Vashon Island marketing is tough. In fact, doing business on Vashon Island is not easy overall. Marketing, or getting your message, product, service in front of people is difficult… but it CAN be done.
As a kid raised here on Vashon, I was extra kind to people. I was taught by my mother to try to help others whenever you can. Look for opportunities to build other up. Sometimes, nothing will come of it, but more times than not, you will receive much more in return. I have lived my life like this.
One thing I have noticed on the island, is that there are quite a few people who say they “know” internet marketing, social media marketing or whatever you want to call it, but here’s a little secret:
There are very few that truly understand Vashon Island marketing as a whole.
Vashon Island marketing is not just social media, not just having a website.. not just sending emails… it’s about DOING SOMETHING! Marketing is work. Anyhow, enough of that. Let’s get down to it:
I am going to tell you, AND my competition exactly how to market their business or service to people. Yes, all you “marketers” who are trying to “help” local Vashon Island businesses, I am going to teach you how to do your job. Why? It’s because I want to help. My goal isn’t to help YOU, but to help the customers you support. If you are better at your job, their businesses will grow, the island grows, everyone is happy.
So, first things first. Let’s talk about they types of people you want to market too. I think of it like the Army. My nephew is in the Army overseas right now, fighting some very bad people. Before they ever engage, the do recoinsence on their enemies. They know who they are, where they eat, where they go for fun, who are their friends. You need to do the same for your business. I call it RECON. I will talk more about this in future Vashon Island marketing blog posts.
So, do you know WHO your ideal customers are? Are they Islanders? Are they tourists? Do they even come to Vashon? Once you know who they are, then you can try to find out WHERE they are so that you can figure out how to get your marketing in front of them. For instance, if you want Vashonites to see you message, are you posting on the Vashon Island Blog or the Vashon All Facebook group? If you want your message to get in front of tourists, are you posting/advertising on Vashon’s Tourist site, Explore Vashon?
So the first thing you need to do is recon. Find your ideal clients. Find out where they are online. Is it Facebook? Is it Instagram? Is it email? Is it text messages? Is it word of mouth? Answer these questions and I will start on my next blog post.
