Similar to fruits and veggies, some of the best marketing is locally grown and organic. We all know that ‘Word-of-Mouth’ is the strongest form of marketing, but most might not recognize Word-of-Mouth as being Locally Grown Organic Marketing, otherwise known as LGOM*. Word-of-Mouth might be the oldest form of LGOM but with the creation of modern-day news and media outlets, advanced message delivery services, the World Wide Web, etc, Word-of-Mouth isn’t the only form of LGOM around anymore.

LGOM. Let’s break it down. Locally Grown Organic Marketing. Not just Local Marketing. Not just Organic Marketing. It’s Locally Grown; as in native to the scene and familiar with the cause. Organic, because purity, truth, and authenticity promote goodness. And Marketing, to simply bring the other words together with action. […while also not-so-simple recognizing that ‘Marketing’ for a business, while important on basic levels, can also be considered an extracurricular luxury activity that should not be treated or handled as a chore because Marketing isn’t cheap or always as free as word-of-mouth.]

Hoping we now have a clear understanding of what Locally Grown Organic Marketing is, the reason why I’m sharing this article, is because I want businesses to understand that their LGOM plan should be in good working order before they choose to pay for any Marketing from outside sources.

It’s very important that a business’s LGOM plan is tight and functioning well before they introduce any paid, non-native, non-organic, revenue-eating marketing plans into the mix. Why? Because if a business’s LGOM isn’t working properly, they’re most likely not ready to receive and accept anything new from 3rd party sources. Not only does it waste hard-earned money if they’re not ready for it, but it could also create long-term damage to the overall experience and business reputation.

Here’s an example: Restaurant pays for ad in local newspaper or radio. The ad includes the restaurant’s website address….but the website is out of date. Bad experience, but if the LGOM was strong, the website would’ve been up to date. Here’s another example: The contractor pays for a booth at the event. Event shares names and email addresses of attendees….but the contractor doesn’t have an email distribution system or follow-up plans. Wasted opportunity, but if the LGOM was in place, the contractor would have the means to handle the info they paid for.

I’m not saying that it’s bad to advertise, but I am saying that before a business advertises, they should make sure to have their internal LGOM plans together properly. Once a business has a full understanding of what they need to do to have a strong and healthy Locally Grown Organic Marketing plan, and have practiced, refined, and fine-tuned their LGOM plan, that is when a business can begin to consider if and where they want to spend their hard-earned dollars on outside marketing programs.

*LGOM will be different for each business as it’s comprised of a blend of marketing fundamentals and methods tailored to fit each business’s needs. LGOM is something that I believe is essential to make a business successful. After years of personal hands-on experience in helping a wide variety of businesses create, deploy and manage their own plans, it’s clear that a strong LGOM plan is more important for the success of a business than spending money on traditional marketing and advertising. Helping businesses create, deploy and manage their Locally Grown Organic Marketing plans is one of my specialties. It amazes me how much low-hanging-fruit a business misses out on when their LGOM plan is out whack or even non-existent. Bottom line, if your business needs help, give ua a call at 408.250.8066 and we can help.

Written by Carl Foisy