So now that you have chosen which networking events to go to, how are you going to make sure you get the most out of it? There are a few things that I do:

1. Take LOTS of business cards – there is nothing more frustrating than meeting someone interesting and having to rely on them to contact you because THEY don’t have a card. Don’t be one of those people. Please.

2. Have a plan. Depending on the type of event, I generally plan to meet – and have a conversation with – a specific number of people. It might be 1, it might be 10. The actual number depends on how much time will be allocated for networking, the format of the event and my mood at the time! Try and have a look at the attendee list so you can see who will be there and where they are from – this can help you can target specific people.

3. Don’t just hang around with your friends. Presumably you have gone to a networking event to network. So go and meet people!

4. Try and learn something about the people you meet. Don’t just fling around as many cards around as you can!  You are better off meeting five people and finding out something about them so that a relationship can be established, rather than “meeting” 25 people you just give a card to. Be genuine about who you are when you are talking to people. Show interest in who they are and what they do. It’s not ALL about you!

5. Followup within a day or so. This can be as simple as sending an email saying you enjoyed meeting them. Or perhaps sending an interesting article you found that is about something they are interested in. Don’t send them reams of information about your business and how you want to work with them – unless they asked for it.

6. Don’t drink too much alcohol at a networking or industry function. It doesn’t take much to ruin a hard-earned reputation. 

7. Have fun!  

What do you do to make the most out of networking events?

One of my goals for this year is to go to more networking functions. That’s easy you think. There are loads to choose from. And yes, there are. However like many solopreneurs, my time is fairly precious, and I want to make sure that the networking events I go to are going to be relevant and help me achieve my goals. 

How do you do that I hear you ask. Well, personally I go to networking events for a number of reasons: 

• to hear a speaker who interests me
• to meet prospective clients
• to catch up with a number of friends/colleagues/business associates all at once (it’s a lot easier than arranging a lot of coffees!)
• to support a charity that I believe in – particularly if they are fundraising
• to support the organisers if they are clients, friends or starting out a new networking group that sounds interesting. 

Most of these reasons are fairly self-explanatory. However I am often asked how do you know that prospective clients are going to be at the networking function you are going to. There are a few ways to find out: 

• trial and error – go to a couple and see what sort of people are also there (this can sometimes be a bit exxy in terms of time and money)
• go where your target market goes – one reason I go to events run by the Australian Institute of Management is because other business owners go (and they are one of my target markets)
• ring the organiser and find out who has attended previous events – while they probably won’t give you names, they may give you some examples of professions and roles
• ask the twitterverse if anyone has been, what they thought, and what type of people were there – the people who reply will also be a good indication of attendees.

 How do you choose what networking events you go to? And what are your favourites?

I thought I would write a top 10 list of low cost marketing ideas, but couldn’t work out which one to delete!

1.      Have a marketing plan

• It doesn’t need to be sophisticated but should at least include: marketing/business objectives, target market, key messages, communication tactics appropriate for your target market, budget, action plan, evaluation mechanisms
• Make sure your marketing is regular and consistent – this way you won’t be caught out during slower times.
• Evaluate what you do so you can see what works and what doesn’t. If your marketing is not working then look at how you can change and improve it.
• Download my simple marketing plan template

2.      Know who your target market is

• Know WHO your target market is as well as where they go to get information, so you can more precisely deliver the messages to the consumer – no point advertising in a golfing magazine if you are selling cricket bats – for example. This can save you a lot of money as you are not spending it on marketing to the wrong people.

3.     Use your networks and contacts

• The more people who know what you do, the more likely they are to refer business to you – so get out there and talk to people, and ask your networks to talk about you (in a good way of course!).

4.     Business cards

• As far as I am concerned, these are the best marketing tool you can have – low cost or otherwise. Include your name, contact details, website, consider including twitter, LinkedIn, Skype, brief description of your business. Use both sides of it. And give them away often. 

5.     It’s cheaper to market to your existing customers than to get new ones

• Think about the work you are currently doing for your customers – now think about what else you can do for them. Can you work with them on a more permanent basis? Are there other people in their business you can work with? Can you develop a new product or service that will suit them?
• Are your current clients aware of all the services/products you provide? If not, then tell them!

