 miles to go and supposedly 3 miles left on the tank.

I got to the second light, and had to make a left hand turn… thankfully that light was still green and traffic was light.

It was at 0.3 miles to go and 1 mile left on the tank…I pulled up to the gas pump that was empty and it had a yellow bag on it!

 

I circled the parking lot and got another pump… made it with 1 mile left on the tank.

Now, I knew I had forgot my purse. Yet I also knew I had a $5 bill stashed in the van for emergencies and I figured it was a good time to set up Google Pay…

Google Pay wouldn’t work at the pump so I walked inside with my phone and my $5 bill. I asked the cashier if he knew how to use Google Pay, and he did, it seamlessly worked!!! I was able to prepay and fill my tank mostly up… and the van started! I made it back to my home office with 5 minutes to spare before another client call. Here’s my 3 tips…

  1. Use a mental checklist every time you go get in your vehicle… keys, water, wallet, etc.
  2. Stash a $5, $10 or $20 in your vehicle
  3. Check your fuel level every time you get in the vehicle…make it a habit!

Here’s to 2022 and making it your best year yet! Mine is off to a start, not a great one, but it’s started and I’m looking forward to every day I have on this earth, spending it with my family and friends and serving my clients.

THANK YOU for choosing Shield Bar Marketing as your partner or for simply being someone who tells others about us.

Sincerely,
Nikole Haumont, Founder
and the crew: Zeann, Renz, Jenelle, Sam, Bristy and Janrea

Thank you to Suburban Real Estate Group in Arizona for choosing us!

Visit the website here: https://suburbanrealestategroup.com/
Click here or on the image above to learn what we created!

Google Change & Merry Christmas!

Google Change & Merry Christmas!

Brand Loyalty, Holidays, Websites | 0 comments

Season’s Greetings!

I hope that your December is going well! 

Here at Shield Bar Marketing we are looking forward to being closed December 22, 2021 through January 2, 2022. We’re busy wrapping up all of our beloved clients projects and already have a few new clients ready to go for 2022. 🙂

Google recently changed on of my favorite product names from “Google My Business,” to “Google Business Profile,” which in my opinion makes much more sense! This is where you log into to manage your Google listing, which shows up when people do a search for your business, showing your reviews, phone number, photos and location (if you have one). While there is nothing earth-shattering about this change, it is making the marketing world buzz. The biggest change for Shield Bar is internally we’ll eventually stop using the acronym GMB.

Speaking of Google Business Profile – you’ll want to go in and add your holiday hours so your customers know if you are closed. If we manage your listing for you, send them over (right now, please). 

As we get ready to ring in the new year, we’d like to give a heartfelt THANK YOU for choosing Shield Bar Marketing as your partner or for simply being someone who tells others about us.

Sincerely,
Nikole Haumont, Founder
and the crew: Zeann, Jenelle, Sam, Bristy and Janrea

 

Thank you to Delta Insurance Agency in Arizona for choosing us!

Visit the website here: https://deltainsagency.com/

Click here or on the image above to learn what we created!

p.s. If you’re ready to start 2022 off with a fresh new look, now is the time to start putting the pieces into place!

The Power of Digital Marketing for Your Business

The Power of Digital Marketing for Your Business

Digital Marketing, Pinterest, Social Media, Websites | 0 comments

DIgital Marketing Shield Bar

The Power of Digital Marketing for Your Business

Creating a Visual Story

Digital Marketing can be defined as the process of utilizing technology such as websites, mobile apps and online resources to market your company’s products and services. The digital marketing space is never too saturated, although it may seem that way at first glance. Many marketing professionals and businesses, both online and local, use the internet and digital assets to create a visual story.

A visual story consists of images and messaging that appeal to the eye. Today, people have short attention spans and need to make their decision to click your call to action, within 8.0 seconds. A visual story will assist in the click, and help with a greater conversion experience.

Types of Visual Marketing Campaigns

Social Media Marketing consists of visual elements and textual content. A good visual campaign contains colorful images that also contain text, and often combine text over an image. These types of visual elements are called “memes.” Memes are easy to share. Shared memes increase visibility and encourage the almighty “click”. When a cold lead (prospect) clicks a link on the text of an ad, they immediately become warm.

The social network site “Pinterest” has millions of subscribers who share thousands of images daily. Tapping into the visual crowds leads to successful campaigns in a tight niche.

Warm leads can then convert to sales with greater ease. For example, a meme shared on Facebook can contain an image description and within the description there will be a link to a website. From the website there will be an opt in, warming the lead up again. Memes can be of baby goats, or serious political issues. Memes make you smile, laugh and even cry.

High Click Campaigns

Businesses with successful digital marketing strategies will have campaigns that enjoy 1000s of clicks to a CTA, (Call to Action). Clicks can be measured within the insights of most social media networks. The digital marketing lead within the marketing team will keep a close eye on the success, or failure of a digital campaign.

High-click campaigns result, by rule of averages, in more sales, more profits and more room for expansion. Knowing your niche and what they need from you is key to launching a digital marketing campaign that enjoys viral success. A successful campaign makes an impact, quickly.

What is your company’s marketing strategy?