Even If You Build It, They Still Need a Reason To Come

Here's the name of my business...
Here's what I do...
Here's how to get a hold of me...

For many businesses, this is their marketing message ... and they are waiting for customers to break down their doors. Why? Consumers need to be told why they should do business with you today. Consumers today have numerous demands placed upon their time -- time is a precious commodity, and you need to give consumers a reason to spend some of this precious time with you. What benefits can be had by doing business with you? Is there a way you can position your product or service to create demand for it? Then spell out exactly what you want that consumer to do: visit your business, call a specific phone number, visit a Web site, etc.

Since the field of dreams only exists in the movies, what are you going to do to get consumers to contact you today?

Show Your Value in Tough Economic Times

If you’ve done any shopping whatsoever at the grocery store lately, it’s no doubt you felt the pinch at the checkout line. Food prices have soared in recent months and consumers are making fewer trips to the supermarket to stock up. So what can food manufacturers do to help ease the pain? “Value” is the name of the game. Companies are launching campaigns to breathe new life into tried-and-true products such as soups and cereals in an effort to show consumers the great buy they are getting with these products. And as dairy prices have skyrocketed, the milk industry is set to launch a new “Got Milk” campaign with spokesperson Suze Orman touting the price tag of a glass of milk – which, by the way, is only about 25-cents. Talk about looking at milk in a whole new way!

So if revenues are down for your business, maybe it’s time to take a cue from food companies and consider marketing your product or service in a different way to show the value of what you have to offer. Reinvent your business and new customers will come! Just some food for thought…

Priceless Coverage

A big congrats to former Business Builders' client Energistics for their recent coverage in Bloomington-Normal's local newspaper, The Pantagraph. You can read the article here.

The company specializes in energy-saving strategies for the home and conducts energy audits to help homeowners determine areas for improvement. The owners have been building their momentum up in recent months, drawing attention to their field and ultimately landed great news coverage. Great job!

Visit their Web site: www.energisticssolutions.com.

Offer Your Expertise to Local Groups

Often a great way of gaining great exposure and putting your name out in the community as the expert on _______, is to offer up your speaking services to local social and professional groups. Most organizations hold regular meetings for their members which usually involves at least a short 5-10 minute presentation (if not longer) on a relevant topic. Think about the types of presentations you could offer and start contacting the groups you think would benefit the most from your information. Groups are constantly looking for good, quality programs for their members and would appreciate your offer to contribute.

Do You Have a Crisis Management Plan?

While your business may have a public relations plan in place that you are currently implementing, have you thought about the need for a public relations plan in the event of a crisis? Often, when a problem happens a business scrambles because key staff doesn't know what role they play or procedures to follow. So spend some time putting some thought into what your organization should do if either a disaster/accident (i.e., a warehouse fire) or image-disaster strikes (i.e., a defective/harmful product). It doesn't need to be complicated: an emergency call tree, a list of all needed media contact info, a point person responsible for handling all media questions, and general procedures when faced with a disaster/accident or an image disaster (where do you hold a news conference, how do you notify employees/families, how do you notify media, etc.).