 6.     Get a website

• It amazes me how many businesses don’t have a website. There is really no excuse, particularly with so much free software such as Wordpress or Blogger available to start a simple site. Even a 1 page site with a brief statement about what your business is and how people can contact you is better than nothing.
• Promote your website on everything include email signatures, brochures, gimmicky give-aways, business cards and anything else you can think of.

7.     Email marketing

• Sending an email is far cheaper than posting a letter – in terms of dollars and your time. It can also generate faster responses and results.
• BE AWARE OF THE SPAM LEGISLATION. Find out more at www.acma.gov.au

8.     Media and publicity

• Work out your story – if it is newsworthy, journos will want to talk to you.
• Local and community newspapers/radio/tv are also always on the lookout for local interest stories, and trade mags often look for industry information.

9.     Say thank you!

• Be sure to thank your customers, thank the people who refer business to you and thank your suppliers. A bit of gratitude can go a long way in business.

10.  Social media

The benefits of engaging in social media – such as twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube etc inlcude:

• increase your visibility and target your niche market
• build relationships and communities by engaging in conversations with current and prospective clients and suppliers
• share business tips and find business contacts
• follow interesting people who might give you business ideas
• share and discuss business ideas and useful information including web links and photos
• show the human side of your business.

11.  Use the free resources available to you

• There is a massive amount of information on the web (type “cheap marketing ideas” into Google). 
• Go to the library and check out marketing (and other business) books.

Online useful resources are: 

• www.flyingsolo.com.au – free weekly e-newsletter for soloists and small business
• www.sourcebottle.com.au – free subscription service that emails ‘call outs’ for sources from journalists and bloggers

What are your low cost marketing tips?

I have a lot of people ask me how to write a marketing plan that is simple to follow and cost effective to implement. The simple to follow I can help with, the cost effective to implement depends a bit on the tactics you decide on – and I’ll write about some low cost tactics in a future blog post.

As far as I am concerned, a marketing plan for a small business really doesn’t need to be more than a couple of pages in length.

Make sure you inlcude:

• Marketing goals or objectives
• Key industry trends – these should be based on a SWOT analysis that looks at your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, including a bit of info about your competitors
• Your target market – these are the people you want to sell your product to
• Key messages – what do you want your customers to know about you?
• Marketing strategies and tactics appropriate for your target market (such as brochures, website, media activity, twitter)
• Budget – how much can you afford to spend?
• Action plan – when are you doing to do this stuff?
• Evaluation – what has worked, what hasn’t? Why?

Just remember a marketing plan should be a working document that is used, revised, updated, evaluated. Again and again.

I would argue that the most important part of any marketing plan is the action plan. Schedule activities into your calendar, pin them on the wall next to your desk, just make sure you make marketing a priority, and be consistent. After all, the plan won’t work if you aren’t actually doing anything!

Download a simple marketing plan template and get cracking on your marketing today!

I thought it would be fitting for my first blog post to be about goals vs New Year’s Resolutions. Particularly as I have had a goal of getting this new website written and live for about 6 months. I figured that it would be a good goal to kick for the start of the year! And now I have. Phew!

Which brings me to my point. Do you have goals or do you make resolutions? Such as the New Year Resolution? In my experience, goals are often achieved whereas resolutions tend to fall by the wayside by about the 10th of January. If not earlier.

So in 2010 I have decided not to make any NY resolutions (yes, big shock horror to those who know me ). However I have made a list of goals – that I am aiming to achieve by the end of 2010. These include the usual lose weight, do more exercise, eat more fruit and veggies, save money, as well as a few less usual – get more culture into my life, do more speaking engagements, gain a few more long term clients, plan holidays and long weekends.

To achieve these, every month my partner and I sit down together and make a series of “mini-goals” that will help us achieve our bigger picture goals. So, in the spirit of trying to be accountable to myself and anyone who reads this, my January goals are:

• lose weight – 4kg would be good
• do 1 hour of exercise a day (not achieved every day, but have done at least 30 minutes a day so far)
• relaunch my website by the end of January (big tick)
• make a new recipe once a week at least (done! and Shaun is very happy about this one!)
• read two non-fiction books – currently reading Going Rogue by Sarah Palin, next on the list is either Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith or Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk
• go to two networking functions

So now you know mine, I would love you to share your goals for January and 2010 – and how you are going with achieving them.