Making your business known through public relations and marketing
As children we were often judged by how well we could keep a secret. And if we did a really good job of keeping secrets we would often be valued as a trusted friend. So we all know there is value to keeping a secret, but not when it comes to promoting yourself.
Over the years I have often accused clients of being well kept secrets. And yes, you guessed it, it is not a compliment. Let’s look at how and why you may be a well kept secret and what to do about it. I have heard many reasons, or should I say, excuses for this phenomena. The reasons include “people know I do good work”, “I don’t want to brag”, “they will call if they need something” and “I don’t want to seem like a pest”. The best one is “they will think I need the work”. To that last one, I just want to say: “why do you think companies spend millions or even billions of dollars on marketing?”
A common concern I have heard over the years has been worries about having too much work and not being able to handle it all. For anyone who doesn’t have enough work that seems like a ludicrous worry, similar to the wealthy man who has a problem because he doesn’t know which luxury vacation to take. My response to this problem has always been to continue to make yourself known. Making yourself known doesn’t mean putting big flashy ads in the local paper or taking out the biggest phone book ad possible.
If you are wondering about whether you should be spreading the good word about you and your work or other good deeds, just ask yourself the following questions. Do you do good work? Will you be able to satisfy your prospective customers? Don’t they deserve to have you and your team doing their project? And lastly, why do you want to deprive them of getting the best?