Q&A with Alice Moore: how to avoid random acts of marketing

We recently hosted our first Mint marketing session of 2024 in partnership with Mint Design. The session looked at how to avoid random acts of marketing – a topic that is a pain point for many organisations and one of the biggest sources of headaches for marketers.

After the event, we sat down with Mint co-founder Alice Moore to get some tips on how to get the most impact from your marketing spend.

What are the biggest marketing challenges for local businesses?
One of the biggest challenges is limited resources. Tight budgets make it difficult to compete with larger businesses, especially in today's oversaturated marketplace. Time constraints from wearing multiple hats can also hinder consistent marketing efforts – we see this a lot in SMEs. 

Another challenge is standing out in the crowd. Quite often, we ask a business what makes them great and their reply is "great customer service". The problem is that customer service isn't a selling point, it's an expectation that people have. We know that's tough to hear because giving great service isn't easy – it takes a lot of training, communication, and retention of good staff – but people really need to zero in on their point of difference so they can stand out in the marketplace. 

It's also important to target the right audience. Too often, businesses are casting their net too wide. A good rule of thumb is the larger the marketing budget, the broader you can go. If your budget is small, keep your targeting narrow! 

And measure and track your results. Knowing what's working and what's not is essential for improvement, but many local businesses lack analytics tools or expertise. People tend to get overwhelmed by the words "data" and "analytics" but it can be made simple. We would love to teach all board members, managing directors and marketers how to read the data story that their website analytics and other business data is telling them. 

What are the biggest mistakes local businesses make?
First and foremost is a lack of strategic planning. Random acts of marketing without a clear plan, goals, and target audience often lead to wasted effort and money. Returning to critical marketing fundamentals – and not being seduced by fancy online tactics – is a great place to start.

Another mistake is not engaging with your customers. Ignoring online reviews, neglecting customer service, and lacking personalised communication can damage brand reputation. Use your Google My Business profile to its full potential – it’s one of the most powerful search engine tools available for local businesses and it's free.

Another pitfall is wasting money on ineffective channels. Focusing on expensive, broad-reach advertising without targeting the right audience can be a financial drain. Or getting swept up by TikTok or the latest profile, when it only stretches your already limited marketing resource. 

Do you need a lot of money to make an impact? 
I wish the answer to this was "no" but in truth, good marketing takes resources whether it's time or money. If you're short on money, make the most of social media, business networking (Business Canterbury has some great networking events), email marketing and Google My Business. 

So how do you find your customers?
Businesses can figure out where their customers are by understanding their ‘modern media diet’ – that is the diverse ways people consume information today, including social media, streaming services, websites, apps, podcasts, and more.

How do you do this? Here are some tips:

• Analyse website traffic and social media demographics to see which platforms attract your target audience

• Conduct surveys and ask customers directly about their preferred media channels and content consumption habits

• Monitor local trends and community engagement to identify platforms and popular topics

• Ask an expert – if this isn’t your wheelhouse, ask an expert such as Mint Design as you need to know who your customers are to be able to successfully and cost-effectively market to them!

Here are some helpful resources from the workshop:

• How to avoid random acts of marketing workbook

• Customer personas workbook

• Find your USPs workbook