Marketing can be tough for any home busness owner, but trying to decide just where to put your energy can seem like a big puzzle. So many of us are tempted to start on the “outside”–with our coldest possible markets, instead of working with the hot and warm markets, those people closest to us who already know something about our work.
I am not sure why, but we think we have to build the business boat from scratch. We start going to networking events or try to target an unknown market and that is where we spend our resources and our energy. The truth is, however, those people who are already in our sphere of influence are a much warmer market, and with probably less resources and energy, they are more likely to become customers or clients than people who haven’t even heard of us yet. This means the people who live in our neighborhood, or go to our church, or whose children attend the same schools as ours do.
This is not to say that there is no point in cultivating new prospects and trying out market areas that we have not tried yet, but we cannot ignore those people closest to us. There are those friends and family members who already trust us and have a natural interest in what we are up to with our home businesses and those “friends of friends” who may not be in our “hot” markets, but they are definitely somewhat warm. Try to remember not to ignore those hot and warm prospects and spend all your time trying to get the attention of completely unknown prospects. Instead, dedicate a little time and resources for cold markets, while continuing to cultivate and nurture those people who already have an inkling of who you are and what your business is all about.
Also: Marketing Yourself for Your Job
Watch Out for Double Messages in Your Marketing
What Makes Your Business Different?