Customer Service, Search Engine Optimization and Public Relations Top Seminar Recommendations
February 22, 2009 by Mary Ellen
More than fifty people from service providers to construction companies to restaurant owners got together on a Saturday to talk Small Business Survival.
The event, sponsored by WESST and SCORE included a panel discussion and breakout sessions plus networking with a number of service providers.
Panelists emphasized the importance of humor, customer service and old-fashioned relationships. John Garcia of HospiTotally talked about making remarkable experiences memorable, using El Pinto’s chile roasting efforts as one example. (The restaurant roasts chile every day so customers relive and enjoy a fall tradition – the smell of fresh chile – whenever they visit.) Garcia’s handout suggests:
Great service, consistently delivered, generates loyal customers and word-of-mouth public relations for your business or organization. In addition, service is a gift given of one’s self to others. It benefits the giver by reinforcing positive behaviors, it benefits the organization to ingrain those behaviors of service, and it has a positive effect on people who observe such actions.
Clare Zurawski of WESST pointed out search inquiries for Google increased 38% in January 2009, a sign that Internet marketing importance continues to increase. Even if you’re not selling on the Internet, you can’t ignore it. She offered as a resource an article “How SEO and Social Media Can Help Small Businesses Combat the Recession.”
I talked about public relations and used specific examples from local businesses who are members of the Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance. In my book, PR is more than just traditional outreach to the media. It’s everything you do, public relations. My three-point formula to market more effectively in this economy:
- Plan. Be on budget and on message. Have strong positioning and a specific offer for your business.
- Evaluate. Use the 24-hour rule and check references.
- Act. Do one marketing thing every day.
The group responded favorably to my “24-hour rule,” a suggestion that entrepreneurs wait 24 hours before making any advertising purchase. My Tip Sheet, Do it Yourself PR 5-Day Project, a takeaway for attendees can be downloaded from my ProfitMeister website.
What struck me about the event: the sense we’re in this together.
Let’s get after it! Let me know what you’re doing to more effectively market your business today.
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