Marketing time versus marking time

Are you twiddling your thumbs waiting for the current economic malaise to pass, or getting proactive about marketing your company?

While many small business owners maintain a love-hate relationship with marketing (they love it when it works, but they hate doing it), the Internet, new technology, and common sense have conspired to offer some ideas that can rev up your revenues.

Operating on the premise that people gravitate to other people they know and like, it’s now possible to get known and liked at the click of a mouse. At the same time, some tried and true “high touch, low tech” avenues can complement technology-centric efforts to create a well-rounded marketing program.

Following are five ways to gear up your marketing efforts:

1. Go back to school. Promote yourself to your alma mater, both through its communications vehicles and one-on-one to alumni. There’s a bond that exists between people who attended the same college or high school—even if there’s never been a face-to-face meeting.

Research what communications vehicles the school uses to stay in touch with alumni. For example, the University of Denver publishes a quarterly magazine that addresses topics of current general interest and details the comings-and-goings of alumni.

Research the editorial calendar of such a publication; it may be possible to get featured in an upcoming article. Minimally, send in information about current professional/personal status for inclusion in the alum section.

Also reach out to individuals. Contact those sparking your curiosity or interest who have been profiled/included in school publications. Or, use the Internet to locate alums, and email them about your product or service. (It may be a good idea to ask for their advice rather than conduct a blatant pitch—at least initially. See “Ask, don’t tell” below.)

2. Go on a date. Social networking via Facebook, Linked-In, MySpace, Youtube and other Internet-based sites is all the rage. Primary uses are sharing information, promoting ideas, products and services, and matchmaking—both professional and personal.

It’s easy enough to check out social networking sites. Just go to their URL and follow the registration directions. To get where you want to go, you may have to shell out some money, but it’s typically a small amount.

Think of these avenues as door-openers, and don’t pigeonhole yourself because of the site’s primary focus. For example, some people on a personal networking site are simultaneously pushing their professional credentials and abilities—obviously figuring that there may be a good business as well as personal match.

Given the relatively low barriers to entry, register for several social networking services and see what, if anything, comes back to you. If nothing else, it’s cheap research.

3. Present new ideas to old clients. First, list out both present and former clients. Then do some research on their industries, trends, and company specific track records. Use results to get creative and proactive with selling your products and services to them. One way to proceed is to think of problem/solution sets. Identify a major problem or challenge that a current or former client has, and offer a compelling solution featuring your company’s offerings.

For example, a software reseller with a shiny new supply chain management application can research past and present clients to determine how this tool can solve a vexing problem they may be having presently.

4. Ask, don’t tell—or sell. When prospecting, consider asking questions or enlisting advice in lieu of trying to sell somebody on something. For example, if you’re a manufacturer wanting to sell homebuilders on a novel invention for kitchens, canvass prospects to get their feedback about value, efficacy and the best way to proceed—versus an overly enthusiastic or hard-sell pitch.

5. Get personal. We’re all flooded with emails, direct mails and other distracting communiqués. Unless something speaks to us very personally, it’s likely to get ignored or tossed. Getting personal involves providing something of value to the recipient in a way that showcases that value.

If you really want to snag that prospect, don’t send a coffee mug with your company’s name on it. Send a good bottle of wine, a spicy salsa, a container of high-end chocolates with the name of their company and recipient, possibly a historical photo tied to their company, and even a short story. This all can be done en masse with variable data printing, a digital process that enables printing thousands of labels or other items with true personalization—affordably and quickly.

This type of item demonstrates class, caring and your ability to focus on the recipient—not yourself. In today’s ubiquitous selling environment, this type of low-key, high-impact sales pitch can pay many dividends.

By getting proactive and personal, small businesses can open up a variety of new marketing opportunities that take advantage both of high tech and high touch approaches.

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MARK LUSKY is a principal of Lusky Enterprises, Inc., a marketing communications company.