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Some ramblings from your friends at Fusion. A place for small businesses to brainstorm.
Even in 2009, running a good business involves many of the same principles that worked back in 1909. You treat your customers right, provide a great service at a great value, and people will usually talk about it. But in 2009, we have this great tool called the Internet: always on, always there, and always growing.
In order for any small business to grow, you want to reach the point where your customers are working for you, talking about your product not because they have some financial incentive, but because they get a kick out of knowing something that others don't or helping out a friend. Not only is this a great way to reduce customer acquisition costs, its also a great way to build a powerful network that will send great ideas and services your way.
Your website is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to leveraging word-of-mouth. When someone hears about you, they are usually going to vet your business first. They aren't going to pull out a musty old yellowpages book to look at your ad. They aren't going to sift through piles of spam mail to find your brochure. You can bet they are going straight for your website... and if it looks like this http://chs1.com there is a very good chance you are going to lose a free sale.
Even in 2009, running a good business involves many of the same principles that worked back in 1909. You treat your customers right, provide a great service at a great value, and people will usually talk about it. But in 2009, we have this great tool called the Internet: always on, always there, and always growing.
In order for any small business to grow, you want to reach the point where your customers are working for you, talking about your product not because they have some financial incentive, but because they get a kick out of knowing something that others don't or helping out a friend. Not only is this a great way to reduce customer acquisition costs, its also a great way to build a powerful network that will send great ideas and services your way.
Your website is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to leveraging word-of-mouth. When someone hears about you, they are usually going to vet your business first. They aren't going to pull out a musty old yellowpages book to look at your ad. They aren't going to sift through piles of spam mail to find your brochure. You can bet they are going straight for your website... and if it looks like this http://chs1.com there is a very good chance you are going to lose a free sale.
A website is more than an online brochure. Its a tool for having a real time conversation with your clients and prospective clients and for collaborating on new ideas. With a great looking website and fresh content, you can guarantee that your first impression with a referral is a good one.
Fusion Tip #1: Don't reward referrals with cash:
people will feel dirty about it. A gift card or some flowers will do the trick.
Fusion Tip #2: A good way to get local search engine traffic
is to get your site linked on local directories or other business' sites.
Fusion Tip #3: A great product is not always enough to get people talking. Come up with a fun or off beat angle to get buzz going.