Be Visible

In continuation of the Cutting Cost article from last month, we’ve written up an article with some more tips. The first section is about getting your information out there and in view of your clients. The second section is about helping people and sharing the wisdom gleaned from you’re years in business.

The big idea behind this list is Be Visible.

• Add Company Information Everywhere – A company needs to have their information everywhere that is reasonable and logical for the company. This means that company communications, such as emails, invoices, promotional materials, etc, should include not only contact names and numbers, but also the company website, any forums and/or blogs that are regularly posted to, social media, etc. If it can be linked to, then it should be included. The point here is to let clients and potential clients know where they can find you.
• Offer Professional Advice – I once had someone tell me that they may not be able to give good advice on running a business, but they could certainly make a list of all the things not to do. While mistakes are guaranteed in business, if you’ve been in business for awhile, then chances are that you have some wisdom to impart. This is all about being involved in and helping the community around you. If a client or potential client is having trouble on a project that you have expertise in, then offer up your advice to help them finish the project. This could be in an online forum or at your customer’s site. Projects like this show that you care about your clients and can help establish a company as an expert in the field, which can lead to word of mouth referral. As we’ve seen time and time again, word of mouth is one of the strongest marketing tools that can be harnessed.

Again, the big idea here is to be visible. While these changes may seem small, the goal is to use the tools that are already at your disposal. Adding your company information and any place where you can be found doesn't take long. This means, in many cases, making one time changes to email signatures, invoice templates, etc. Becoming the subject matter expert for your community can be as simple as spending a little time in an online forum answering questions, posting helpful tips to social media, or spending time at a client's site to find the issues and offering you're advice. 

Don't feel like you have to be involved in every possible outlet or that everything has to be implemented all at once. Simply find the specific social sites, forums, etc. that are relevant to your client base.