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Maine marketing for beginners
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If you were to ask one hundred people, why they live in Maine, you would get about 85 answers. The other fifteen people would tell you where to “go,” but not why.
Of those 85 answers, many would focus on the unique sense of place that Maine provides to those of us fortunate enough to live here. Small town meetings, loud libraries and the corner store where you might get your car fixed and order a pizza for dinner are just some of the concepts that make Maine special.
To be clear, there is a difference between the Mainer (born and always lived in Maine) and the rest of us (chose to come home to Maine from away), but this column is not about the quirks of Maine people or is it?
While the majority of my own entrepreneurial experience has been in Maine, I would strongly suspect that the principles of Maine Marketing can be used anywhere in the country. You may have recently read my column on writing a press release and that can be a great first step to spreading the word about your business. But the key to success with using Maine Marketing can be found in the people you know – so is Maine Marketing really about growing your networking?
No! Maine Marketing is about reminding you to cherish your community and to be an active participant.
What do you do that has nothing, on the surface, to do with your business? You might go to the bank, the post office or the elementary school basketball game. You might volunteer for one of the small groups that sustain our sense of community and include everything from snowmobile clubs to the town historical society. Are you involved with your community, do you volunteer, or do you head to the town meeting and bake pies for the community center fundraiser?
Of all of the time you spend spreading the word about your business, who knew it could be as easy as whipping up a batch of chocolate chip cookies or having the high bid in the Penny Auction. If you walk away with one concept, remember this: people decide on a business based on the person or people that represent that business, not the fancy advertisement they had in last week’s newspaper.
An example from Maine Word: I have both my personal and business bank account at my local Phillips branch of Camden National Bank. I did this because it was close to home, but I now realize it was the best choice I could have made to ensure the success of my business. How many of my new clients have come from casual conversations in the bank lobby – it was more than even I realized until I counted them up. Then if I take that same idea a little further, I would have to consider the small business owner who asked about a press release at the grocery store or the class participant I registered after a conversation at a yard sale late last summer. The list goes on…
So be sure to pick up some chocolate chips on your way home from that networking event!
This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg of how to incorporate Maine Marketing into your business model, so I would encourage you to subscribe to my column. Do you have questions or topic ideas that you would like addressed in a future column? Please email me with your thoughts at caroline@maineword.com.
