The Twelve Days of Business 2010: Act Three
Our weekly Swindon business advice column with Gail Gibson
9th Day of Christmas
To Market, To Market. How will you market your business? Writing a marketing plan is a good way to get your ideas down on paper, to give you a clear focus about what you want to achieve. Marketing wears many different hats, from online e shots and direct mail shots, to websites and online social networking. Therefore, have a good brainstorm about what your business message is, and then work out the best approach to sharing your message. A website is your most important “shop window” for your business, so make sure you find a web designer who understands what you want to achieve. Talk to small business owners about how they market their business, to discover new ways.
10th Day of Christmas
What is Networking? Networking is all about having conversations with others, to build relationships; with your ultimate aims being to do business and to help others do business. Next the big question: Do you network online or face to face? Online social networking is one of the fastest growing industries today however this style does not suit everyone. Take a look at Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and decide if these meet with who you are and what you represent. These online platforms are an excellent way to build a database of contacts, have conversations, do business and recommend other businesses, however weighing up your time spent on social media is also important. Have you thought about attending face to face networking events? After all your business is you and you are best placed to sell yourself as your brand. Find a network event near you, go along and start up a conversation. The great thing about networking is you never know where a conversation will lead and what opportunities will be presented, for you or others.
11th Day of Christmas
PR and Promoting Yourself. Get to know your local and national journalists. Making positive connections with the media can be a highly effective way to promote and grow your business. As a new enterprise you are in a perfect situation to be of high interest to your local and national press. Have you taken on new staff, won an award, or are you supporting a local charity? Journalists love to write about human interest stories and your business can provide them with great column material. Good PR doesn’t have to cost you the earth, you can do it yourself. However if you want to remove the hassle so you can get on with developing your brand, speak to a PR agency.
12th Day of Christmas
Professional Support and Advice. Setting up a new business or improving an existing business involves a lot of effort and hard work. It can take up so much of your time that you forget about giving yourself a chance to step back and actually see your business progression or stagnation. Don’t give up at this stage. Do get yourself a mentor or hire a coach to help you through the rocky stages, to inspire and motivate you, and to help you move both you and your business forward. A coach or mentor, as someone removed from your business, will listen to you and help you realise what options you have, or ways to change or improve what you are doing. Give yourself an opportunity to share your challenges and celebrations with a coach or mentor, and watch as you grow, personally and professionally.
Written by Gail Gibson of True Expressions
Discovery, Change, Transformation
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True Expressions - website |
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