Think Locally – Market Globally

Here are several ways to help you market your goods and services. The best place to start is right in your own backyard. Get to know your neighbors. Volunteer for a community event. Give free seminars or tours of your business. Be a guest speaker at a career fair. Sponsor a baseball team. Support your local arts. Write a column for a local paper or newsletter. Join the church choir.

You may think these suggestions have nothing to do with marketing your web site on the Internet, but you’d be wrong. Introducing yourself and your products or services to new audiences is every bit as important as anything you do online. It’s called the introductory phase. It expands your boundaries and your local reputation. Once you hand someone a business card with your e-mail and web site address on it, you’ve doubled your exposure and they will probably remember you the next time someone asks if they know anyone who sells X product or performs Y service. It may not produce an immediate sale that very day, but others will help spread the word for you, for free. You never know who’s ears your name will fall into by simply be being a good community member. Never forget that word-of-mouth is still the best and most cost effective way to grow your business. So get out from behind that computer screen this summer and introduce yourself to your community. It’ll pay you back tenfold and you may even make some new friends along the way.