From Exploding Tents to Digital Billboards: A Trader's Journey

Trader Stu reveals how business barter creates opportunities for new customers and partnerships while sharing his journey using podcasting instead of SEO to market his business. He discusses innovative marketing strategies and shares exciting local events happening at the Michigan Renaissance Festival.

• Using barter as a powerful business growth tool that isn't taught in business schools
• Partnership with Quantum Local Media placing ads on indoor digital billboards in high-traffic locations
• Michigan Renaissance Festival featuring world market, belly dancing competition, steampunk contest
• Camping adventures and lessons learned including the exploding tent incident
• Hyperlocal marketing strategy focusing on education through podcast promotion
• Free advertising opportunity for businesses hosting digital monitors

Quantum Local Media Venue Partner Information:

https://quantumlocalmedia.com/venue-partner/

Metro Trading Association
MTA helps businesses improve cash flow, reduce inventory, and increase profits through bartering.

The Michigan Renaissance Festival
Experience the Michigan Renaissance Festival, where history and fantasy collide!

Press X 2 Play Games
Survive the apocalypse in "Get Prepped" by Press X2 Play—play now at pressx2play.games!

First Hill Marketing
Elevating brands with innovative digital marketing strategies and solutions.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Trading Post Podcast
• 2:30 Renaissance Festival Promotion
• 6:00 Camping Adventures and Mishaps
• 9:00 Digital Billboard Marketing Partnership
• 11:30 Free Local Advertising Opportunity

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Hello and welcome to the Trading Post podcast, where we unlock the secrets of business-to-business trade, dive into powerful networking strategies and share my exciting journey of using a podcast to market my business instead of relying on SEO. I'm your host, trader Stu. Hello and welcome back to the Trading Post Podcast. I am your host, trader Stu.

Speaker 1: 0:30

I was going to take the week off this week and enjoy the. What was it? Labor Day? I was at Memorial Day, and Labor Day I always think M May and M Memorial that's how I remember it, I guess and then you got Labor Day. Of course was this last weekend. I was going to take this week off, but my sponsor, the Michigan Renaissance Festival, has asked me to mention what they got going on this weekend. So they asked me last week as well, but unfortunately I'd already recorded my podcast. I think they sent it to me on Wednesday. Of course, the podcast is released on Tuesday mornings, so I totally missed the weekend of Labor Day, weekend for them to help them out promoting whatever the activities they had last week and actually you know what it was. I should have gone too.

Speaker 1: 1:13

They invited me personally, invited me to go. It was for the beard contest. I think it was the Viking Festival, they called it, and it was. They had a beard, I think, length or style. They had different categories length, style and whatever. I forgot. But anyway they said you should come because you know you got a big beard so you might have a chance. So I was like, well, I would, but I already had promised the kiddos that we'd go to our campgrounds and yeah, so it was fun. Anyways, it was a good time. I come to find out that I am now renting cabins from now on and no longer tenting it anymore.

Speaker 1: 1:49

At the time when I made this podcast I was going to advertise not advertise, but promote or review camping things and items and prepping gear. Come to find out after I got through all of my stuff to try of prepping stuff that also doubles as camping stuff. And after this last year was rough dude, memorial weekend we went and it was we. We got. My wife got cold I wasn't as bad as she was, but she got cold and our two-year-old, he was fine, he was all bumbled up so he slept like a rock and he likes it cold anyway. And then labor, not labor day, the week was the last month. We just cooked, it was so hot and humid. We went camping during that hot spell and even though it was way up north, up by Saginaw, it was still just a cooker.

Speaker 1: 2:32

And, as a matter of fact, the next morning I was packing up the tent and as I pulled up a corner of the tent, the tent blew up. It exploded because it was one of those inflatable tents you see on Amazon or whatever, or on a TikTok they had, you know, has the stove jack and you you're aired up with this huge like bike pump and it was nice, it was cool to be in, you know, it's very roomy and very easy to set up. However, it blew up and I threw it away. I threw it in the dumpster at the campground because I'd already filed a claim on it anyways. So I already got a $700 tent for free, got my money back on it, because the Chinese forgot the poles to hold up a section of it. So I sent, I told them about it, said oh yeah, it's on its way, and the pole showed up literally I think five weeks ago and I got it last year, last May or June. So it took over a year for them to give me my polls and I told Amazon, anyway, it doesn't matter. Long story short, I got my money back because they never sent me my polls. They did a year later, but whatever, it's on them and what else let's see. Okay, anyway, I wanted to also before we get too far into it, of course thank my awesome sponsors. Metro Trading Association, of whom I am the sales manager, sales and marketing manager I'm always thinking of a new, a new title, I guess it's like I'm a membership, I'm a coordinator, I sign up new members, I'm a part-time broker, I do the marketing. You know, I make all the flyers and brochures, whatever. Sign up new people. So, yeah, so we help businesses grow through barter and create opportunities for new customers, new partnerships and creative growth.

