It's snowing up a storm here and I'm about to take off, but I wanted to quickly share a couple of smart marketing ideas that I ran across today. The first comes from a chiropractor in San Diego who "[has] been struggling to get new patients for years and was on the brink of closing. One of my college buddies plays minor league baseball and was explaining the aches and pains that some of the +30 crowd struggle with after a game." During their conversation the doctor got roped into consulting and adjusting the team and started donating a few hours per week to treating amateur athletes in the area. "Within a couple of months, the results were really surprising. I suddenly had a slow but steady stream of new clients coming in. They were the friends, family, and acquaintances of the players I had been treating for free. Who'd have ever guessed that treating a few minor league baseball players would turn my business around and connect me to my community is such a powerful way?"
There are a couple of important lessons here:
1. You have to give back without expecting any return.
2. Being a member of your community will make or break your business.
This doctor's story is remarkably common but it's amazing how many chiropractors spend dozens of hours and thousands of dollars on hair-brained marketing ideas when the most powerful form of marketing, community involvement, is right in front of them. Advanced web marketing strategies can be invaluable tools for making your business even more successful. But you can't lose sight of your foundation- the community around you.
The more friends you have, the less marketing you have to do. Let your friends, family, and supporters do the hard work for you. Just give them a reason to praise you.
Rod Campbell
Marketing Director
ChiroHosting.com
