Creative Marketing
I had a chance to go to the inaugural meeting of the local Executive Center Roundtable this morning. It was a good example of taking some good ideas in marketing and adding a creative twist.
On the face of it, this group looks a little like many of the networking and leads groups that have grown like weeds here in northern Colorado. From what I’ve seen, this is a huge trend all over the globe as small business owners discover the power of marketing via referrals and personal connections.
What’s interesting about this particular group is that it’s not sponsored by a networking and business-building services company, nor was it started by an individual who was struggling in their business development. That covers most of the other networking groups I’ve seen. Instead, this is sponsored by The Executive Center, which provides office space for startup and very small businesses, as a way to provide professional, productive office space.
Why would such a company want to sponsor a networking group? It’s actually a carefully considered strategy. First, value is given to clients of the Center when they interact with each other and with other similar small businesses in the community. Second, new clients for the Center could very well stem from people who participate in the Roundtable and see the value that the Center can provide. Third, this will probably result in referrals for new clients for the Center.
Kudos to Amanda, who took an idea that has great energy in the local market, and added some unique aspects which serve her target customers to bring in new business.
As an extra bonus, I saw this morning that the waiting list to get into this meeting was as large as the people who came – the limit stemming from the size of the room. This shows that a buzz has been created in the community, something that we all strive for but often find so elusive. Just a few hours after the meeting, the next one is nearly full, and will no doubt have a waiting list by the time you see this. It’s quite possible that a second similar group will be able to start, thus expanding TEC’s marketing reach to a whole new set of entrepreneurs.
This is a great lesson in marketing creatively!
Carl Dierschow
Small Fish Business Coach Fort Collins
www.smallfish.us
