Wednesday, May 25
I saw a Jimmy Fallon clip in which he asked, “Raise your hand if you're either a man or a woman. Yeah, me too!” Reader, raise your hand if your company has customers. Yeah, me too!
And if you have customers, you still probably want to find more of them. Thinking about all the sales, marketing, branding, and social media techniques and strategies that are out there will make my head spin but I can definitely speak to some COSE-specific opportunities for you that are fairly low-hanging fruit.
Without further ado, I bring you “Extreme Exposure Opportunities from COSE, Alice edition.” (We have an official edition here.
First, the in-person opportunities:
1. Your Member Engagement Manager is your COSE rep and ally. Did you notice the random links in the previous paragraph? These are COSE members that I've met with and want to support to the best of my ability. They're top of mind for me, because I have actually met the owners face-to-face. Contact us to meet with your advocate. We'll do our best to find matching customers, and opportunities for you.
2. Networking at events – of any kind! You don't have to be at a “networking event” to network. My definition of networking borrowed from Phil Stella: meeting people and seeing if you can help them, or if they can help you, or if either of you can help a friend of yours. For example, I clicked the “events” tab at COSE.org and selected “Educational Events” from the dropdown and found this cool one on “Becoming a Film Vendor.” If I go, I'll probably learn something about the subject matter, which is always nice. But if I arrive early, I'll introduce myself to people and learn about them. Target your events. If you're an accountant, you might not need to learn from the money track, but think about the attendees who will be there! And remember, it doesn't have to be the CEO/President/Marketing director at these events – you have a limited amount of time, and also, see my previous blog entry.
3. A booth or a table at an event - Showcase your product at the Small Business Conference or one of the hundred-plus smaller events we host throughout the year. Need I say more?
Second, the websites:
1. www.SocialMediaLeaps.com – Find out how to use free tools effectively. Facebook? Linked-in? Twitter? How will you avoid wasting time and use these tools to spread your message?
2. www.cosespeaker.org – If you're an expert on your subject matter, you'll build your brand and reputation by sharing some knowledge. COSEspeaker is our intake form for this. If you want to speak at the Small Business Conference or write for Mindspring, start here.
Third, in the Update magazine:
1. Use your own beautiful marketing pieces and talk to Sarah Shoaff about advertising. It's traditional, it does cost money – but not as much as you'd think – and it reaches 15,000 member companies.
2. Or if you subscribe to our Leads and Feeds e-list, you'll know what stories we're looking for.
I probably missed some, but that's enough writing on my part and enough reading on yours. Go forth and be heard, my friends.
Posted by:Alice Cable