Speaker 1: 4:10

And before I guess again, the second round of the tie-in that I wanted to get to was in the Renaissance Festival that's going on this weekend, on September 6th and 7th, you can embark on a global adventure. From the captivating belly dancing contest to vibrant ethnic dances and steampunk flair, this weekend is a celebration of culture's creativity and captivating performances from around the world. A feast for the senses is sure to delight, and this is the press release that gave me here to talk about just a couple of bullet points I want to get through for you guys. Let's see a little teaser and taste of what's going on this week on the 6th and 7th. So the featured attraction is the World Market Explore treasures, crafts and unique goods inspired by cultures across the globe. And then there's course I mentioned earlier, the belly dancing competition. Dancers showcase a mesmerizing movement artistry and dazzling costumes. And then oh, this one seems fun steampunk and sci-fi costume contest, from victorian gears to galaxies far, far away. Contest contestants bring their boldest looks to life. And then the cultural entertainment Enjoy music and dance and performances that highlight traditions and artistry from around the world. So it's new this season.

Speaker 1: 5:24

I wanted to kind of see this because of the Harry Potter. I'm kind of a bit of a Harry Potter fan. They have the Wicked Wine Shop, a magical new stop where kids can craft and customize their very own wine. That's cool. Then the Ninja Warrior Challenge. My stepson would love this. He does the Ninja Warrior course, or used to anyways For the last couple of years. I test your strength, speed and balance on the high energy course.

Speaker 1: 5:46

And then the Petting Zoo, which my family got a little taste of While we were there for the media night. They had the llamas out, llamas or alpacas I kept getting confused either one. So perfect for families. Little ones can meet and greet adorable animals and they were cute, it's for sure. Viking invasion experience, roaring and skilled activities and norse inspired fun every weekend at the festival. So guests can also feast on the festival favorites, shop more than 200 artesian booths and enjoy continuous entertainment across 17 lively stages. So that was the press release. I definitely wanted to get out for the Michigan Renaissance Festival because they are so good to me and sponsoring this show, and I got a chance to give away tickets for it and at my chamber events and that was really cool.

Speaker 1: 6:35

What else? So much going on. See, I'm glad I didn't take the week off after all, because I have so much to talk about and to catch up on. So last week I mentioned I was partnered up with a. It's called I'll release the name now because I didn't get any leads anyways but Quantum Local Media. I'm pretty sure I didn't say their name. Maybe I did, I can't remember, I don't know, it's a fog, but anyway, quantum Local Media Will is launching this new partnership.

Speaker 1: 7:05

Well, it's a franchise where you can advertise in those indoor billboards and those TVs that you'll see in a lot of bars, you'll see them in hotels, A lot of fitness centers have them and it's really nice because you're just sitting there doing nothing anyways, in like a waiting room or wherever you're at the gym, on the treadmill and you can see scrolling ads for all the local businesses. This is hyper local. Now I've been in bars like, for example, I called one of our members who owns gator jakes in sterling heights on van dyke, and he's already partnered with two other companies that do the same kind of similar thing. One of them actually is a member of ours at Digital Macomb. A lot of people talk to Jessica, but Bill is the owner and anyway, and he's got a national ad agency where I think they're the ones who sponsor all the booth TVs, because at his bar restaurant every booth has a TV but also scrolls, you know games, and then it has the you know advertisements on it. So it's again. You're sitting there waiting for your food, food anyways. We try and not be on our cell phones and it's just, you know, family time, talk, chit, chat, and you're going to be looking at TVs anyways and monitors, so you're going to be. It's, you know, exposure, there's more exposure.

Speaker 1: 8:11

Metro Trading Association is on I think 90 TVs with him around the Southeast Michigan area. So I think we got all of them anyways. And actually I'm calling all the. We've been on those monitors for the last six months so I'm finally just getting around to calling those businesses because, guess what? The owners or the sales managers or marketing managers whatever have seen my ad there or our ad for the last six months and hopefully it's a warmer lead than who are you?

