Be Where Your Customers Are

I have to give some MAJOR marketing props to Indianapolis DUI Defense Attorney Chuck Rathburn. I've never met the man, but I was blown away by his creative marketing technique.

I was with my husband and daughters at an Indiana University football game. Not an IU fan myself, but they were playing Purdue.

The game doesn't start until 1pm, but of course everyone is tailgating and pregaming in the parking lots surrounding the stadium. (Don't worry - we had a designated driver).

As we're walking into the stadium, there are students handing out Attorney Rathburn's coozie. It clearly states what he does (DUI defense), plus his contact information, and on the back it gives a list of 5 things you should do if you are pulled over for drunk driving.

This is the perfect example of showing up at places where you know your perfect client is. And that's one of the things I talk a LOT to my coaching students about. As a small business owner, you've got to:

👇Figure out where your ideal client is

👇Be there!

So how do you get started? First of all, make a list of all the businesses your ideal client is likely to use.

I do maternity and newborn photography, as well as senior and family photography. So I want to seek out the businesses pregnant women, new moms, and older moms are frequenting. That list includes:

Ob/gyns

Pediatricians

Pediatric Dentists

Dentists

Orthodontist (a GREAT place to be if you do senior portraits)

Prenatal Yoga Classes

Baby & Children's Clothing Stores

Maternity Clothing Stores

3-d Ultrasound

Doulas

Lactation Consultants

Any type of child enrichment classes (Gymboree, My Little Gym)

Tutoring Services

Spend a few minutes to make a list of places that are already serving your ideal clients. Then reach out to those businesses to start talking about ways you can cross-promote.

For me, the ultimate goal is to get my pictures on their walls. That's not always possible. But even if a wall display is not an option, there are plenty of other ways other business owners can share your work. I'll get into that in another blog post.

So get to it! Make your list, start reaching out and getting to know other local business owners, and find opportunities where they can promote your business and you can promote theirs. It's so much easier marketing when you can get others to help you do it.