This week’s Big Marketing Minute is something I share with my clients often:
If you are great at what you do, now is a great day to tell someone! Tell everyone! If you are good at what you do, then use your platform and don’t keep it to yourself.
I often say that Louisville, KY is a great place to be a small business owner. Our networking community is strong and active. The connections we make aren’t fleeting, they don’t pass by in a minute.
Years ago, when I started this business, I made some good connections through clients. Years ebb and flow and business goes up and down and those clients went their own way (one is no longer in business, one had serious budget cuts years ago and took all marketing in-house). But both, within just the last few weeks, have reached out to see if there’s a possibility of us working together again because, in their words, “No one does this like [we] do.” That’s right. No one.
I founded this company through word of mouth and networking. That networking continues to pay off. If you are a small business owner looking to grow YOUR business, here are some tips that aren’t even social media-related:
- Get involved with your local chamber of commerce. I’m active with Chamber St. Matthews and the other small business owners in that chamber have led to a lot of business through the years.
- Get involved with other networking groups in town. Go to the lunches, meet for the coffees, schedule one-to-ones.
- Start sending out an email newsletter. I am not one to have invested in email marketing years ago. I don’t have thousands of subscribers. I started last year with our rebrand and the list continues to grow. If you’re not on it, get on it.
- Always have a business card or a QR code or an easy way to get in touch on you. You just never know when someone is talking about a problem they have and you can offer a solution. Make it easy for them. Build those connections.
- Say YES! Go to the event, accept the invite, follow up.
- Every time you get home from one of these events, make sure to connect through LinkedIn. Grow that network. You just never know when it will pay off.
And if you are the best at what you do (like we are!) then keep telling people.
Does this sound immodest? I’m ok with that. I’ve spent a lot of years being quiet about what we do and staying under the radar, focused on my clients. But like I said above, this is really just no time to be humble.
by 
