Marketing – Always On 24×7

Debra — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 02:43:55 +0000

As many of us get into summer activities, one thing we need to remember is that as a small business owner, we are always creating an impression of our business, affecting our brand and reputation. Whether we are out to dinner with family and friends, socializing at the golf course, tennis courts or beaches, how we behave at all events, whether fun or business oriented, is something we need to recognize as part of our marketing activities.

What encouraged me to write this post was something that happened at a business golf outing I recently attended. All the people at this function were either small business owners or people who worked for small businesses. The group of men playing behind us became loud, rude and somewhat obnoxious. Their behavior was not something that encouraged me to want to get to know them and their businesses. My reaction was:

“What is your business? I don’t think I want to do business with you.”

Reminders for small business owners attending social events

Remember that you are marketing your business 24×7. Regardless of where you are you should be “networking” with people you meet.

Everything you do makes an impression. Just because you are at a casual social event does not mean you can behave badly.
Limit your alcohol intake. I know I probably don’t need to say this but over indulging in alcohol rarely has a positive effect on your business.
Socialize with your colleagues. Notice I said socialize rather than network. At a fun outing, you are relaxing and getting to know people socially.

The above reminders work for both physical events and online social networking. Remember to socialize with your colleagues on Facebook and Twitter when possible to show a personal side that helps complete the entire picture of you. People want to do business with people. Give people a reason to get to know, like and trust you.

When we started our businesses, most of us probably didn’t realize that when we are out and about, we are always sending a message and creating an image for our company. Unlike being a public official or celebrity, we may not always be recognized, but bad behavior is memorable. People will remember the person who treated them badly or behaved unprofessionally. Don’t give people a reason to not do business with you.

What are your tips for small business owners at social events?

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Visibility + Credibility = Profitability

Debra — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:24:52 +0000

Works both Offline and Online

For many thinking of starting their own businesses, the fear of finding clients can paralyze them enough to sabotage their efforts. Cold calling prospects can make some of us break out in a cold sweat. One of the things that I learned early on in my business start-up days is that there are other ways to find clients. When you have worked in corporate America for your entire career, one of the skills you didn’t learn was how to network. As a business owner, networking is one of the best ways to get clients and today, adding social networking to the mix makes your ability to find business that much easier.

One of the first things I did when I launched the business was to join BNI (Business Network International). Some people feel that it doesn’t work, but when you are starting a business, being busy meeting new people, gaining a support organization and having a place to test your marketing message is really a valuable exercise. The next thing I did was to take a course on networking. The course taught me the basic principle of growing your business, called the VCP model – Visibility + Credibility = Profitability. Dr. Ivan Misner developed this three phase relationship development model: Visibility–Credibility–Profitability or VCP, to help business owners understand how to generate profitable relationships.

Visibility – Be seen otherwise out of sight, out of mind.
Credibility – Develop the relationship so that people understand your value and how to refer business to you.
Profitability – Cultivating relationship with the right referral sources will result in profitable business relationships.

The principles of networking transcend to social networking. How does the VCP model work in social networking?

Building visibility and credibility using social media takes time but is worth it as it provides the venue from which you can create visibility and demonstrate your expertise. In many ways, it’s easier to develop this reputation online since the tools enable you to build your reputation on a daily basis. In person networking events happen frequently, but not 24×7.

Where to begin?

Create a blog and write relevant posts;
Create profiles on social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, MyBlogLog and other social networks that relate to your area of expertise;
Link your blog to your profiles and look for other opportunities to get link love;
Comment intelligently on other blogs;
Submit your blog to Technorati and Blogged.com;
Answer questions on LinkedIn;

Share presentations on SlideShare with linked audio if you have it;
Create videos and upload to YouTube.

You get the picture!

So why do we do it?

Because according to John Jantsch, ”Tis better to be found than to find“.

1) It’s just a whole lot more fun to pick up the phone and have someone on the other end go on about all the great things they have read, seen and heard about your products and services.

2) (And I think this is a really big point) Prospects that come to you by way of your information machine, that have logically progressed down a path of education, are probably ten times more likely to be ideal and equally more likely to close than those that you go out and try to convince to buy from you. In fact, your marketing system can be one of the greatest ways to qualify leads – if a lead won’t go down your education path, that might be a red flag that they won’t be an ideal customer either.