As a virtual assistant and website designer, I’ve been working on a what I’ve found to be a highly underused marketing tactic. I live in Lawrence, KS. We’re a college town which means there are tons of freelance designers in and just out of school. We’re also a stone’s throw from Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri.
When I started to brainstorm different methods of advertising and marketing locally, I sought out all the usual suspects: yellow pages, directories, forums, chamber memberships, etc. I soon discovered that it is very difficult to be, excuse the cliche, a small fish in a huge pond.
How could I reach prospects and stand out in a field of hundreds? I kept going back to all the marketing gurus evangelizing the importance of finding your niche. And then, one day as I was driving out in the country to go visit my horse at a farm near Baldwin City, KS, it hit me.
I wonder if anyone is marketing technology services to small town businesses? I did a little research and found out that the answer is largely no. Of course, these “smaller pond” businesses receive a lot of your typical national direct mail and e-mail offers. But not too many people are prospecting them and reaching out personally to them, much less taking the time to explain their technology offers and how they could benefit the folks in Smalltown, USA.
I’m curious to hear what other online business owners are doing to reach out to their markets? Do you use traditional tactics or have you found your own road less traveled?
I have to add here that a blog to check out for more on marketing in smaller towns is the Small Biz Survival blog. I read it religiously and find it really inspiring. They are “By and for small business people in rural areas and small towns.”
I’m curious to hear what other online business owners are doing to reach out to their markets? Do you use traditional tactics or have you found your own road less traveled?
6 Comments
What a great article! I would like your permission to reprint this on Small Biz Survival.
Hi Becky,
Thanks so much! Please do go ahead and reprint it on Small Biz Survival. I’m a big fan!
Thanks,
Dana
When running a service-based business, advertising is the LEAST effective marketing method and the most expensive. You’re right when you say you’ve got to choose your target (or niche) market. The answers you’ll receive from your questions “I’m curious to hear what other online business owners are doing to reach out to their markets? Do you use traditional tactics or have you found your own road less travelled?” will vary from business to business and from person to person, since all depends on hanging out where your target market hangs out.
You said “I soon discovered that it is very difficult to be, excuse the cliche, a small fish in a huge pond.” The benefit of clearly and narrowly defining a target market is that you will become a big fish in a small pond instead.
You hit the nail on the head when you say “I did a little research and found out that the answer is largely no.” You researched your target, focused on a specific need in that target and did your homework to see if it’s worth jumping in this pond or not. Please let us know how this tactic goes!!
You talk about the road less travelled. Well I use Articles to Market my services.
After writing or changing the pre-written articles I just submit them to the article directories and they then turn up on the net when people do certain searches.
Obviously I need to make sure they are keyword targetted. But that is easy enough to do.
Regards
Justin Bryce
www.lazy-internet-marketing.com
Hi,Thanks for sharing this nice post with have a good info related good article.keep it up..
Fantastic - really great matter. I will blog about it as well.
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