Finding prospects in your target market isn’t as hard as you might think. When a friend or someone you know refers you to shop at one of their favorite businesses, it makes the buying decision easier, doesn’t it? Something else happens, too. You enter that relationship with the business your friend has recommended in a much more open way than if you simply responded to a deep discount that business offered to get you in the door.
Now put on your business owner hat and look at this scenario from a business owner’s perspective. It only makes sense that when we work together with other business owners, we will all benefit. This should be a mutually beneficial relationship and help both businesses. Here’s a small business marketing idea I use to create a mutually beneficial relationship with local businesses whose clients I think would also be good clients for my my photography.
I reach out to business owners and offer to reward their best clients by gifting them one of my products and/or services. The business I partner with benefits by getting more loyalty from their most loving clients – who doesn’t love getting an expected gift from a business you already love?
What is also great about this is that when I choose my partners wisely, I am attracting less price-sensitive buyers who have already been pre-qualified because they are one of the best clients of the business I have chosen to partner with that reaches my target market. This pre-qualifies them. They want to come to me because they are referred by someone they trust vs. you using a discounting strategy to attract clients who come to you only because you were on sale.
There is a HUGE difference in the types of clients you attract. There are clients that love what you do, want to push you to your creative edges and love you for it (and are willing to invest in it). And there are others who care only about price and don’t value what you do. You only need one of these groups to keep your business thriving and the best part is, you don’t have to devalue what you are doing by discounting to attract them.
To up the wow factor of the gift these potential new clients receive from me from the business I’ve partnered with, I use this marketing design template with an inserted gift card (shown above) to create value for the gift they are receiving and to set the tone for the quality of my work. Sure, I could use an 8.5 x 11 certificate created from my laser printer, but as a business that charges more for my products, I need to show that I’m worth more in every interaction a potential client has with me.
For creative marketing design templates and boutique marketing strategies each month like this one from me, join Cafe Joy, our affordable marketing club for boutique businesses.