Reaching Small Business Owners

In today’s market, reaching small business owners has taken on new meaning. Many businesses are in a state of flux. Business owners are trying to reopen their businesses safely. And, bottom line, their goal is to make a profit.

I get lots of requests from people who want to market to small businesses. I explain time and time again that the goal is not to reach businesses but to reach the actual small business owner.

Our business list offers markers the ability to reach business owners by their specific title. Some of the titles small business owners use include: owner, president, CEO, and principal. When we pull a list of small business owners, we will select all of those titles.

Top Marketing Channels:

• Telemarketing
• Email Marketing
• Social Media
• Direct Mail

When you get a list of small business owners, you can request their telephone numbers and email addresses in addition to their mailing information. This will give you the ability to reach small business owners through all the top marketing channels.

Telemarketing

It starts with the cold call. Don’t get overwhelmed by the expression cold call. Think of it as an introductory call. This call identifies whether the business owner is a potential customer. Your call tests the demand for your product. Use it to get some valuable information. You can use the call to get a feel for what price a customer will pay for your product or service. You will also be able to find out what kind of objections a potential customer may have. And, you will find out whether your prospect might consider a follow up meeting.

Prepare a 30 second script that includes your greeting and why you’re calling, Remember, you are not trying to sell them during this call. You are gauging their interest. Your goal is to turn a cold prospect into a warm lead.

Email

According to MarketingSherpa, email is the preferred source of business communication for 72 percent of small business owners. But business owners get tons of emails. Your email needs to stand out. This starts with an attention grabbing subject line.  This line should clearly tell the purpose of your email in only a few words. Eliminate any filler words and place the most important ones up front. You want to make sure that the email’s importance is prioritized.

According to Wiki-How, the thing to remember is that the reader should be able to know everything that’s going to be in the email, without ever opening the email. That means:

• If you’re following up on a meeting, say you’re following up on a meeting.
• If you’re marketing something, specify the reader’s takeaway and how you’ll deliver.
• Are you applying for a job? State the job and your name.

Social Media

LinkedIn has proven very successful for business people to connect with each other.  If you are not on LinkedIn, you should be. Linked In is a social networking website designed for business professionals. It allows you to share work-related information with other users and keep an online list of professional contacts.

Through LinkedIn, you have the ability to research the small business owner you want to do business with. You can invite them to connect (link in) with you by sending an introductory email through the LinkedIn system.

Direct Mail

If you really want to make an impact, use great direct mail. Of all the marketing channels, it is the only one that guarantees delivery to the small business owners you want to reach.  But guaranteeing delivery isn’t enough, you need to make sure your mailing gets opened.

Use over-sized pieces, crazy shapes, bright colors.  One of the most memorable pieces that sticks in my mind was a huge lumpy bright purple padded envelope that begged to be opened. You bet I opened it. It had a Frisbee inside with a note inviting me to learn more about a new list.  This piqued my interest and I called in.

I love Red Paper Plane for a great stand-out-in-the-mail resource.  They offer video mailers, dimensional mail, exploding pages – all sorts of get attention grabbers.  Their mantra is that you need to break out of the norm in order to break through the clutter.

Bottom Line

Market away. Today’s lists are very accurate. For your best pricing, get all the contact information that’s available on the list when you order it.  BTW – you can also order UCC data on a Small Business List if you are offering banking, finance or credit programs.