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It seems the more we work with businesses – large and small – the more I see a dangerous pattern emerging of companies who are not promoting their business enough to their customers.

What's that you say? We're being bombarded with advertising and communication from every angle. How can this be true?
Well firstly, in today's social media driven world we don't really have any filters on. Sure, you can snooze or block a particular ad on your social feed, but really you are being subjected to a lot of inflow of information that isn't relevant to you.

The fact is, when we survey business owners we invariably find they are not promoting to their existing customers enough, if at all. And at the slightest excuse the marketing budget or program is the first to go when things get tight. But the truth is business won't get tight if you promote often and wisely to your customers, and service them brilliantly with highly valued products and services.

Yes of course, the frequency of your promotion should be appropriate, and it should be targeted, but don't ever fall into the trap of not promoting your business. Because if you do, you won't have a business to worry about in the future.

Here's four strategies for promoting your business that will work:

  1. Know your customers – if you're up to date with knowledge on your customers you'll know the right time to promote to them. For example, if you are an insurance broker and you know a customer is buying a new truck, or expanding to an interstate office, you know they'll need a new policy. If you're a cleaning company and you know your landlord client has a property with a lease ending, you'll know it's time to promote your end of lease cleaning service.
  2. Segment your customers – you don't have to promote everything to everyone – break your customers down into categories and only promote the products and services that matter to them.
  3. Promoting isn't necessarily selling – a simple phone call to check in on a client, or to enquire how they went with a pitch, or dropping in to help them on something is still promoting your business. The more you keep in touch outside of a 'selling' situation, the more clients will respect you when you are selling to them. You can still create a good impression and bank future income by being human in your interactions with your clients
  4. Know your NPS – You net promoter score is a measure of how likely existing customers are to refer you to others. If you know and have a high NPS score, you can actively go and ask clients for referrals. And word of mouth is the best kind of marketing there is, bar none.

I don't know where this saying comes from, but I absolutely love the visual – “he who whispers down a well about the goods he has to sell will never make as many dollars as he who climbs a tree and hollers(yells)”

Don't whisper about your business. If it is a new business, don't be backward about telling everyone you can whilst you work out who is your ideal client and get your business plan rolling.

Promote Yourself and Win.

 

Articles In This Series

1: Before you ask How to start a business ask Why

2: Five tips on starting a business

3: How to set and reach your business goals

4: Plan your work, work your plan

5: Customers aren’t always right (but they are always there)

6: Climb a tree and holler (always be promoting your business, no matter what)