Need new marketing
and PR ideas for 2011?
There are lots here,
all tied to history (your own and your community's).
Try it! It works!
(Just click on the image.)
|
| | You can use history to attract attention and clients! |
|
|
From
Our Affiliate | 
|
|
Greetings!
I have a great story to share with you about a talk I gave recently, when there were lots of "Aha!" moments in the room as business people started thinking differently about history. Great fun to watch!
I also wanted to share some thoughts about bragging rights, if your business is the "oldest" or the "first" in some way. It's startling to me how many businesses make that claim, but don't tell their story! Sound familiar? It's something to think about!
And so is 2011 -- right around the corner. As you're thinking about new marketing and PR ideas for next year, please consider picking up a copy of my ebook on building business momentum. Whether or not you are celebrating a business milestone, the ideas work at any time!
Finally, it is a real pleasure for me to provide a link to products offered on sale for the holidays by the incomparable Ali Brown (below, left). I have learned so much from Ali since this spring about marketing and business development, and I'm still at it! Ali is BRILLIANT, wildly successful, and I highly recommend her products. (If you have any questions about her, please contact me.)
I hope you are warm wherever you are. We are FREEZING here North of Boston!
Be well, and keep in touch!
 BonnieP.S. Ali's sale ends December 17! I promise you, you will get big results from her products. Really think about her 30% off offer.... |
When "Business" Learns "History" Can Help,
and Says "Aha!"
by Bonnie Hurd Smith
 | | Customers, loyalty, reputation. Are these important to you? |
I had a wonderful experience the other day during a talk I gave for a local Rotary Club. I was late arriving, due to traffic, and just jumped into my talk without a real introduction. I could tell that people were expecting some sort of chat about local history because they knew a "history person" would be speaking. They sat back comfortably and waited to be entertained.
Instead, as soon as I started and they heard the words "customers, loyalty, reputation" - my first slide, with those words next to a photograph of General George Patton -- two men in particular sat up straight and took out pen and paper. They proceeded to listen intently as I talked about building customer relationships in a non-sales environment, and they took copious notes.
"Business" and "history" need to work together more effectively, I started. They need to form mutually respectful, strategic partnerships. Each "side" has a lot to offer the other, but all too often they just don't "get" each other. "I know this from personal experience, having one foot in each camp!" I explained.
Instead, we are all players on the team in support of our local history. Each one has a role to play. (My slide: a baseball team from the turn of the last century.)
I then cited specific examples of how businesses can get involved with history in ways that will pay off for them big-time, including: (continued)
|
Are You the "First?" The "Oldest?"
What Are You Doing About It?
 by Bonnie Hurd Smith
I recently read an ad for a local credit union that claims to be the first one of its kind in my area. How interesting, I thought, and I went to their Web site to learn more.
There was the tag line again, with their founding date, and that was it. No history whatsoever! What a missed opportunity!
This credit union happens to be about a hundred years old, and it was founded to cater to a specific immigrant community. It must be a fascinating story that many people will resonate to. Especially today, as more and more people walk away from large, impersonal banks, what a wonderful way for this credit union to establish a personal connection with potential customers by celebrating their/local history.
Are you in a similar situation? If you are the "first," the "oldest," the "earliest," or whatever you are claiming, please tell your story! Your customers will love it. (continued)
|
|
|
|
|
