You have a great business, I know.  And you are working hard to do everything you need to do, including marketing, customer service, and managing your finances.  Just don’t forget to promote your business.  What I’m talking about when I say “promotion” are those things you do to keep your small business in the “eye” of the community, to keep people aware that you are still out there, especially if you are selling to the community.

Ways to Promote Your Business. I suggested some ways the small business owner could make sure people were aware of her business:

Get involved in a community event. Every season has some events in the community that you could join.  I am sure you can find some that relate to your business products or services.  If you have a fitness-related business, sponsor a race.  If you are a restaurant, participate in a cook-off or food fest. Set up a booth at the county fair or at a mall event.

Volunteer. There are many ways businesses can help out in any community.  Just being out there and helping, especially if you bring employees along, keeps your name in the public eye and generates lots of good feeling.  Ask for employees to help you volunteer on a Habitat for Humanity house or a Red Cross blood drive, for example.

Create a community event and publicize it. Create your own event, maybe centered around a special day for your type of business, and publicize it.  Get one of the radio stations to do a promotion for the event and invite the community to help you celebrate.

Talk to community groups. I am a big advocate of public speaking to promote your business.  Find community groups that need speakers (they all do!) and get out and talk to them.

Promote on Your Website. Keep your website up to date and use it to promote community events, your own events, your speaking engagements, and anything you can think of that will draw people in.  Have a “What’s Happening In [name of community]” page on the site, and promote the activities you are participating in and those you want people to know about.

Keeping your name out in the community doesn’t take a lot of time and money, but it’s something you should continue to do to let people know you are “still in business.”

Image – mobikefed@flickr

Post from: EveryJoe

5 Great Ways to Promote Your Small Business

The TED Conference has some great “commandments” for public speaking:

In addition: Some tips from my experience as a public speaker and teacher of public speaking:

• Find a topic you enjoy talking about. If you don’t enjoy the topic, your lack of excitement will show through.
• Show your expertise. As I mentioned yesterday, don’t directly promote your business, but show your expertise indirectly and people will want to learn more.
• Work on one good speech. Spend time honing the content of that speech, so that you are extremely comfortable with it.  DO NOT MEMORIZE the speech.  Expect to take notes with you and refer to them if necessary.  I have seen too many people attempt to memorize a speech, only to freeze when they get up to deliver it.
• Practice your delivery. HOW you give the speech is much more important than what you say.  About 87% of what your audience is paying attention to is your delivery and the way you smile when you are talking.
• Make it interesting. Add lots of stories.  If you don’t have them, make them up.  People want to hear about other people, not about dry dull statistics.
• Focus on the start and finish. People remember the end of a great speech, followed by a great beginning.  The middle is the place for those stories to keep the folks interested until you can get to the end.
• Finish with a “call to action.” Tell people what you want them to do – Brush every day, learn a language, start a business.  Make your call clear and specific and memorable.
• Use the “tell ‘em” principle.  Tell them what you are going to tell them; tell them; then tell them what you told them.  Every speech must have those three parts.
• Watch the distractions. Pay attention to those things that distract your audience’s attention from what you are saying: non-words (um, ah, yaknow, like…), body language, clothing (nothing too flashy), movement (pacing, jumping from foot to foot).  Anything you do too often will be distracting.
• Keep it short. People want speeches to be (1) interesting and (2) short.  You can give an excellent speech and make your point in 15-20 minutes.  If you go longer than that, people will lose interest.

Finally, and most important of all, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Practice helps you get comfortable, eliminates the distractions, and hones your speeches.  You can’t learn public speaking from a book or by watching people speak on YouTube.  If you want to be a good speaker, you must speak.  The more you speak, the more comfortable you will get and the better your speaking ability.

So, get a great speech, practice in front of the dog or your best friend, and get out there and speak!

Image: dullhunk@flickr

Post from: EveryJoe

Speaking of Speaking…How to Be Effective

Why Speaking is Important. If you want people to know about your business, you have to talk to them.  I don’t mean one-on-one, although that’s important too.  I’m talking about sharing your business story with a group of people in your community or with a larger group of business people.  Speaking is the most effective way to promote your business.  It’s also the cheapest, because you don’t have to spend money except for a lunch or travel. What a deal!

Speak to Get New Customers. Your ability to talk about your business will get you more first-time customers than just about any other promotional strategy I can think of.  Most community groups are looking for speakers (free, of course), and if you contact them they would be happy to put you on the agenda.  State groups connected with your business field can also be good places to speak.  For example, if you are selling home-made salsa, find a restaurant association meeting and give a presentation on Mexican foods.

Promote Your Expertise. The best type of speech is one that promotes you as an expert, rather than a specific pitch for your business.  For example, if you are a dentist, talk about the various ways people can whiten their teeth.  If you are the salsa-maker, talk about the health benefits of Mexican foods or how to make a great Mexican meal.  Indirect pitches are better than direct “buy my stuff” promotions.

How to Learn Public Speaking. If you are terrified of public speaking, the best way to learn is to join Toastmasters.  The Toastmasters meetings are designed to help you learn how to speak in a non-threatening environment.   Find a local Toastmasters group (almost every city everywhere in the world has least one) and see how the meetings work.

Toastmasters as Networking.  An added benefit of Toastmasters is its value as a networking vehicle.  When I moved last winter, I found a new Toastmasters group and gave a short speech about the benefits of starting your own business.  I got a phone call from someone who turned out to be a great client from that speech.  Other business people recognize the importance of Toastmasters and you can meet some interesting business contacts there.

As you start a business or want your business to grow, get out there and talk abouit it.  Tomorrow I will give you some tips on public speaking for business growth.

Image: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Grow Your Business with Public Speaking

As a work-from-home mom, my marketing challenges are often related to finding my clients and assessing their needs. Unlike a brick-and-mortar business, clients don’t come to me – - I have to go to them. And couple that with a service industry like the one I provide (church marketing and professional speaking), the challenges broaden and become a bit harder to define.

Knowing what your customers want can be simple and not so simple. Sure you can ask questions and perform market research analyses, but will that give you a true picture of their needs? Perhaps so, perhaps not. The one sure way to properly assess your clients needs is to perform your own litmus test. According to the type of product or service that you provide, the only way to effectively gauge customer’s needs is simple: ask questions.

Often business women feel so passionate about their businesses that they fail to see if everyone else feels the same way too. While it’s perfectly ok to love what you do, it’s also important to see if your idea is viable and if there is a great need for it. Without it, all you have is a passionate great idea and no customers to buy into it.

Take for instance my friend Shannon who owns a ‘meals on wheels’ type of business where she and her staff cook, package and (optional) deliver hot meals to busy families. The concept is genius and the need is there. She did her homework by surveying families here in our area who are busy at the ball field with sports activities and school functions and need a helping hand at dinner time. Needless to say, Shannon’s idea is a hit with the locals here in Alabaster and she’s even talking of opening another location. Shannon very successfully found out what her customer’s wanted (help with mealtime) and provided a solution to their problem.

What type of business are you in or do you own where you can use a little help in assessing your customer’s needs? Do you know of three areas right away where there is a need you can fill but don’t know how? Drop me a line and let me know what your challenges are. Let’s see if we can help.

Bridget

Post from: EveryJoe

Business Marketing Monday: Know What Your Customers Want