Small business is about communication - listening, two way interaction and keeping in touch w
ith what your customers want.
Jay Ehret at The Marketing Spot shares an interesting anecdote about attending a recent music concert. Not long into the show, Aaron Watson, the opening artist, let the audience know he was on Facebook and MySpace.
He provided an incentive to visit -
promising to personally reply to every single friend request. Then he promised 15 free song downloads from his website in exchange for an email address.
He also told the audience to watch out for a video of the concert on You Tube.
This is interesting on a number of levels. Firstly, the musician was preaching to the converted. In other settings, depending on how this was handled, it could easily have come across as a hard sell sales pitch. However, this was his target audience, no doubt open to what he had to say, and eager to know more.
Also, he didn't just ask for something. He was giving something in return... a two way street.
I think this is a case of clever marketing, of setting up communication channels appropriate to the audience and of letting the audience know where they could find him online.
- How do you let your clients know about your online presence?
Small businesses can definitely take a few notes from this artist. If their online spaces have helpful content and resources and/or make it easier to communicate or interact with the business, then informing their customers on how to find them online can strengthen the relationship and add value to the small business in the eyes of the customer. A few ways to let them know how to find you: include url's in email signatures, include website on business cards and advertisements, and include social networking site links and invitations to join you on your main website.
Posted by: Brandi Cummings | February 13, 2008 9:23 AM | Permalink to Comment