In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had a ‘front row seat’ to two very unique events. I bring them up because they both show that a with little clever thinking – and not necessarily a bunch of money – you can take something from ordinary to special.
Story #1… Nice to meet you!
The first has to do with a LinkedIn group that I’m a member of… the Linking Middle Tennessee Professionals. It’s no different than any of the other LinkedIn groups we all belong to… with one exception. The Group Owner organizes monthly in-person meetings for the members. Some are lunch-n-learns with guest speakers; some are social mixers. It’s a great idea… and a simple one. With just a little effort, we’re taking our virtual connections and making them real.
And the real beneficiary of this idea? It’s the Group Owner, of course. He’s the one who’s regularly communicating with the 1,900+ members about the get-togethers. He’s the one in front of the room welcoming everyone when the events begin. What a great way to build and maintain top-of-mind awareness for himself and his business. Just brilliant!
Story #2… He shoots! He scores!
The other clever event I’ve [sort of] been involved with is a March Madness bracket challenge. Every Spring, tens of millions of basketball fans across the U.S. get involved in these, but an orthodontist in Nashville is using it as a B2B business relationship builder. Rather than organizing a bracket challenge for just his employees, he uses it as a way to stay top-of-mind with his referring dentists (and their assistants and hygienists). My wife is a hygienist – and a huge college basketball fan – that’s how I know about this.
One of the hardest things for any business to do is to stay in touch with current clients between projects without that when’s-your-next-project-coming-up smell of desperation. This orthodontist has figured out a fun and engaging way to do that. Again, brilliant!
Conclusion
Look at the things you’re currently doing to position your firm in the marketplace, to build & maintain awareness, to generate & nurture sales leads and to communicate with existing clients. What smart, clever, simple ‘twist’ can you make to those marketing activities that will take them from ordinary… to special… to memorable?
Good luck… and have fun!