Speaker 1: 8:37

What you do, where are you from? Metro, what you know? The usual thing I get most of my job is education of what metro trading is, what barter is, and you know. Hopefully the screen gave a little synopsis of it. Anyway, the cool thing is is that we partnered up and, if I can, I'm getting him into. You know these new places and my ads are showing wherever I can get him into.

Speaker 1: 8:58

There's a a little trade there, right, so you'll see the Trading Post podcast now at Mexico Tacos and Tequila. He's on Crooks Road in Rochester and then home the Fresh Roots Juicery in Rochester. I think she's in Rochester Hills. It blurs to me Rochester and Rochester Hills. I'm not sure the defining line is, but if you know Michigan, you know where Rochester is, you know where Crooks Road is and you know where Walton and Livernole is. So stop any of those places. You can see my podcast banner roll up there. And the reason why I did the podcast instead of Metro Trade is because people will see Metro Trade and either just not know what it is, but hopefully if they come to the podcast they'll be educated and learn a little bit about how barter and trade works and then hopefully you know that's an educational moment and hopefully it's more of like a warm lead, or they can give me a call and ask for more information and go from there. So that's why I did the Trading Post podcast. And hey, guess what that's why I started the podcast anyways was to help with that educational moment.

Speaker 1: 10:00

And what trade is? I really wish they don't talk about this in an entrepreneur. I did a small business entrepreneurship class in college for Thomas Edison State College I think it was, and I was living in Jersey. Anyway, no mention of you should join a trade or barter group. It's like the best kind of marketing advertising you can do. Okay, so I've gone. I'll say too much there, because obviously I'm a little bit passionate about it, because I'm back working for the company again from 10 years ago, so of course I believe in it, I have my own business in it and anyway. So get ahold of me or I guess even Will and let them know that you sent me.

Speaker 1: 10:40

If you do contact Quantum Local Media, I do appreciate that because, like I said, I get my an ad in every monitor that signs up to be a host for them, and for every person or restaurant or business that signs up to be a host, they get a free commercial in their location and five more TVs around the immediate area. Like I said, hyperlocal. I have very strict boundaries I have to abide by. Like I can't go like a Dequindre, I think is his dividing line, and one of them that's between that's Oakland County versus Macomb County and they're very strict. You can't cross the road. It has to stay in the west side of Dequindre, for example. You know hyper hyperlocal. So very cool. And so everyone in Oakland County is going to see everyone's ads and definitely get in on that before it's too late, because once, like I called the other guy, bill, who owns Digital Macomb, and I asked him, I was like, hey, I got a guy who wants to sign up to be, you know, a host for Monitor.

Speaker 1: 11:31

And he's like, yeah, unfortunately, like I'm full, I have almost 100 monitors already, like I don't need any more. You know ad spaces now concentrating on, you know, getting people in to advertise on those as well, because you can only do, you know, have so many, otherwise it just kind of gets redone in their own town. So the, the, the offer truly really is free. Like I got turned away from giving him a free lead. In fact the guy had two locations in his county and he was like, yeah, I mean, unless it's like a gym or something like that, you're getting 6,000, you know eyes on it per month. I think he said I just it just doesn't make sense for me right now. So truly, truly, truly definitely get in before they shut this free offer down where you can become a host and get free advertising for life. As long as you're hosting that monitor, you get free advertisement on those six monitors, one for yours, five around town, forever and ever, until you don't want to monitor in your area anymore in your business. So it truly is exploding offer, as they say.

Speaker 1: 12:38

What else I want to talk about? Media's? Exploding offer, as they say. What else I want to talk about. Let me get in here my notes, because I have lost my train of thought and, like I said, I don't usually I don't edit right Editing, non editing, is my kind of forte for the for this podcast. So, even though, like, this is kind of a on the spot deal, I just wanted to get it all out here and get you the media news stories for the weekend and talk about that. Basically, I think that's it. I just wanted to get something done real quick for you guys. Yeah, see, this is the closing hit. This is it. So, all right, go check out the Michigan Renaissance Festival. They're awesome and they've got good events going on this weekend. Stop in Mashiko, tacos and Fresh Roots. Check out my billboard that's going to be up there this week and, yeah, that's it for the week. No-transcript.