Recently I volunteered to teach my class at the local SBA office. I do it two to three times a year and it’s titled, “Dynamically Growing a Consulting Business.”
A week out I told the SBA admin I thought we should cancel because there were only three registrations (I want at least 10 as it’s a very interactive class). We ended up with 18, which has been about average over the last few years. Here’s why it was at three and then 18.
- The previous admin seems to have gone MIA and no active marketing had been done. Only passive marketing, a listing on the website. Their other recent classes also experienced low attendance.
- They did two email blasts to their list and picked up 15 people in one week.
FYI, it was a great class with smart people who willingly commented, questioned, and taught me a couple things!
The point of the above is, as I mention in my class, marketing must be consistent and repetitious. I get the hardcopy quarterly newsletter from Zachary Scott without fail. My friend Dan Weedin has his Extra Points newsletter in my inbox every Monday morning.
Consistent: Whether your marketing plan has you doing something daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or on a different schedule you must do it religiously. Don’t let me see your blog and find the latest entry was nine months ago. Don’t call it your monthly newsletter if you’re only sending six a year. If your goal is to make two phone calls a day then make two every day.
Repetitious: Know your schedule, what works for you. A very technical newsletter is fine to send four to six times a year. Something short, like this memo, needs more frequency. (And my opinion is don’t send me a teaser paragraph with a link as I’m too busy to click on links based on 22 words).
Finally, I don’t pay attention to how many people open this, click on my website, etc. I know even if people don’t open or read it every week they notice it. Many have told me they appreciate getting it and see my name whether or not they get a chance to read every issue.
“The trouble with telling a good story is that it invariably reminds the other fellow of a dull one.” Sid Caesar