I don't know about you, but I find treading into the world of marketing on par with Alice falling down the rabbit hole and into Wonderland. All around me are strange sights and creatures like SEO enhancement, link exchanges, PPC, Face Book, LinkedIn, Twitter. The list goes on and on and I'm afraid...on.
Just when I think I've begun to understand the concept and the how and why telling the Twitter world that I'm sitting in Barnes and Noble drinking a glass of ice tea will help bring in business, that understanding fades away like the Cheshire Cat leaving behind nothing but a grin.
Forums, message boards, social media, online classified ads, blog directories, link backs, website directories, article directories, content, content, content, it's enough to send a sane person screaming onto a plane and off to an island in the South Pacific.
This doesn't even include the whole "real world" world of marketing. Should I send out direct mailings? Warm call, cold call, not call at all but show up at the door? Letters or postcards? Flyers or brochures...rack cards, business cards. TV or radio or maybe just billboards?
Bottom line, who has the time to do it all? I know I don't. It is a tea party with the Mad Hatter indeed. What advice can I give to the small business owner that's already wearing too many hats? Cherry pick five ideas. Put a plan together, or better yet get a professional to develop a plan for you. Then work the plan and give it some time. Consistency pays off but it doesn't happen overnight. Remember, if you fail to plan you plan to fail.
Consistency is also important in design - logos, website, business cards and all those flyers and rack cards and brochures you'll find you can't live without. You want to create a brand and that begins with the image you present to your target audience.
One of the best ways to market your business is blogging. It's not as difficult or as time consuming as it sounds. There are good programs out there that help you set everything up and get you going. For more information GO HERE
It's better than playing chess with the Red Queen anyday!
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Friday
Know Thyself
As this blog is new, I have been giving a lot of thought to what I should actually write in it. It is a business blog and not a personal one. With that in mind, I have been thinking of the professional side of things, projecting an image of the perfect professional. Of course, we can talk about payroll and tax issues and finance. All of those topics have merit and will be dealt with, but in what manner?
I ran into someone yesterday that I know slightly. I had not seen her in sometime, so I wanted to give her a couple of my business cards just on the off chance she might know someone that would need our services. Without taking the cards, she said,” I can’t take those. I’m your competition.” It seems since the last time I had seen her, she had opened a bookkeeping service. I was a little taken back by her comment. In her mind, because we were in the same business, we could never help each other. It was her or me but could never be us.
I sat there for a minute or so feeling kind of silly having offered her my cards when I realized just how ridiculous her statement had been. With that in mind, I took a card back out of my purse and handed it to her again. I said, “Take it. You never know how we might be able to help each other.” She took the card, but I could tell she didn’t really want to. I went on to tell her that the situation might come up where she met with a client and they weren’t a good fit for her and they might be for me or the other way around. I also engaged her in a conversation about how things were going for her. It seems not well. I give her a few resources for finding clients and marketing help. I asked her for a business card, but she didn’t have one with her. With that the conversation was over.
She was never invested in the conversation. I think at the end of it, she still only saw me as the enemy, someone to take from her instead of someone that might give. Ironically, today, I met with a possible new client. This is someone that would be a nice sized monthly retainer. Giving the client and his situation some thought, I decided he wasn’t a good fit for my company. I still want to help him, so I feel it is my responsibility to give him a referral of someone I feel could help him and his company. I thought about the woman I ran into the night before. I could easily give her the referral, and I have no doubt she could do the job, but I hesitate. It’s not her skills I worry about, it’s her outlook on business.
So, what does this story have to do with how I want to present my blog, you ask? This run-in has given me great insight into something I should have always known. The personal and professional are tied together. Who you are as a person speaks to who you are as a professional. In my personal life, I try to help people. I do the same in my professional life.
The lesson I’ve learned, be yourself, present yourself as yourself whether it be personal or professional and you’ll never go wrong….unless of course you see the world as your enemy.
I ran into someone yesterday that I know slightly. I had not seen her in sometime, so I wanted to give her a couple of my business cards just on the off chance she might know someone that would need our services. Without taking the cards, she said,” I can’t take those. I’m your competition.” It seems since the last time I had seen her, she had opened a bookkeeping service. I was a little taken back by her comment. In her mind, because we were in the same business, we could never help each other. It was her or me but could never be us.
I sat there for a minute or so feeling kind of silly having offered her my cards when I realized just how ridiculous her statement had been. With that in mind, I took a card back out of my purse and handed it to her again. I said, “Take it. You never know how we might be able to help each other.” She took the card, but I could tell she didn’t really want to. I went on to tell her that the situation might come up where she met with a client and they weren’t a good fit for her and they might be for me or the other way around. I also engaged her in a conversation about how things were going for her. It seems not well. I give her a few resources for finding clients and marketing help. I asked her for a business card, but she didn’t have one with her. With that the conversation was over.
She was never invested in the conversation. I think at the end of it, she still only saw me as the enemy, someone to take from her instead of someone that might give. Ironically, today, I met with a possible new client. This is someone that would be a nice sized monthly retainer. Giving the client and his situation some thought, I decided he wasn’t a good fit for my company. I still want to help him, so I feel it is my responsibility to give him a referral of someone I feel could help him and his company. I thought about the woman I ran into the night before. I could easily give her the referral, and I have no doubt she could do the job, but I hesitate. It’s not her skills I worry about, it’s her outlook on business.
So, what does this story have to do with how I want to present my blog, you ask? This run-in has given me great insight into something I should have always known. The personal and professional are tied together. Who you are as a person speaks to who you are as a professional. In my personal life, I try to help people. I do the same in my professional life.
The lesson I’ve learned, be yourself, present yourself as yourself whether it be personal or professional and you’ll never go wrong….unless of course you see the world as your enemy.
Welcome To The Stonebrook Business Services Blog
Once again, welcome! My goal with this blog and all that we do at Stonebrook is to inform, educate, add value, and help you achieve your business goals.
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