Duct Tape Marketing

Look, I don’t really think that the mySpaces and Facebooks of the world are that important for the typical small business as they stand today. There may be very practical business reasons for some to actually use these and other, what are called social networks, for business gain, but most people that have jumped on the social network bandwagon have found themselves left with a “is this all there is” kind of feeling.

If Howard Dean’s failed political campaign accomplished anything, I would say that it brought to the mainstream the use of something called a weblog or “blog” as it known in cyberspace.

A blog is really nothing more than a diary uploaded to the Internet and until about the last 12 months was the realm of the individual who saw it as a way to publish there random (and sometimes disturbed) thoughts. The great thing about weblogs, and the growing set of software that is being created to publish them, is that they are a tremendous business tool.

For any professional, a strong personal brand is worth its weight in gold.

Yet, so few people see themselves as a brand. So, as is no surprise even fewer market themselves accordingly.

Here’s a little tip. Everyone has a brand. The only real question is whether your created it intentionally or
accidentally.

Here’s a test. Think of 10 people you know in some manner, could be personal or could be professional.

The market for what most businesses offer is so crowded that it is very difficult to stand out. But, in order for the small business to succeed, it must be able to stand out in a crowd.

One of the greatest ways to do this is to position your business or you the owner of that business as an expert in your chosen field.

There is a popular notion that suggests it is somehow healthier to create a clear separation between your business life and your personal life. That unless and until you can accomplish this separation, you will by some means become imprisoned by this thing you do to make a living.

Nobody likes to cold call. Okay, very few people that I know like to cold call looking for clients. For those of you that fit that description, I have some good news. Stop it. Don’t cold call ever again. Instead, let other people do it for you by systematically generating all the referrals you can handle.

Very few small business owners use it…those that do, can’t live without it

Let me get right to the point. The single most powerful small business, marketing tool on the planet is a marketing plan. Now, before you roll your eyes and run for the hills, let me clear a few things up.

"You've got to sing like you don't need the money." The lyric to an old Guy Clark song best demonstrates one of my long held marketing principles.

If I have more demands on my time than I can meet. I can look someone squarely in the eye and name my price, because I don’t “have” to get the order.

One the best ways to understand the experience that your clients or potential clients have with your firm is to become a client.

Your goal here is to attempt to see your business as the world does.

Most small businesses try to serve giants chunks of the market in an effort to capture more business. The reasoning goes something like, “if I can be all things to all people...my market will be unlimited.”

The reality is just the opposite. When you attempt to be all things to all people, the only thing that is unlimited is the amount of competition you will face from every other firm that claims to do what you do.