This week, Achdus Magazine took a break from our usual featured interview to discuss an important topic that is pertinent to so many business owners in our community. For the past several years, we’ve sat across from many local entrepreneurs — some very successful, some just starting out, some confident, some overwhelmed — all working hard to grow their businesses in an increasingly noisy world. After watching so many businesses advertise with us, learning from their experiences, and discovering what truly works, we felt it was time to pull back the curtain and share some of the insights we’ve gathered along the way. Not as an outside advertising company talking to you, but as your community’s personal magazine—dedicated to helping our neighborhood businesses thrive and having seen firsthand how powerful the right kind of exposure can be for businesses of all sizes.
Of course, we know that all parnassah ultimately comes from Hashem. Every customer, every opportunity, and every success is a blessing. At the same time, we know that we must put in the hishtadlus – taking practical steps and using the tools available to us to achieve our goals. Marketing is one form of hishtadlus: a way to let people know your business exists, to plant seeds of awareness, and to create opportunities that, with Hashem’s blessing, can grow into lasting success.
Over time, we’ve realized that many business owners don’t really dislike marketing — they’re just unsure about it. They’re unsure how it works, unsure how much to spend, unsure what results to expect, and especially unsure whether advertising to a local, targeted audience actually makes a difference. So instead of interviewing someone else this week, we decided to have a conversation with you — the shop owners, educators, contractors, therapists, tutors, professionals, and creators who make up the vibrant patchwork of Toms River’s business community. And we wanted to share something simple: marketing works, and targeted marketing — the kind that reaches people in your actual neighborhood, the people most likely to walk through your door — works even better.
