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Keep in Touch Part 3 There are plenty of ways to communicate with your existing customers on a regular basis... just a little imagination, careful planning, and thinking in your customers shoes is all it takes. In this article, we look another valuable way to keep in touch with your customers getting involved in your community. Get involved in your community My local Garage has only 3 ways of promoting themselves 4 if you count their shop-front signage. One, they advertise in the movie theatres (bizarre, but it must work!), two, they provide great service which encourages excellent word-of-mouth referrals, and three this is good sponsoring local school sports teams. It really makes sense when you consider their market is all in the same geographical area, just about everyone these days has a car, and when you sponsor a team its kind of a good deed which builds your community image. What about your business? If your market is homeowners, then sponsor community events in your community that will interest your people. For instance, part of your work is doing indoor and outdoor decorative concrete to enhance a garden. Sponsor a tree-planting! Show that you care for the environment. Or, if its driveways you do best, get your name associated with the local classic car show! I almost left out the most obvious option having a presence at anything to do with building or renovating. Okay, so maybe your market is other businesses no problem, they are a community too. Sponsor a trade show or at least have a stand there. Wherever your market is, be part of whats going on. Be associated with good causes. Think creatively about what relates to your specific line of work, and get involved! Write articles for your local paper Think about all the questions your customers usually ask you do the same questions come up, time after time? Make a note of them they can come in very useful! Approach your local newspaper and see if they have a section on "home and garden". Write the answers to your most commonly asked questions (use a writer if you have to) in a brief question-and-answer format, and answer one question per week. Here are some other subjects you may like to try - landscaping, construction, building a home, choosing a home to buy, renovating give good, solid advice. This gives the newspaper a column which they can run for free, it gives you some great free publicity, and it gives your future customers your phone number! If the paper isnt keen to run a column buy an ad! For the ad copy, use exactly what you would use if you were writing a column. Some papers may require you to put the word "Advertisement" up the top, but thats okay. If you give readers something interesting to read, youve got their attention and they will know who to look for. This touches on our next topic, becoming an expert. You may be surprised at what you already know. See you then. Remember you can keep in touch with me by emailing simon@concretenetwork.com. ConcreteNetwork.Com columnist SIMON YOUNG is a professional writer and communicator. His experience includes writing for web sites, brochures, and 6 years creating radio ads. Look for insights from Simon every other Friday! Other Columns by Simon Young Keep in Touch - Part 1 - Existing Customers Are Best Source of Continuing Business. Profound Wisdom -The Lost Art of Chinese Checkers Principles That You Can Use to Communicate Better With Your Customers Find a Concrete Contractor 24 Services in 221 Metros -- U.S. and Canada © 1999-2012 ConcreteNetwork.com None of this site may be reproduced without written permission |
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