In the past year, small business owners and large corporations alike have had to shake up the way they communicate business with their existing customers and find new ways to tap into uncharted market spaces. For small business owners and those just starting up, this obstacle has been especially challenging. On the evening of January 19, marketing coach and podcast host Miranda Rodriguez fired up her recording software and hopped on Zoom with the Aurora Public Library District (APLD) and delivered a free marketing workshop to help business owners stay on track in the coming future. Find this workshop along with upcoming business programs on our YouTube channel available at youtube.com/c/AuroraPublicLibraryIL.
Rodriguez is the host of her own podcast, “Marketing for the Uninhibited,” which proudly reached its 97th episode January 19 and can be found on Spotify. A mother, book reader, and lover of her dog Apollo, Miranda began her journey as a marketing coach to help others achieve their short- and long-term goals for planning and growing healthy and viable business plans.
Not only does Rodriguez cover the basics of marketing in her seminars, she pushes her listeners and clients to dig deeper inside themselves for just a bit more. Her approach to marketing uses a tried-and-true method that varies from person to person depending on brand image, offered services and products. Rodriguez preaches and practices adding a personal touch to your marketing plan, asking those interested to look beyond surface level marketing and branding.
“Think about your target audience as one singular person, not a whole group of people,” Rodriguez said during her workshop. “Ask yourself who they are – what are their aspirations, what type of person are they, think about their values, families, accomplishments. Giving this personal touch will help you to visualize and understand how and where you need to market to them and the methods you choose.”
Like all good coaches, Rodriguez does not stop there and pushes her clients and listeners even further. Not only does she tell her constituents to apply their personalities in their face-to-face and online interactions with their customers, but she has them apply this same approach to their content planning strategies, goals, brand pillars and mission statements.
“Think of all your favorite brands and companies. What turns you on about their content?” asked Rodriguez. “Figure out what resonates with you personally when it comes to your favorite companies and products and apply that same personal approach to your own branding. People make connections with faces and people, not logos,” she explained.
In these trying times, the success and support of local businesses is crucial to the economic health of any city, town, and community, and ensuring this localized success in Aurora, is something APLD, with help from professionals such as Miranda Rodriguez, will continually support by offering events such as this Marketing 101 program. Did you miss the live session? Find it on our YouTube channel available at youtube.com/c/AuroraPublicLibraryIL. Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly new weekly content.
Not only does APLD find a way to be a partner with marketing moguls such as Rodriguez, but it offers community resources for businesses, has an on-site business librarian at the Santori Library and will continue to provide informative workshops in the future, which can be found by visiting aurorapubliclibrary.org/events.
Andrew Muñoz is communications coordinator at the Aurora Public Library District.