Time To Get Offline
| Category: Marketing Strategy | Date: 2001-05-17 |
Strange title for an article from a guy who makes his living creating Internet strategies for small businesses, I know.
Consider this: if your target market is small businesses, the bulk of your market isn't even online yet. If you sell computer hardware, software or Internet services of any type, and don't have an offline marketing plan you're ignoring a significant and lucrative market.
The largest and most influential corporations on or offline are spending billions to convince small businesses to get online, use their products, and buy their services. They are doing what 'big dogs' do best - spend lots of money. As a small business you have to do what we do best - create relationships.
That means getting back to marketing basics and hitting the streets.
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to become *the* local small business Internet expert. Regardless of what your primary business is, you want to be known as the person to contact for any Internet questions. So be prepared with a list of online or offline resources that you can tap for products, services and information outside of your area of expertise. One good resource for all types of Internet related projects is Media Talent Net (http://www.mediatalent.net)
Once you have a reliable team assembled you are ready to begin positioning yourself as the local expert.
Get yourself some business cards and be sure to include your Internet addresses. You may even want to put "Small Business Internet Expert" on your card. Make it a habit of carrying cards with you everywhere, and leaving them everywhere you go (Like breadcrumbs in the woods). Diana Ratliff offers great business card ideas and advice at http://www.bizbooklets.com
Join or start a local small business networking group. If you have selected local people to be part of your Internet team include them in your group. For more information on networking effectively, visit the networking guru Nancy Roebke at http://www.profnet.org
Get involved with your local chamber of commerce. Volunteer to help with their web site. See if they have an Internet or technology committee. Contribute an article for their newsletter. Offer to speak or put together an Internet panel for one of their meetings.
Get to know your local media's Internet and Technology reporters. Be on the lookout for interesting facts, figures, and local people doing something unique online. Make yourself available for comments on Internet issues. Write an article yourself or have one written for you to submit for publication. Offer to do an "Ask the Internet expert" for small businesses. Don't forget the radio stations, suggest a call in show to your local station. Visit http://www.gebbiepress.com for a list of media outlets in your area or region.
Use imprinted and useful promotional items that have a long shelf life. Mouse pads and computer covers are two obvious choices. Visit http://www.worldclasspromotions.com for other promotional products ideas.
Another good promotional tool is booklets. Write and print your own following the advice of the Booklet Queen Paulette Ensign http://www.tipsbooklets.com or save time and purchase customized booklets produced by others. See http://www.tqm-online.com/camelot for several examples appropriate for the small business market.
The battle for the hearts, minds and wallets of small businesses is being waged offline, before they even see your website or read your newsletter. Before they even know what a search engine is, you may have lost the business of your neighbor.
If half of your target market is still offline, shouldn't a proportionate amount of your marketing time, effort and money be invested offline?
Post your comments on this article at: http://www.tqm-online.com/discussion/index.cgi?read=3
About the Author
Bob Cortez is a small business consultant and Internet Strategist. Co-Author of the "Bricks to Clicks" booklets "Getting Your Business Online" and "The Business of Doing Business Online". online or visit the Total Quality Marketing, Inc. website at marketing.tqm-online.com
Permission is granted to reprint and distribute this article as long as it remains unedited and includes both the resource box above and this authorization.
:He can be reached at see details below.
bobcortez@tqm-online
http://marketing.tqm-online.com
Consider this: if your target market is small businesses, the bulk of your market isn't even online yet. If you sell computer hardware, software or Internet services of any type, and don't have an offline marketing plan you're ignoring a significant and lucrative market.
The largest and most influential corporations on or offline are spending billions to convince small businesses to get online, use their products, and buy their services. They are doing what 'big dogs' do best - spend lots of money. As a small business you have to do what we do best - create relationships.
That means getting back to marketing basics and hitting the streets.
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to become *the* local small business Internet expert. Regardless of what your primary business is, you want to be known as the person to contact for any Internet questions. So be prepared with a list of online or offline resources that you can tap for products, services and information outside of your area of expertise. One good resource for all types of Internet related projects is Media Talent Net (http://www.mediatalent.net)
Once you have a reliable team assembled you are ready to begin positioning yourself as the local expert.
Get yourself some business cards and be sure to include your Internet addresses. You may even want to put "Small Business Internet Expert" on your card. Make it a habit of carrying cards with you everywhere, and leaving them everywhere you go (Like breadcrumbs in the woods
Join or start a local small business networking group. If you have selected local people to be part of your Internet team include them in your group. For more information on networking effectively, visit the networking guru Nancy Roebke at http://www.profnet.org
Get involved with your local chamber of commerce. Volunteer to help with their web site. See if they have an Internet or technology committee. Contribute an article for their newsletter. Offer to speak or put together an Internet panel for one of their meetings.
Get to know your local media's Internet and Technology reporters. Be on the lookout for interesting facts, figures, and local people doing something unique online. Make yourself available for comments on Internet issues. Write an article yourself or have one written for you to submit for publication. Offer to do an "Ask the Internet expert" for small businesses. Don't forget the radio stations, suggest a call in show to your local station. Visit http://www.gebbiepress.com for a list of media outlets in your area or region.
Use imprinted and useful promotional items that have a long shelf life. Mouse pads and computer covers are two obvious choices. Visit http://www.worldclasspromotions.com for other promotional products ideas.
Another good promotional tool is booklets. Write and print your own following the advice of the Booklet Queen Paulette Ensign http://www.tipsbooklets.com or save time and purchase customized booklets produced by others. See http://www.tqm-online.com/camelot for several examples appropriate for the small business market.
The battle for the hearts, minds and wallets of small businesses is being waged offline, before they even see your website or read your newsletter. Before they even know what a search engine is, you may have lost the business of your neighbor.
If half of your target market is still offline, shouldn't a proportionate amount of your marketing time, effort and money be invested offline?
Post your comments on this article at: http://www.tqm-online.com/discussion/index.cgi?read=3
About the Author
Bob Cortez is a small business consultant and Internet Strategist. Co-Author of the "Bricks to Clicks" booklets "Getting Your Business Online" and "The Business of Doing Business Online". online or visit the Total Quality Marketing, Inc. website at marketing.tqm-online.com
Permission is granted to reprint and distribute this article as long as it remains unedited and includes both the resource box above and this authorization.
:He can be reached at see details below.
bobcortez@tqm-online
http://marketing.tqm-online.com
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