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Reaching out to potential clients locally and nationally

As I have started my business in late 2007 and have been marketing it like crazy over the past three years I have seen an increase in clientele, although I still have to keep up with another job full time to make ends meet. I am still using the same old techniques, email, direct mail, and really none of those have brought any work whatsoever. The only jobs I have gotten were from my first client who decided to take a risk and hire a young motivated person with great ideas, and worked out great since they tell everyone under the sun about what a great job we did with there kitchen. Word of mouth / referrals is the best business but there has to be other ways to reach potential clients in other markets around the country.

I am in the interior design / architecture / construction industry (http://whatisdbh.biz">whatisdbh.biz) and travel is one thing I would love to do from an inspirational standpoint as Boise, ID can be uninspiring. Also, I am trying to keep a steady stream of clients coming through the doors (as it seems everyone else is trying to do) so I can mainly focus on this business and drop the other gig. Any recommendations?

I utilize LinkedIn and Twitter as well as a website but I am looking for new ways to reach people.

7 Responses

  • John Glasgow

    http://www.linkedin.com/in/jkglasgow
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    Owner, CEDS

    (Apr 08, 2010)
    As someone who has been exactly where you are, I can offer 4 suggestions:

    1. Decide what your business does best and do that thing. Trying to be all things to all people won't cut it, especially when you are small.

    2. Traditional advertising is rarely effective unless you can launch a broad, multi-channel campaign. Instead, start creating strategic alliances. Find businesses that operate in the same area as you and join forces. Get them to recommend clients to you and vice versa. If a client contacts you through a strategic partner offer a discount

    3. Don't be afraid of high prices: if you are good at what you do, people will pay. As a small biz owner, you know how demoralizing it can be to be working on 5 projects that are only earning you $500 each instead of one big one that gets all your attention and earns you $2500

    4. Design for scale; if you are doing everything yourself, you'll never get over the ***. As soon as you can, hire good people to help.

    Hope it helps!

  • Apr 08, 2010

    Brand Marketing Consultant

    Perhaps the best way to target your audience is to position yourself where demand is made known. This may entail searching online and print want ads by city, e.g., Craig’s List before creating ad campaigns.

    Developing strategic partnerships is a great way to increase visibility while generating leads.

    I live near an upscale furniture consignment store, which recently launched a partnership with a real estate agent. The realtor conducts workshops where consigners and shoppers learn how to prepare their homes for resale or just spruce up a room/other. Although this may be “low hanging fruit” relative to what you normally do, it’s certainly a niche with a corresponding demand.

    The owner of the furniture consignment store also has two consignment clothing boutiques where fashion stylists provide tips to shoppers. Be it clothing or home furnishings, having an expert/consultant on hand to advise re: items to select adds value to a shopping experience.

  • Apr 12, 2010

    Owner / Designer

    Thanks for the great comments and ideas! Isha, I am a part of our Chamber of Commerce to aid in networking, although it has yet to be effective after a couple years. It reminded me of high school were everyone stays in there groups and you are not able to branch out and talk to anyone. Strange how those things follow us around. I have been getting in with realtors and some realestate investors which have led to a few good projects, but they all have there own "guys" that do everything for them for years, and there is very little room to move in.

    Guess we will all keep on forging ahead, I'll let you know how it all goes. Thanks!

  • Apr 13, 2010

    Brand Marketing Consultant

    I am a firm believer in networking within a variety of circles, but more specifically, in circles your target audience or potential customers frequent.

    If for example, your customers have a passion for antiques and there is a local antique club meeting near you, then you’ll want to network accordingly. Doing so limits the competition and streamlines accessibility to your target audience. Networking within your industry or general business circles is good for information gathering to include, industry news/data and leads—not necessarily referrals.

    The consignment example I gave is more pitching than networking. Developing a strategic alliance may be as simple as approaching the store owner and pitching the idea of partnering to increase sales and minimize promotion expenses (win-win).
    "Think outside the bun", when it comes to finding your way in...Best wishes Joseph. - ie

  • Apr 13, 2010

    Founder

    Joseph, since you are in such a visually appealing industry I think it is important to find ways to showcase the work you have done i.e. shooting video reviews of jobs you've done with storylines and syndicate them online to content specific groups/video sites; take lots of project photos and upload them to Flickr, Picasa, and link them back to your website; if you don't have a website that is portfolio centric you can easily obtain a professional designed them at Press75.com or WooThemes.com whereas these CMS platforms offer a lot of Search Engine Marketing capabilities; consider writing for an interior design magazine that could provide you an opportunity to feature your work; create your own interior design "how to" internet show. There are many, many things you can do and collaborating with other entrepreneurs can really provide you an incredible source of ideas.

    Jason

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