Sara Gilbert is an award-winning Business Strategist & Mindset Coach for service-based entrepreneurs.
On July 5, Meta launched a new social media platform: Threads. Almost immediately, over 100 million accounts were created on the platform, including many high-profile users.
I don’t know about you, but I asked myself, “Should I get on board with this app?”
Like any entrepreneur, I understand the importance of visibility in business. So, like 100 million other people, I got on board.
But then I asked myself better questions, the questions we should be asking ourselves as entrepreneurs:
• Is this strategy and tool right for me, my clients and my business?
• How does my ideal client discover me—on which platform, location, publication?
• Is my ideal client present on this platform?
• Do I want to invest time and energy in this initiative?
In order, my answers were: yes, through social media, no and no. So, in the end, I made one post on Threads, and that was my first and last contribution to that platform.
All Strategies Work
There’s no shortage of marketing strategies. You can network, ask for referrals, work with centers of influence, make videos, write newspaper articles, have a blog…
If you listen to marketing experts, some will tell you that having a YouTube channel is a “must,” and others will tell you that having a blog is a “must”… And they’re all right, because all strategies are good; all strategies work.
The real question is, “What strategy is in alignment with you?” It has to suit who you are—your personality and communication style. And it has to suit your clients—the way they like to consume content, connect with their professionals and make decisions.
The Banana Strategy
This issue reminded me of a merchant in a local farmer’s market in Costa Rica who has the best marketing strategy! Here it is:
You arrive at his kiosk. You pick up the fruit and vegetables you want. Once at the checkout, you pay for your items and he packs them. At the end of the transaction, he adds a few bananas to your bag as a gift.
He doesn’t offer “the more you buy, the more you save” discounts. He doesn’t advertise “free bananas.” Nothing.
He simply surprises and delights! And people come back to his booth (#guilty) because of it.
I’m sure this farmer doesn’t have a Ph.D. in marketing. I’m sure he wasn’t advised by a business consultant from an international firm. I’m also sure he hasn’t had any training in business development. And yet, he has the best marketing strategy.
His kiosk is always full, he probably charges the same price as other farmers (I haven’t even checked!) and clients always smile when they see him add bananas to their bags.
Moral of the story:
A few bananas: $0.10
Clients who come back week after week and who talk about it with other future clients: priceless.
Surprise And Delight
We often go to great lengths to find new clients and attract potential clients. But the best strategy is, and always will be, to surprise and delight our existing clients.
This increases client loyalty. It increases the number of referrals and/or testimonials. And it’s always fun for us to please our clients.
So surprising and delighting is a win-win-win strategy: for you, for your clients and for business.
How could you surprise and delight your clients this week?
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