TEN TIPSfor Marketing Your Business to Grow

Nancy WilhelmsMay 14, 2009

Why it’s important:

We’re in a brand new ballgame!

Getting Started

• Introductions - Name and business

• What questions would you like answered or discussed today?

Goal

• Make you think about

• Marketing your business

• Marketing yourself

The same dilemma

• When there’s little business out there...how do we get the customers to come to us?

#1 Communicate BENEFITS of what you do!

What is the RESULT?

• Granite installer: “I make homes more beautiful with granite.”

• Bedding store owner: “I help people get a good night’s sleep.”

• Realtor: “I help families achieve the lifestyle they dream of.”

• Chamber Exec: “I help local businesses succeed.”

Exercise

• Let’s take a minute to write out the benefit(s) of what you do.

#2 Know your customers

They are your best asset

• Your best source of repeat business

• Your best source of new business

• Your best source of referral business

Market to, in this order

• Current customers

• Friends and family of current customers

and very last...

• Tall dark strangers

#3 Target your customer

Go where he/she goes

• In media

• In habit

• For fun

#4 Ask for Referrals!

Don’t Be Afraid of This!

• Your current customers are the best source of new customers.

• If you don’t ask, they won’t share!

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Expose Yourself to NEW

• New “social media”

• Facebook

• My Space

• Linked In

• Twitter

• More

#6 Go where others aren’t

You can do it, too!• If no one is advertising/promoting and you are, you stand out!

• If no one is advertising/promoting and you are, you get the business!

• This economy is full of customers and opportunities, and they will go the the companies that are VISIBLE!

• Opportunities can be VERY affordable.

Whatever you do

• GET YOUR CUSTOMERS’ EMAIL ADDRESSES!!!

#7 Go Outside the BOX

Try Something New• Web-newsletter to your clients with

links back to your site - Constant Contact.com

• Add a blog to your website

• Sponsor a program on NPR - KAJX or KDNK

• Sponsor an event (join with others) - get your name and logo out there - esp. with “benefits”

• Sponsor a contest or a giveaway

• Create traffic - like Las Vegas

• Be an expert - take a reporter to lunch! Give a talk…like this one!

#8 Fly your sail!

Get out there!• Network

• Volunteer for something you care about

• Partner

• Attend Chamber events!

• Don’t stay “in”

#9 Change Your Environment

Make Same-Old NEW• Landscape - ColoradoBiz says landscape architecture can boost real estate sales

• Clean up a retail or professional environment

• Make the same thing look different - for both you and your customers - paint, re-arrange, re-do for FRESH!

60-Second Exercise:

• Quick thoughts - What can you do that you’re not doing now?

• Five quick thoughts!

#10 Be CREATIVE

Have some fun!• Ellie the dog sells real estate

• Ski jumpers sell high end menswear

• Gay ski week sells bodywaxing

• 10 deer sell a magazine

• A refrigerator magnet sells a health club

#11 Be Contrary!

Be colorful. Be yourself.

• Don’t buy in to gloom.

• Take a break from things that aren’t moving forward.

• Envision what you want to make happen and make it happen!