You don’t have spend big bucks to start putting your best foot forward. Here are seven tactics you can easily implement:
- Put your company and your principals on LinkedIn. Detail your experience, skills and expertise, organization and awards. Solicit recommendations from clients and vendors. The result: an instant, easily found resume of you and your key people company for potential clients.
- Create a professional email signature line company wide, and use it to highlight your latest project. In addition to full contact information, add a line such as “Check out our work at West High School,” and link it to your website’s project photos.
- Put your corporate values or key message on the back of your business card. Using the traditionally blank side can be yet another way to differentiate your company.
- Make sure all correspondence – whether paper or digital – carries a small marketing message. Example: “2013 Contractor of the Year finalist.”
- Examine how your team answers the phone, and set up a client response policy. Make sure your people have good phone skills and know they are required to respond to a client call or email within a set time period.
- Ask your people to get involved in community or professional organizations. It expands your marketing network and gets your name attached to charitable events – and possible media mentions.
- Hone your team’s presentation skills. Give them the tools to tell your story well to clients and the community.
Source: Ron Worth, Society for Marketing Professional Services
