What’s hot in marketing: AI, branding, and existing customers with Lemon Seed Marketing

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On February 24, I spoke with Lemon Seed Marketing’s Crystal Williams. In a wide-ranging conversation, we covered AI’s use in marketing, branding, and the treasure trove of opportunities that lie within existing customer bases. Below are the highlights, lightly edited for clarity. 

AI

Chat-based tools are low-hanging fruit — and the easiest way to leverage AI. 

• “You know those reports you’re getting from your digital agency? You can upload them and say, ‘Provide me with some solid questions to ask on my call with my vendor today. Based on what I’m seeing, I don’t think our search volume is growing, so how can I talk about that with them?’” — Crystal Williams

How questions are framed can make all the difference in the effectiveness of answers. 

• “Telling ChatGPT, ‘You’re a 20-year marketer who just took a job at a Dallas-based HVAC company. You’re tasked with writing a blog post about [Subject]. Your company’s voice is [Details], and you want to emphasize [Point 1] and [Point 2]. I’ll paste below two examples of successful blog posts you’ve written in the past, and you want it to be as sharp as those…
• …Remember, you come from the marketing world, and you’re an expert copywriter known for being sharp and concise,’ for example, will give you a much better response than, ‘Write me a blog post about [Subject].’” — Alec Stevanovski 
• “Company specifics matter. At Lemon Seed, we use the word ‘Zesty’ a lot, so we can include that — the more specific the better.” — Crystal Williams

Branding

Occasional — and methodical — brand updates can reinvigorate your community. 

• “At our family’s company, we update our look every three to five years, even if it’s just tweaking a color. We don’t go re-wrap all 200 trucks, but we can take a chunk of them that are new enough — maybe 10 — and re-wrap them.” — Crystal Williams
• “People don’t care as much about what your logo has been for 50 years. If you change from Crystal Williams Heating & Air to Crystal’s Heating & Air with a new mascot, people won’t go, ‘Who’s that?’ — they’ll get excited, especially if you have some new-looking vehicles on the road… Kicking [things] back into your market can drive a lot of organic buzz.” — Crystal Williams

The problem with focusing solely on sales-driven marketing is that it assumes customers are ready to buy today. 

• “If you’re doing all ‘bottom-of-the-funnel’ stuff, you’re only talking to people who are ready to buy right this minute, and you’re not doing any pre-work. And that’s like asking a girl to get married on the first date.” — Crystal Williams

Measuring ROI on branding efforts is harder than PPC, for instance, but it can be measured. 

• “You have to think about tangibles and intangibles. The return you want to see on a new brand launch is being talked about more, organically. So, [that translates] into seeing growth in people searching for you directly versus ‘AC repair near me.’” — Crystal Williams
• “Another thing is customer perception, like the reviews that are being left about you getting better. And then traffic and engagement. Are you getting more likes, shares, and followers on social media? Who is actually mentioning you more and more? Branding is a marathon approach to growth.” — Crystal Williams

The simpler the out-of-home branding displays, like billboards, the better. 

• “If someone puts a QR code on a billboard, that means that customers would have to scan it going 80 miles an hour. And we don’t have to know phone numbers anymore either. Customers want to go to Google, type in your name, see your Business Profile, and click to call.” — Crystal Williams

Existing Customers

Niche audiences within your existing customer base are like treasure troves. 

• “Some of these niche audiences could be people who had service work from you but didn’t join your maintenance program. Or those who bought a large repair. Cancelled appointments. Abandoned calls. And niching is cool because when you email [those segments], it’s directed toward them.” — Crystal Williams
• “Another one is recommending [specific services] like IAQ, duct cleaning, water softeners, where you can say, ‘We just launched duct cleaning, and we’re offering you this first because you’re an existing customer if you book before the 15th.’ Now, they’re exclusive. They feel heard and special.” — Crystal Williams

Watch the full recording 

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