Shhhhhhhh, don't tell anyone...

If there's one thing I'd have to say in general about our industry is that it's just too ready to hide its successes... We can all do so much more than just one core product, and making sure your customers are aware of what else you can do will stop them from turning to a competitor to get that product...

While there are some good reasons for remaining modest in any trade, such as not letting your competitors know what you're doing, protecting your existing client base, etc, there are some huge reasons to use every little bit of product and business promotion you can do.

Sharing achievements and successes helps show that you're an innovative company, based around ensuring your customers are getting the best service around. Don't forget, people in general like to deal with a successful business - someone who's going places and can help them get there too.

Hence it's doubly sad when a company isn't using it's reputation to raise it's profile in it's local market - a missed opportunity for the business itself, and often for it's customers too.

Lets look at some of the simple ways promoting your successes can be turned to your advantage:

• Winning new business. Making people aware of what your company can do can increase the business you do, both on a local and larger basis. Promotion and publicity can bring the attention of a whole new client base to your firm, adding the potential to increase sales and boost the turnover of your company.
• Community Awareness. Making people in your immediate community aware of the fact that you exist, the services you provide, and the successes you're having is always a good thing - look for local business magazines, networking groups, or forward information to the business section of your local papers (journalists love stories they don't have to write themselves, especially with quality pictures - enlist a photographer to get the best images for you)
• Expanding your existing market. It may seem like blowing your own trumpet, but letting your existing client base know what you can do for them, and what you've been recognized for doing is a tremendous way of increasing the business you can do with people who already know you...
• Increased exposure to government and corporate clientele. Proving you have the ability to handle the job can include letting people know you're doing that job in the first place - again, there's no substitute for being 'published' for what you do... it's a cliché that the people at the top have the time to peruse all the business pages and the like, but in many cases, they do... and it's an excellent 'in' when you're dealing with them - did you see the article on us in "The Daily News" is an easy way to prove your credentials, even if the person in point didn't see the article...
• Staff Morale, and pride. Your staff will be prouder and happier to promote where they work if you're recognized as an industry leader, with acknowledged achievements - word of mouth is one of our strongest selling tools, and an employee who talks positively about where they work makes a connection every time they mention your business...
• Changing your image. Often a company is only known for one aspect of it's business, even though it may offer a full gamut of key products and services. A good, in depth promotional campaign detailing other services you provide can dramatically change the view people have of a business...
• Business, community and peer recognition. On the whole, Australians are proud of Australian successes - if you have a success story, let people know and they'll spread the word for you...

Marketing is often overlooked by a business owner - they have a sales person, and established clientele, so 'Marketing' becomes a dirty word that costs money. Unfortunately that adage of having to spend money to make money does apply - one way to maximize the expenditure on marketing, and promoting your business is to employ someone with dedicated skills - you don't necessarily need a dedicated staff member though, there is an abundance of firms capable of giving you a targeted, successful marketing campaign strategy, and managing the turning of that strategy into a successful, formulated plan.

Marketing is a primary part of the expansion of almost any business, so it should be treated as a priority. If you don't make an effort to tell your marketplace about all the great things that your company is doing, who else will?