Marketing a Marketing Company

[ProductiveMarketing]

Ever heard that you can tell how good a landscaper is by how well his home is landscaped? The same goes for every type of career. How well someone exercises their trade for themselves reflects on how much of a professional they are.

So the question arises for me, how does one effectively market a marketing company so that people not only notice and hire the company, but it stands out from the rest of the competition.

I figured us marketers (everyone) could benefit from this thread.

I'll start with what I think/figured out.

1. Do the simple stuff well. I know this sounds stupidly simple but it is important. Returning phone calls, being courteous, being timely, having a good presence, being appropriately dressed... The list goes on and on. Take time and effort to do them well.

2. Have a consistent brand. Your brand should be simple. As it transitions from website to business card to letterhead it should remain the same. No small tweaks.

3. Consider everything your customer sees of you as your own marketing. EVERYTHING. The uncut lawn, your hygiene, the unwashed car, etc.

4. Don't get into markets you don't have any knowledge of so you don't play the fool. Stretching your abilities is great, but do it armed with knowledge.

5. A business buys you before they buy what you sell. If you are a jerk, they won't hire you.

6. Get testimonials from EVERY client and publish EVERY one. If you can't do that because you get bad testimonials you need to go back to the drawing board and address your clients concerns.

7. Do case studies on everything as well. Especially on projects where you learn a lot. Not only will this give you credibility with prospective clients but it will establish what you learned in your brain.

8. Be willing to work for free for a good cause.

9. Be friendly.

10. Offer advice for free.

11. In businesses where you use their services, analyze them for marketing opportunity and suggest ideas to the company. Even if they don't hire you. Ideas are easy, good practice, and they may need your help in implementing them.

Perhaps a lot of these are general business rules. So be it.

What do you do?

[Elsoft]

I believe marketing is about helping people make a informed choice.People dont like being sold,they want to buy.So,advise them on what they are looking for.Be honest and let them know what you offer and let them make a choice.And in most cases,people tend to get back to you.