Category: Networking

    Guerilla Marketing to Grow Your Business

    It’s about growing your own home business by using some offline tactics to do your marketing that are traditional but have been working for ever. So for those of you who have never tried to grow your home business, there are three point six billion people online. So remember to get your Web site up there like I mentioned on Thursday so that you connect with those people.

    If you want at first start connecting with your local community. Believe it or not,  yes, Yellow Pages is a great way to start. Get your advertising info into Yellow Pages and that does cost money but that will last you a lifetime in order of “word of mouth.” Once people start to get to know that you’re in the Yellow Pages in the directory, they can look you up easily and get your phone number and your address also maybe depending on the Yellow Pages. And of course, it is put up in the Yellow Pages on the Internet. And once they have your web site, you have a Web site up and an address. You can put that Web site and your phone number and e-mail and your mobile phone on business cards. On your Web site, have a contact form to “contact us” form as they say on your Web site that they could fill in and contact you for more information about your business.

    You can actually pay for the domain and pay for the hosting for a web site and it is certainly less than a hundred dollars You could easily learn WordPress. I know you don’t want to but obviously you could and that would be also free. Once you have that, you could put up a few blog posts and you have a Web site or you could hire someone to do that or get a free Web site as long as they allow you to attach a email auto-responder that will make a list of the people who contact you. Once they get onto your e-mail address list then you are in business with possible customers because that’s a very simple way for you to start your business growing is by getting on the Internet.

    But anyway, for those of you who are local businesses, you have to do some marketing for your business. There are still direct mailers out there depending on your community they could be reasonable. Send out a press release saying that you’re in town and available or you could do some ads in your local paper.

    You could also network out there in your community. There’s a lot of business networking groups. I’m not sure if they’re free to join in your community. The Chamber of Commerce in our community you pay a yearly fee but you have a lot of free networking by being in the chamber. Go out and volunteer in your community at a local food bank or any local business entrepreneurial type group. Go to a Meetup networking event. Meetups are free and create your own Meetup where you provide information and people can come and learn about your business or service depending on what you actually do and you could actually be there and meet up with others who are in business. Those are just a few of the ways that you have to be able to get out into the community so people get to know about you as you have to network.

    You have to market your business. So obviously you could also do a press release send it to your local newspapers saying that you’re in business. They’re always interested in profiling new businesses this community. Those are some of the traditional ways that Jay Levinson of the Guerilla Marketing book series has for you and let me just get his Web site because of course everybody has a Web site now and you can go and get some more guerilla marketing hacks for your local business that you don’t have to cost too much money to spend to get them.

    Gmarketing.com or his book “Guerrilla Marketing” by Jay Conrad Levinson.

    But anyway , so guerrilla marketing is a great way to save money in order to grow your business when you’re offline. Obviously there is some cost to be an offline business in people finding you in your local community. Tell all your family and friends that’s an inexpensive way. Hand out cards to your family and friends note cards to anyone you know. So for our offline business it’s now of course you can get online and get more business from the Internet. That’s why you need a web site. So as I mentioned get your Web site up there. Then you’re going to have to go and participate in social media.It doesn’t cost money to get on to social media and just chat and add your social media pages.  So that’s another hack is to get your Web site up and then get connected on some of the social media that might be of interest to you.

    So we’ll be talking about some of them that we’ve talked about in season one like Facebook and Instagram and Pinterest  and  Twitter .  Then you can see that it is possible even if you have a shipping company to be successful on his Instagram or even of course company like Ikea it can be very successful on Facebook. So hopefully you’ve got a few ideas today and I’ll give you some more when I get Guerrilla marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson out!

    Categories: Networking, Run a Home Business Tags: Tags: , , , , ,

    Networking with Members

    When you join a membership group, the whole point is to network with members, and the whole point of doing that is to build relationships. People like to buy from people that they trust, and the way to build trust is to network with people enough that they can get a good idea of what type of person you are. Even if you’re an introvert, you can network with members successfully.

    * It’s All about Them – Just like your “about me” page is really written with your audience in mind, and all about them, so is networking with members. It’s about them, not you. This can actually take a lot of pressure off your nerves when attending membership meetings.

    * Don’t Sell Anything – Networking meetings are about building relationships, not about selling. Yes, your ultimate goal is to get more clients and referrals. But to do that, focus on just making connections and getting to know people.

    * Make a Good Impression – Don’t show up at meetings in your jammies even if you work from home in them. Instead, dress in a professional way depending on the type of membership you joined. If the typical dress at the meeting is a business suit then you need to wear one. If it’s more dressed down, that’s great; but always present a clean, professional appearance that will please your ideal customer.

    * Have Business Cards Ready – It might seem old-fashioned, but the business card is still available and a popular way to share information when networking. You need to have cards with you at all times because you never know when you’ll meet someone who needs the information you have. Don’t fling your card at people, but when an opening comes up – such as they ask, or you ask for theirs – then you can trade cards.

    * Practice Your Elevator Speech – Some people claim the elevator speech is too old-fashioned and “canned.” However, if you don’t practice talking about what it is that you do, framed in the language of benefit to your audience, you will be lost and so will your audience.

