15-Minute Marketing: Less Is More

In our March MarketingYourSmallBiz e-zine issue, we talked about the importance of setting aside marketing time each day—even if it’s just 15 minutes—and making it a part of your daily routine. We all know that marketing is a mindset and something you don’t just turn on and off. Obviously, every time you interact with someone, you are marketing. Here are a few ideas to jump start your daily marketing:

• Send a personal networking email. It doesn’t even have to be to a client or customer. Maybe it’s a quick note to a colleague you ran into at a networking event, or someone you met at a conference, or someone you chatted with briefly and would like to stay connected with.

• Send a note in the mail—to a colleague who has won an award or celebrated a special occasion, to a customer on their birthday, or to a new Chamber of Commerce or networking group member.

• Call a current customer or client. The purpose here is not to sell, but just to ask how things are going. If they bought a service or product from you, ask how it’s working for them. Most people appreciate the fact that you are taking the time to just touch base, with no strings attached. Do this consistently and you will build the kind of loyalty and trust that keeps customers coming back.

• Read an interesting article, e-tip or blog post. Forward it to at least three people, with a “here’s-something-you-might-be-interested-in” note. You will make an impression and build a reputation for being helpful.

• Enter business cards into your e-mail database. This will save you lots of time later and ensures you won’t forget the new people you’ve met.

• Sort your e-mails and make a networking-partnerships folder on your desktop. It’ll make co- and cross-marketing easier.

As strange as it may seem, it almost doesn’t matter who you contact: colleague, client or networking buddy. It is the process of staying connected that matters. Besides, you never know which connection will turn out to be the right one at the right time.

© Marketing Hotspots 2008 - Vol. 1, Issue 7