Get Famous! By getting out and becoming known and likable, people will share your name and services with others. Just like when you put money in the bank and it pays you interest, when you are well known, your reputation, business, and profits are compounded. How do you get famous in your market? Here are 5 of my favorite ways…
- Become an Educator. Provide guest posts for the newsletters, blogs and forums of local car clubs. These organizations are on an ongoing quest for great content related to car culture. Use this opportunity to showcase your expertise. You may even become a regular contributor. Don’t like writing? Host open garage seminars instead.
- Award Yourself and Your Staff. May sound a little cheesy, but there are many local organizations that have a number of awards and lists. Nominate your business and your staff for those wards. The winner generally get lots of press when they win, but just getting on the ballot will get you recognition.
- Network. Find a couple of networking events and organizations that are a great fit for you, and then attend them regularly. Commit to and attend only the networking groups that allow you to meet your target audience. You may need to shop around for the for the perfect groups before joining.
- Create Relationships. Thrill your customers with amazing service and they will send you refer you to an ongoing stream of their friends. This is compounding clients and it’s the best form of growth for a small business. Follow up with them after their service, surprise your customers with hand-written thank you notes, invite them to your educational events and open garages, etc.
- Be Charitable. Align yourself with a great non-profit. Not only can you be a financial doner, but you can donate your time in the form of service work or become a member of the charity’s board. It’s a great way to expand your network and receive positive recognition.
Becoming “locally famous” will not only encourage customer loyalty, bring in referrals, but it will strengthen your business against competitors. As a business owner, how can you beat that? You can’t!
