What Works: Grow your business without as much green
Submitted by editor on Mon, 04/14/2014 - 9:55am
The other day, I had a conversation with a client who had a tiny marketing budget. Although their product was great, they had a hard time getting the word out because they couldn't afford to advertise like they wanted. Advertising is important, but it’s not end end-all, be-all of business. There are three things you need to build a customer base, or what I’d like to call your future fan base.
1) A product or service worth talking about
2) An opportunity to expose people to that winning product or service
3) Follow through to make those people feel special, invited, and part of what you are doing
Coco Chanel once said, “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” So, ask yourself, “how is my product or service different from my competition?” The answer to that question is called your unique selling proposition. Aim for excellence and uniqueness and you have taken a strong first step in being the talk of the town.
However, you can’t rest on uniqueness alone. Remember, business is not a “build it and they will come” game. People have to know you exist. There are two types of currency, cash and sweat. If you are low on cash, you increase the sweat.
If you don’t have cash to buy advertising just yet, you may need to sweat a little more. One way you can do this is to be seen. If you join a business organization, like the Carson City Chamber of Commerce or Downtown Business Association, be sure to attend their meetings and networking events and take advantage of their business-building activities.
Service organizations, like Downtown 20/20, Soroptimist, Rotary, Elks, also help you to get to know people while you lend a hand in the community. There are many in Carson City to consider joining and membership fees vary. Choose one that fits you best.
Remember, you are there to serve, not sell. However, through service, people will get to know you and your business in a natural way. Exposure can also come through publicity. CarsonNow.org accepts news releases. Just click on “Submit Stories/Photos” to submit something news worthy.
When it comes to low-cost marketing, you have to get a little creative. Dedicate some time to making a list of all the low to no cost things you can do to create opportunity for yourself. You’ll be amazed how long your list gets.
Finally, you can capture a customer once. However, your real goal is to capture them for life. This is achievable through great follow-up.
Encourage people to follow you on social media, sign up for your email newsletter, or give them an incentive to return this month when they are already enjoying your product or service. Most of all, deliver a fantastic experience. A survey, conducted by Dimensional Research and sponsored by ZenDesk, found that 62 percent of business-to-business and 42 percent of business-to-consumer customers purchased more after a good experience, while 66 percent and 52 percent respectively stopped making purchases after a bad experience.
Furthermore, who suffered a bad interaction were 50 percent more likely to share it on social media than those who had good experiences (45 percent vs. 30 percent) and 52 percent more likely to share it on an online review site such as Yelp (35 percent vs. 23 percent).
Remember that list you were writing about how to expose your business for no to low money? Add a column and now list out all the ways you can make your customers feel special. The more special they feel, the more likely they are to become fans and spread positive word of mouth about your business.
What’s on your list? How will you get the word out? How will you make the people you attract feel like superstars? The floor is yours, Carson City.
ABOUT DIANE HANSEN
Diane Hansen is the Chief Inspiration Officer of What Works Coaching, a coaching firm that has helped people worldwide with their businesses, careers, mindsets, and profit margins. She brings to Carson City more than 17 years of experience with a wide array of clients, ranging from top corporations, motivated entrepreneurs and individuals hungry for a fresh start. Her column appears every Monday on Carson Now.
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