I recently attended the Dreamers Into Doers event in New York City—my first time in the Big Apple! I came home with many ideas, inspiration, and motivation to get our marketing plan back on track.
My biggest take away from the event was the idea to go green. There were a lot of great ideas that would work for our business on saving energy and not wasting so much. We have already changed light bulbs, but still have a lot of florescent lighting. We can definitely be more cognizant of our recycling and reusing of some supplies.
I also really enjoyed one of the sessions where a staffer from MSLO showed us an easy way to paint on canvas bags. I think that could be a cool project for my staff and me to make; it would be a perfect way to showcase our logo, and as a purchase incentive, we could include a quarter pound of coffee beans.
Speaking of logo… we are considering a logo refresh. Right now, we’re just looking at some ideas, but we know an update needs to be made. Fifteen years ago, Kodiak Coffee was strictly a coffee shop, but now we are much more than coffee and our logo should convey that image.
Our marketing plan has been sidetracked due to some unexpected conflicts, but I think we are getting back on track. We are focusing on completing our logo refresh so that we can start working on a new website. Once the website is completed, we’ll shift our attention to social media. It’s a slow process, but we are determined to move forward. After spending a few days with fellow female entrepreneurs, I am energized and ready to kick our marketing into high gear. The trip to NYC was just the motivation I needed and I’m very excited to move things forward.
I’d love to hear any ideas about how you and your business have gone green. What tips or tricks do you have?
How about a green coffee delivery service with a limited service area? Use a souped up cart, buggy, or bike with your logo and contact info to wheel coffee to offices, shops, stores for purchase by employees. This gets you out in your community in a really visible, low-cost way while also showcasing your commitment to greenness in a very cool/hip way. It’s also an opportunity to explore an area for new business development if you’re not already operating in some way outside your storefront.
I’m in the throes of developing a small, residential homekeeping operation. Our emphasis is on green house cleaning products and methods. We’ve limited our service area so that all of our jobs are accessible by alternative/public transportation to support our commitment to a green model. We wheel our supplies to jobs around central Denver in a buggy with our logo and contact info to walk our talk and help generate new client prospects in the neighborhoods we’re already servicing.
My best wishes for success to you, Kodiak Coffee!