Local Marketing: 10 Ways to Get Known in Your Community

I will admit that over the years I have shifted my focus to primarily marketing online. However, there are many benefits to getting known in your own community. Online connections are great, but nothing beats face-to-face interaction. It’s also pretty wonderful to be the go-to resource for prospective customers in your own backyard.

At the same time, I see a lot of business owners keeping frantic schedules trying to make it to every networking event in town. That is a really difficult way to build a business because it requires so much time and effort and can dramatically impact productivity. Instead of running yourself into the ground, consider the following strategies for marketing your business and building your audience locally.

1. Speak – I write a lot about the importance of establishing your authority in your field and when you’re the speaker you have a captive audience that instantly views you as an expert. It’s easier than you might think to book local engagements via trade associations, chambers of commerce, and service clubs.

2. Teach – Deliver classes via local schools, adult education programs, the parks and recreation department, or host your own workshops. If you enjoy teaching, this can be rewarding and productive. Even if a small number of people show up to your class at the adult education center, being featured in the catalog mailer can be worth the price of admission.

3. Volunteer – Seek out a prominent position on the board for your favorite organization, cause, or trade association. You will gain visibility with members and will do some good along the way.

4. Join – Choose your networking groups wisely because these can be time consuming, but joining just one or two can be productive.  In addition to meeting new clients, it can also be fun to get out with fellow business owners on a regular basis and talk shop, just avoid over extending yourself and make sure each group provides value.

5. Lead – Consider starting your own group via http://Meetup.com. I run the Sacramento Speakers Network and we have 800 members and growing. It’s been a powerful way to connect with community leaders, get known in the area, form friendships, and meet new clients. Plus, it’s a heck of a lot of fun!

6. Write – Local newspapers and business journals usually welcome local contributors. If you have a gift for writing, reach out to the editor and simply ask.

7. Host – Become the regular MC for annual events or start your own must-attend event that draws a crowd. Fundraisers can also make great events with the bonus of giving back to your favorite cause.

8. Stop – If you’re running all over the place trying to make it to meetings, take a hard look at the return you get on that investment. How many clients have come from each group that you belong to and how many hours do you spend each week or month? If you earn $50 per hour and devote eight hours per month to a group, your personal investment is $400 in labor costs. And if that group nets you just one client every couple of months and that client is worth just $200, you are actually losing money in the long run.

9. Give – Instead of boring brochures or flyers, create information products that you can give away. That can include a handy booklet or rack card with tips, CD with a video demonstration, or my favorite of all—a book you’ve written. Hand them out to strategic referral sources all over town, leave them in lobbies where they can be given away, or ask partners to hand them out for you. Unlike brochures, people want to keep information.

10. Deliver – One of the biggest business killers is a bad reputation, which can spread quickly in a small local community. Commit to dazzling each and every client and you will be rewarded with word-of-mouth marketing and a lifetime of referrals.

Stephanie Chandler is the author of LEAP! 101 Ways to Grow Your Business.
She is also CEO of http://AuthorityPublishing.com, a custom publisher of
nonfiction books, and http://BusinessInfoGuide.com, a directory of resources
for entrepreneurs. Also visit http://StephanieChandler.com

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