My mother-in-law turned 70 this week. In the Swan Valley, you put an “events notice” in the weekly paper when you are going to have a big party. You don’t ask for RSVPs. You don’t try to make a potluck list. Just tell them to gather and don’t try to “organize.” This is not how I operate, but I was not the one being invited. It’s hard to remember that sometimes.
You have to reach out to your potential clients in a way that is familiar to them.
Ask your favorite clients (or people who you would like to have as clients) how they like to get their information. By mail? Electronically? In the papers?
How you like to get your information doesn’t figure here.
Maybe you prefer electronic communication, but there is no sense in spending time and money trying to attract someone like my dad through email or web ads. Don’t bother. But if you snail-mailed him a quarterly/bi-monthly newsletter full of facts and studies, he would be more likely to pay attention. Another option for reaching him would be through an article in the newspaper or a regional seniors’ journal. He wants facts and he wants them on paper. So do most of his friends. Remember this if you’re trying to attract 65+, educated, retired professional, active codgers.
When you know who you are trying to reach, you will know how to go about actually reaching them.
Ask your good clients where they like to get information about local activities/events. From the paper? Flyers? Radio? Word of mouth? Yahoo groups?
If you are after the kind of people that shop at farmers’ markets, see about asking a vendor to put flyers in the produce bags or sponsor a food bank bin.
If you are trying to attract summer visitors, see what the Visitor’s Bureau will mail out with their information packs or if they will allow you to advertise on their site. Explore how visitors find out about your area and adjust accordingly. Make your search terms reflect the Visitors’ Bureau’s website. See about doing tandem marketing with a thriving local attraction or B&B.
Even a big city can be broken down into smaller, more manageable communities.
I have heard from a lot of folks who are trying to get their practices going in Chicago or Miami. Quite frankly, they are overwhelmed by the magnitude of potential clients. Understandable.
Every place is made up of tiny communities. A community is by definition tightly knit. Focus your efforts on these.
Maybe these communities are neighborhoods of like-minded or like-monied people that you want to work with. They have local coffee shops and parks.
Maybe these communities are people with same values or enthusiasms like churches or softball teams. They have parish flyers, team updates and seasonal picnics.
Reach out to potential clients on their terms, in their space, and you’ll save yourself time, effort and heartbreak.
All my best,
Eileen
By the by, here is a link to a rather intriguing article about using your business cards in different ways for different target groups: How to Order, Design and Use Personal Business Cards in a New Way. I also wrote an entry about it with off-the-cuff ways the ideas could be adjusted for marketing your massage/bodywork practice.
