Somehow a lot of small business owners just miss the obvious.

When you ask how do they get most of their business, they usually say “referrals.” When you ask them what they do to market for growth, they describe their various methods of advertising for NEW business.

Huh? You get most of your business from your customer referrals, yet you ignore marketing to your existing customers in favor of marketing for new business with strangers that you have yet to make happy?

Oddly, it actually makes sense in a non-conscious way!

If the only marketing you are doing targets only new business, new business marketing strategy is not necessarily relevant for existing customers. BUT why would you neglect to market to those valuable customers you worked so hard to get in the first place and who can refer you.

HELLO!?

Customer referrals are the best, easiest and most cost-effective form of marketing for your business, right?

Are you under a strange misconception that just because your customers are satisfied once, that they are screaming your business name from the rooftops daily?! Really?

Out of sight, out of mind? Yup.

How many of your customers really know your exact business name? Your website address? Do you really think they keep your phone number handy?

Quick, what’s the business name of your Dry Cleaner? The privately owned car wash you use weekly? How about the little neighborhood liquor store? Aha! You probably didn’t know at least one of them. To you, they are “the dry cleaner,” “the car wash,” “the liquor store”. Starting to get the point?

Stay front of mind with your customers and your business name will more likely come to mind.

How?

Via your best friend: Social Media.

Unless you are upset that rotary phones no longer exist, why wouldn’t you embrace the small business person’s best friends?  Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, … all waiting to be used for FREE.

Yes, it takes effort and time. Doesn’t it also take time to create Traditional Marketing media? And with traditional print marketing,  once they use your ad, it’s tossed, gone. A one time use item, now in the trash or recycling bin.

Social Media is alive and living moment to moment. Treat your customers on Social Media like you treat them when they visit your business. You chat a little, share a story or two, catch up on their needs, ask about their kids or business, and so on. That’s all Social Media is… And about 20% of the time, they have no problem with you strutting your stuff and bragging a little about your business.

Remember, people like to do business with people. You are a person who has or works in a business. So are your customers. Keep in touch with  Social Media.