Lead Clients To Your Door

Self-promotion is something that many business owners find distasteful, but you’re probably already doing some basic marketing — sponsoring a Little League team, speaking at seminars, or attending a monthly Chamber of Commerce event. So why not go a step further and look for other ways to make your business stand out and help clients to find and remember you?

Where To Start
Consultants advise to begin with a professionally-designed logo for your business. Your logo is essential to your brand. It helps elevate the visibility of your business making you memorable to clients. Next, depending on your budget, you might consider a promotional campaign that includes newspaper ads, direct mail and email campaigns. But even little touches can go a long way toward attracting clients.

Even that old standby, Yellow Pages advertising, has options that you can use to your advantage. But be that the design of your ad casts a tasteful light on your business. Too often, the in-house designer of a publication is too rushed by deadlines and unfamiliar with your services to produce an effective ad. You’ve invested in the advertising space… make sure the design is the best it can be. Hire a graphic designer to create your ad.

The Benefits of Going Where You’re Needed
Sometimes a business-expanding opportunity sneaks up on you. Recognizing it and capitalizing on it is more of an art than a science. As a case point, the following experience comes from a physician who ran a neuromuscular electrical stimulation program for people with sore backs. Two thirds of the patients seeing him for back therapy were obese. So he launched a medically supervised fasting program as an adjunct therapy. He promoted the program through advertising and direct mail, driving traffic to his website where patients could get more information and enroll
in the program. Because potential patients for such a program were already familiar with the practice, he was able to develop the biggest medically supervised fasting program in his state’s region.

A business owner in Maryland, on the other hand, builds his business the old-fashioned way. “I make cold calls on local businesses,” he says. “In some instances, they tell their friends and colleagues. It often leads to referrals and new clients.”  In this instance, a good leave-behind item would be your busines brochure. A professional brochure not only relays information, but appeals to the emotions of your clients and focuses on the strengths and services of your business. It’s a versatile communication tool that may be used in a variety of ways: to generate referrals, office display, direct mail, and distribution at tradeshows and industry events.

Marketing To Established Clients
Your existing clients can be your biggest cheerleaders. Marketing to them not only keeps them in the fold; it increases the likelihood that they’ll send their friends, customers, and associates to you. Focus on keeping your clients happy. Offer coffee, tea or juice in your office or reception area. Provide each new client with a New Client Info Packet including: a personalized welcome letter, brochure, business cards, and any cross promotions that you may wish to include. Another client-pleaser is making — and referencing — notes you’ve made about the client’s personal interests.

Giving Clients Something To Remember You By
For years, a chiropractor in Atlanta had talked to community groups. “I figure that when Chevy or Ford is coming out with a new car,” she said, “they make commercials for the people who are going to buy the car, not the dealers. So that’s what I do. I go to patients.” And she hands them his business card. She adds, “I had my logo, business card and office stationery professionally designed. It always makes a great impression.”

You might prefer to give prospects a brochure or sales sheet for a specific product or service you offer. To reinforce your brand, be sure all of your literature has a consistent style and features your logo, name and phone number on the front.

Give your business a competitive edge by ensuring that your brand differentiates you from your competition. Need help with your branding, marketing or website design? Call Creative Instinct… design is our passion, small business branding is our specialty. Email gwen@creative-instinct.net, or call 615-945-9296. Visit us online at www.creativeinstinct.biz.