    * Be Ready to Answer Questions – Not only should you know your niche well, but you should know how your audience likes to hear about your niche. In this way, when they ask questions you can always frame the answers in terms of benefits for them. Remember, you don’t “do data entry” – you save time for your customer by doing those tasks that they don’t want to do.

    * Make Out of Meeting Dates – This means that you want to continue building the relationship outside of the meetings. This is a great way to take the networking to the next level. Arrange luncheons to learn more about the person and their business, and move forward. You are going to want to refer others too, so getting to know them is imperative.

    * Go to Meetings Regularly – Once you join, it’s important to be an active member. Joining and getting on a list isn’t going to help. Participating, showing up, and being an active member will do wonders for you.

    It’s important to remember that networking with members is all about building relationships. It’s not just about going to a meeting, sitting there while everyone else talks, and “doing your time” then going home. You need to get out of your comfort zone and truly network. But, simply by making it more about them than you, you’ll be able to do it well.

    Categories: Grow a Home Business, Networking Tags: Tags:

    Nine Ways to Participate in an Online Community

    One of the ways to make an online community work is to practice a high level of participation. When you get involved in your online community, it will really pay off in a big way by making you closer to the other members. You and the members can become awesome resources to each other throughout your business’s growth.

    1. Introduce Yourself – When you become part of an online community, start out on the right foot by introducing yourself according to the rules of the group. Most online communities have rules that prohibit sharing of URLs or advertising, but most allow you to introduce yourself to get started in the group.

    2. Ask Questions – Once you’ve been properly introduced, start asking questions to get the discussions going in the group. This is a good way to get to know each other as well as to get to know your audience. When people answer your question, be sure to comment back and thank them and add to the discussion.

    3. Answer Questions – When other people ask questions that you have an answer to, be sure that you answer the questions honestly and openly, without any intent to sell them anything. Give of yourself freely and you will end up with a large return on investment.

    4. Comment on Stories – When other people introduce themselves or tell a story, be sure to comment on them. If the community often posts informative articles, be sure to comment on those too and to point them out to others in the group for reading.

    5. Create a Good Signature Line – Most groups allow you to have some type of signature line that has a link back to your website. Be sure to provide a specialized link just for that group that offers specials for group members.

    6. Fill Out Your Profile Completely – Additionally, most online communities have a profile area. Be sure to upload a nice headshot, and to fill out the entire profile. That way when someone wants to learn more about you they can easily do so.

    7. Invite New People – When you know that the group would be a good fit for someone you meet elsewhere, share the group with them. Bringing in new people to the community keeps the community alive and fresh.

    8. Be a Resource to Others – Never be afraid to be an open book resource within your area of expertise. If you want to be known as an expert, show that expertise within your answers to others.

    9. Start a Subgroup – Once you’ve become well known and people start coming to you more, see if you can start a subgroup inside the group. Ask for permission before doing that, but it might be of help to the group owner if you don’t own the group.

    If you make it your goal to do everything on this list over a period of time, you’ll notice something amazing happening. You’ll notice that you’ve built real relationships with the people in the group, and that they are referring you to potential clients and you are potentially referring some of them to clients too. It’s a two-way street when you are part of a community. The fact that it is online doesn’t mean it’s not real.

    Categories: Grow a Home Business, Networking Tags: Tags:

    Ultimate Guide to the Business Card

    a smiling businesswoman holding empty card

    With people connecting instantly by Facebook, LinkedIN and Twitter and searching for contacts and business through Google search, you would think there wouldn’t be a need for business cards.

    However people still want to meet face to face. There will always be a need to interact personally because first impressions of a person can not be read over the internet.  In the end, whether you will trust and do business with someone can only be ultimately done face to face and business cards reflect who you are and what is your business if you get business card design done right.

    In this ultimate guide to the business card, we will look at:

    1. The History of the business card. 
    2.  What is the psychology behind networking with business cards.
    3.  What are some of the guidelines for the best business card design. 
    4.  What is some of the new, innovative designs in business cards.

     

    The History of the Business Card  

    Before business cards there were calling cards. As early as the 15th century, calling cards (called Meishi) were in common use in China. Meishi were sent to communicate your intention to meet with someone. They also doubled up as a form of personal identification to gain access to private homes or exclusive events. 

    In 17th century, under the reign of Louis XIV, ‘Viste Bielets’ gained popularity amongst French aristocracy. A calling card was sent, servant to servant, to announce the impending arrival of a particularly big wig.

    from   A brief history of the business card

    Victorian Calling Card

    Around the same time, trade cards were becoming popular, and were used by the merchant class in London. Businessmen would engrave them with information, like maps to their stores, and hand them out as advertising before or after a trade. Colour printing and elaborate designs helped the tradesmen stand out, and became an early example of brand identity according to A Short History of the Business Card. 

     

    In the 20th century, the business card developed from the calling card to be a standard size card of  2″ high x 3 1/2″ long with  information about your business, your authority status (your university degrees) or your status within a business (last name, senior vice president) so it could fit into a Rolodex and kept for reference to contact a person at a later date. 

    Rolodexhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0

    The Rolodex, invented in 1956, was an improvement to an earlier design called Wheeldex. 

     

    wheeldexCreative Commons 2.0 license, by CALoynd

     In order for business cards to fit into the standard Rolodex, they had to be the standard size. So, the only way to make your business card standout was through colour, text, taglines or quality of paper. 

    I remember reading the  first Guerilla Marketing book by Jay Conrad Levinson in 1984 and the use and distribution of your business card wherever you are and whatver you are doing was a core guerilla marketing technique.

    Guerilla techniques included making your business card standout by not making it 2″ x 3 1/2″ or making it out of unusual materials like wood or sheetmetal so people would keep your business card even though it didn’t fit within your Rolodex. 

    5709880151 4146300ef4 m

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/popupology/5709880151/

    https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

    Now the business card is a talking point when you meet another person. You’ll never forget the 3-D paper pop up business card at http://www.foldform.co.uk.  

     

    106709219 6c8be9703b m

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/ranh/106709219 

    https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

    Kevin Mitnick of www.mitnicksecurity.com has unique business card tool that is made of metal and when taken apart, it can be used as a lock pick! 

     

    Now with the internet, people say the use of the business card is not needed with the instant connections we can make on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Googleplus. However, according to Statistics Brain  there are 27 Billion business cards worldwide printed daily. There is a 2.5% increase in sales for every 2000 business cards passed out in statistics given. 

     

    What is the psychology behind networking with business cards

    So, why are business cards still being used in business?  

    Authority 

    They are being more for one on one meetings between business people. What you say about your business and yourself is important on your business card. Listing your university degrees or your level of your authority in the business needs to be recognized on your business card. It is a simple way to show your experience and authority in your business. 

    Brand 

    The business card is a simple, inexpensive way to show what your brand is all about. It represents you when you meet someone new. Whether you use thin paper or heavy quality watermarked paper will affect how people perceive you when they don’t know you. Your mission or your tag line for your business can speak to people as to who you are if it is on your business card. 

    Trust-building

    According to Business Insider the business card is being used to build trust among business people especially in the Asian countries. 

     They can be a quick way of establishing connections, particularly in Asia, where they are something of an obsession. The Chinese are following the Japanese in treating them as semi-sacred objects. Some businessmen hand out 24-carat gold cards. Nursery-school children sometimes carry cards not only with their own contact details, but also with the job descriptions of their parents and even grandparents.

    My husband went on business to Japan and he had business cards made in the Japanese language as well as English. He knew there was a presentation etiquette for meeting the senior Japanese CEO and he did remember to present his business card face up and he even remembered to look at the Japanese businessman and nod in appreciation however he then put it in his back pocket.

    Exchanging business cards is not just a way of sparking a conversation. It is a way of placing people correctly in the pecking-order without the embarrassment of asking them their formal title. As “wearables” go, this is a killer app according to Business Insider. 

    Business Card Strategy 

    Now when I heard this from Gina Gaudio Graves at www.directionsuniversity.com, I was blown away as I never thought that a business card could be a strategy!  Gina brings boxes of her business cards to any conference she is in. She has a unique business card just for these events with the standard information on the front and on the back there is the word “Notes” and some lines imprinted.  Now anyone else would use this business card to take notes during a presentation on the back of the business card. Gina sees people who are struggling to find paper to write down notes so she will chat with them and hand them several business cards or even boxes of her business card for them to use to take their notes or write down the connections they are making during the conference to remember those peoples email address and phone numbers. These people will then take home her business cards with all their notes and email addresses from their connections that they will keep so she is spreading awareness about her business by helping other people making their connections. Awesome! 

     

    What are some of the guidelines for the best business card design?

    Think about what is the outcome for your business card before you design it.

    Do you want to make a lasting first impression with a new client?

    Do you want to spread your business card here and there to advertise your business?  

    Do you want it to be your “Calling Card” ? 

    If you look at the outcome of using your business cards that will help you decide. Though as www.medianovak.com mentions here….. 

    Do try to keep the design of your cards clean and simple, and avoid visual overload or clutter at all costs. Consider using the back of the card or create a folded business card if you need more space for additional information. However, make sure you keep the practicality of your card in mind. How often will people see the back of your business card? from Business Card Design Essentials | 5 Things You Have To …

     If you want a business card idea you will never forget, go check out this one at Clever Business Card Features A ‘Striking’ Surface, Lets You Start A Fire

    To create a lasting impression for their new company, Canadian event agency Wildfire Experiential and Events included a clever feature in their business cards that lets you start a fire. Designed by Vancouver-based integrated marketing firm Cossette, the new visual brand identity was based on a simple design brief: “Spark conversation.”

    Just way-out there business cards that are memorable but do they really reflect that person’s business  at The 31 Greatest Business Cards In The History Of All Business

    The infographic from AllBusinessCard  below is a great summary of what to consider for your business card….

    Business Card Must Haves For Effective Networking

    Categories: Business Card Tags: Tags: , , ,