There are so many great things to try when it comes to getting your message across - from websites to promotional items to networking, the list is almost endless. When we get into a new business venture it is natural to want to get the word out as fast and as widely as possible. There is no shortage of excellent companies willing to help you out, help that you will have to pay for of course

Do you need that brochure?

One of the first tools of the trade is the brochure. How often have you been to a networking event and either been handed a brochure, or directed to the table upon which they are resting? It is common and they can be informative. However I would venture to suggest that many, many of these are glanced at and then discarded (or worse, filed) never to see the light of day again. Now, often you will get a break on the printing when you order higher numbers which means you may have 1000 or so to get rid of. do you have enough storage in your office to accommodate them all?

It’s not about you, and brochures almost always are

The key to grabbing your prospects attention is getting into their shoes. What is their mindset and what pain are they dealing with in their lives? Specifically, what pain does your service solve for them? It is possible to get this message across in a brochure but in my experience, I rarely see such documents written that way. Much more common (also true of many websites) is the approach that TELLS you:

a) Who we are

b) Bios of the CEO/founder etc.

c) List of services

d) List of locations

e) Contact information

If you recognize this from brochures that you have seen that’s not surprising as it is very common.

Gaining attention is key

I don’t intend to pick on brochures as there is, like most things, a time and a place for them and they can be very effective. The issue is that commonly there is a lack of planning that goes into this, or indeed any other tool.What do I mean by that? Well the following things are highly relevent:

- What is it that you are passionate about in your business? Why did you get into it on day one?

- Who, as specifically as you can, makes up your target audience?

- What, specifically, are the issues they are dealing with and how do you help them?

That may sound easy to define but in reality, it often takes a lot of thought and time to get precisely right. It is time very well spent though. The sad thing is that many businesses never really take that time and end up with an explosion of different activities (brochure, website, mail shots, direct mail, advertising, networking etc.) that are not connected or even linked to a common theme and all too often concentrate on the service provider rather than the potential client.

Think about the three questions outlined above and then ask yourself whether the option you are considering to market your message gels with the answers

Small business owners often ask, “What is the most powerful and effective marketing tool to grow my business?” The answer is simple – “Follow Up.”

Follow up is the act of communicating with your prospects and customers in a planned and strategic way. Having an effective follow-up strategy is the best way to keep getting your marketing message in front of prospects (and referral partners) until they’re ready to take the next step.

Unfortunately, most small business owners are making it up from opportunity to opportunity. They haven’t taken any time to think through a follow-up process for any of their marketing tactics. Big mistake!

One important thing to remember (often ignored by many) is to always provide your clients and prospects with something of value. Do this and I guarantee your profits will increase measurably!

The concept of follow up is so simple. We all know that follow up is an important element to pursuing new and follow-on business. Yet studies have shown that even though most customers say “yes” after the sixth positive contact, as many as 80% of sales people have already given up by this time. As many as half give up after the second contact!

The companies that commit to follow up get more clients – it’s as simple as that!

Here are Five Keys to keep in mind for effective Follow Up:

1. Plan your Follow Up for prospects and clients over the life of the marketing and sales cycle. Consider that you may have to plan follow up for key clients over a twelve month cycle.
2. Use a combination of letters, telephone calls, personal notes, and send written information and articles from magazines or newspapers that may be of interest to your clients and prospects.
3. Ensure that each communication gives your client or prospect something of value. Simply calling once every few weeks to “check in” or “see if they have made a decision” flat out won’t get it done.
4. Send tip sheets and free reports of interest.
5. Contact your prospects or client every 4 – 8 weeks.

Design a Follow Up strategy for your clients and prospects and begin using it now. Within a couple of short months, I predict you will see measurable results.

Sorry, I know that isn’t a very good title from the point of view of feeling good about yourself so I had better explain further!

If you take a look at almost any website out there you will generally see a section titled: “about us”. It is very common and understandable, after all, who wants to go to a site where you are not clear who they are or what they do? In fact you will see a section “about” on my website (www.balancelifework.com) so I do this too!

However, about us sections will often contain a catalogue of information about the company, it’s products, maybe accolades that they have one, perceived unique selling propositions etc. This is also, typically, how people introduce themselves whenever they are asked to describe their company or what they do. In other words they “tell”.

This is all very well but, in fact, most people are really not that concerned about you, either personally or as a company. I know that sounds harsh but think about it for a minute. Think about how you feel as a buyer of goods and services. You are primarily concerned about your problems and how to make your life better - fair?

So people tend to think more about themselves than about you. Unless your website or 30 second introduction or presentation addresses these wants/needs/problems/desires in a way that MAKES SENSE TO THEM, you are far less likely to gain their attention. In other words the accolades and awards you have won don’t mean much to them unless it is clear that it will solve their problems.

So, think in terms of your best client. What do they say about you to other people - in other words how did you help them SPECIFICALLY. What problem did they come to you with or did you discover with them as you worked together and how did you resolve that. That is one of your key messages that you can take to other people.

Of course, it really helps to define who your ideal market is and that is the subject of a future post. For now, it may help to think about the problems you solve and how to turn that into language that has resonance with prospects, talks to them at their level and identifies the problems or pain that they have (maybe weren’t even aware they had). A good place to start? Ask a selection of your clients!

Networking is almost certainly the #1, most used marketing tactic of small business. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that everyone who uses it is good at it. It has been known to leave many a small business person confused, frustrated, or wanting to avoid it altogether.

Last week, I had the opportunity to facilitate a brainstorming session on the topic of networking with several small business owners. The question came up, “Where is the best place to network?” If you’ve been trying to get your business out there, you’re no doubt aware that there are a tremendous amount of events going on any given week. There are Chamber coffees and after hours, referral networking groups, leads clubs, seminars, etc.

The question is how do you choose? How do you decide where is the best place to network when there are so many options available?

My answer to this is actually quite simple…

It comes down to your clarity and focus.

You see the problem is that a huge majority of small businesses never take the time to get focused and crystal clear on who they want to help, and what they want to help them get done.

When you’re clear and focused on a specific target, doesn’t it just make sense that you’ll better know where to find them?

Too many small businesses running around from networking event to networking event desparately trying to get themselves in front of a lot of people. That’s silly.

Focus on who you want to help and what you want to help them get done. Then go find those people and begin having that conversation with them. Will you find them at the Chamber of Commerce meetings? I don’t know… maybe or maybe not.