Small firms have
big advantages

Last week, in part one of this article, you learned what consumer-generated media is, and I shared some examples from the auto industry that exemplify the power of consumer-generated media (CGM). Today, I'll show you how you can take the research performed by big corporations and apply it for big gains in your small business.

What do you need to do to profit with CGM in your small business? It's the same thing as big corporations: You need to listen to your target market and provide them an easy way to communicate with you. There's a major difference for you, though. In making these adaptations to your marketing and business operations, you have two distinct advantages:

» You're already a lot closer to your clients and customers than big corporations can ever hope to be.

» When it comes to changes and improvements, you can make them faster than larger companies can.

These are big advantages held by small-business owners, and they're not to be taken lightly.

Here are three things you can do to put CGM and word of mouth in your corner

» Position yourself as a trusted expert. That means positioning yourself and your company in areas that people in your target market visit (online and off-line) for information or education related to your industry.

» Make it easy for consumers to learn about you, your company, and what makes you a better choice than your competitors. That means having a Web site that's user friendly and easy to navigate. In some cases, it also means providing direct comparisons of your product or service benefits over your competitors right on your own Web site. Consumers will find that information on their own anyway, so you might as well save them the time.

» Open channels of dialogue and provide multiple ways for developing a relationship with you. An essential first step is having your own business blog. They're low cost, easy to manage, and extremely effective in this area.

The most important thing you can remember to successfully market in the 21st-century marketplace is that the consumer comments, opinions and satisfaction are one with your marketing actions. There is no separation and you can't overcome CGM with traditional marketing, no matter how much money you put behind it. If you remember those essential facts, your mindset will begin to shift when it comes to marketing and growing your business. Then you'll be able to establish a firm leadership role in your chosen industry or niche. If you don't, one of your competitors will.

See the Columnists section for some past articles.

John-Paul Micek is the lead business coach at RPM Success Group Inc. Reach him at JPM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.

Deborah Cole Micek, chief executive officer of RPM Success Group, is a business success coach and life strategist. Reach her at DCM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.

Read an expanded version of this article at www.GetCoachedforFree.com.

Small firms have big advantages

Small firms have
big advantages