Marketing
Your Services in a Small Town
By Lisa Hayes
Many writers wish to live the life of Thoreau or Whitman; a reclusive existence
with the mountains and valleys as neighbors. The only difference is that we wish
to also have our Internet connection, telephone and fax machines by our sides.
And, we want to get paid for it. The life of seclusion and existence outside of
the hustle and bustle of society promises writers a life of relaxed creativity,
but it also offers challenges. Your self-discipline, resolve and dedication will
obviously be challenged. However, the greatest challenge will be to find a
demand for your work in the small communities in your area.
I work in ultra-rural West Virginia, and the closest single-traffic light town
is nearly an hour drive. When I first moved to the area two year ago, I was
worried about the local market. Although I consider myself a writer, I also have
experience in graphic design, web design, and marketing. The closest town,
Glenville, has three hardware stores, two grocery stores, two drug stores and
five restaurants. Obviously, the competition for these businesses is not
intense. Many other businesses in the area have a complete corner on the market:
one Internet supplier, one bookstore, one craft store, and one laundromat.
My first year in business, I dismissed any local market and instead listed my
resume on pertinent Internet sites, and watched job postings on several sites
and newsletters. I found the competition for Internet job listings intense, and
although I could underbid the competition due to the low cost of living in my
area, work came in at an intermittent and irregular rate. I spent hours browsing
job boards and reading newsletters with disappointing results. I began selling
items on eBay to supplement my income. This was not a successful approach to
freelance writing.
At the end of my first year, I reviewed my marketing plan, taking into
consideration the competition on line (heavy), and the competition in my area
(little to none). I also considered the value of my time spent browsing and
joining job boards, (sometimes over an hour daily) and the time wasted. I
reworked the plan, applying the time I was wasting on Internet job boards to
local activities instead. I realized I was the only business of my kind in the
area. I was missing my "niche." With a small advertising budget, I
could easily saturate my local area with my marketing. A little local networking
could seal the impression.
One of the downfalls of living rurally and working at home is that I rarely go
to (or am seen in) town. I ran into town once a week for groceries, hardware,
and a trip to the bank and headed back out of town to rural heaven. Instead, I
began planning a visit to local establishments during that weekly run, visiting
3 new establishments each week. If you want local work, you have to work the
local area. I had pens made with my business phone and web site listed on them.
I did not use any "pitch;" instead, I made small talk, chatted about
the weather, the harvest, the garden, the deer, common acquaintances, etc. I
acted like I had all day to visit. Then, I would finish by introducing myself,
and almost as an afterthought, handing them a pen.
No pressure, no pitch, no business suit. Instead, lots of smiling and eye
contact in my Dockers and a nice shirt. I didn't present myself as a business -
I presented myself as a nice, interested person. Smile, chat, shake hands. Most
importantly, ACT LIKE YOU HAVE ALL DAY. If you are an unfamiliar face - locals
will be curious. They WANT to know who you are and what your deal is. If you
chat long enough, they WILL ask you about you. By now, I have met every business
owner in town, but I still do this once a week, reminding them that my services
are available.
I made colorful T-shirts sporting a design and my logo for my friends who worked
in town or visited town regularly. I gave them to the bartenders at the local
bar/restaurant. I gave them to state road workers who hold the stop signs. I
also gave them business cards to carry in their purse/wallet in case someone
commented on their T-shirts, and coached them on what to say about my business.
(Desktop Publishing is an unfamiliar term to the typical rural West Virginian--
they've heard it, but they aren't sure what it entails. Likewise, if I call
myself a copywriter, they expect me to whip out a book I have written.) Make
sure your services and abilities are explained in a way that even a layman
understands what you do. Many rural residents are not familiar with the computer
terms, writing jargon, or really know what a “consultant” does.
Next, I took out a 2 column by 2 inch ad in the local paper for thirteen weeks.
When I took out my ad in the paper, I chatted with the editor's secretary and
learned his regular lunch/visiting/dog walking schedule. (A benefit to chatting
and bonding in a small town.) To him, it seemed we just "bumped into each
other" more often. I asked to sit with him, walked with him, asked him
about his dog, paper, sons, life. I carried dog bones in my purse and ALWAYS
commented on his most recent editorial. As a polite person, it was only natural
he would ask me about my life/business when he finished reporting on his.
I wrote my own press release about my business, and the next time I bumped into
him at the Dairy Stand, I bought him an ice cream and gave my release to him. I
wrote two and a half pages, thinking he would cut the article - he ran it in its
entirety. As a thank-you, I sent him a T-shirt. He loves it and wears it often -
to meetings, events, etc.
I also placed an ad in the local “Trader’s Guide,” the local classifieds
paper which runs ads for non-business residents for no charge. As a business, I
paid a small fee, but since the paper covered 8 counties in the area, it was
worth every penny.
I had let them see my face, see my advertisements, and had chatted with them
all. I then began giving them my time. I began writing a small column for the
local paper. Once a month, I wrote a small press release on advertising trends,
Internet etiquette, local web sites, etc. to run at no charge to the paper
provided the closing paragraph listed my credentials and business. The local
editor was tickled at my offer to write a column for free, pleased to have new
information to help fill his small town paper. I volunteered my services to the
local arts guild, teaching crafters and artists how to put their wares on the
Internet. Their successes became my successes, as the work creating the site was
ours together. I served chili in the chili cook-off, participated in the clean
our streams program. I got a library card and visited the library weekly,
signing out books. Many of which I never read.
People then began to nod when I introduced myself and my business, having seen
the logo or my name in the paper or on a t-shirt or having heard my name
mentioned by someone they knew. These things made me appear more
"legitimate" to the locals, and the phone began to ring more often,
but didn't ring off the hook.
Then, (and this is the biggie) I joined the local historic landmarks commission,
arts and heritage council, and the economic development association. (We have no
chamber of commerce.) I discovered that my local government and our local
organizations had several web, marketing, writing, promotional projects that
were either grant or state funded, but did not have the staff or knowledge
needed to conquer these tasks.
Almost immediately, I was overwhelmed with work from local organizations and
government endeavors. One of my first contracts was for $12,000. When the work
for the organizations began to circulate, more calls from local businesses
started coming. By the time my thirteen weeks in the local paper ended, I had no
further need to advertise regularly in the newspaper. However, I do run an ad
once a month to keep on the editor's good side.
In thirteen weeks of my second year, I acquired more work than I did in my
entire first year. My local work, combined with the few Internet clients I had
already established, has been scheduled to keep me busy for the next year. The
local work was much more enjoyable and pertinent to my own life, and I found my
local clients paid in a more timely manner than my Internet clients.
During that second year, I spent very little on advertising; less than I spend
joining resume services and job services on the Internet. I spent my time
meeting people instead of browsing Internet job boards and reading job-listing
newsletters. I learned about my community, local organizations, and made many
friends along the way. Many of them are clients, some are not, but they are all
friends, and are still all potential clients.
Total money in marketing/networking efforts:
Newspaper advertisements: $150.00
Twelve T-shirts (shirts, iron on paper, ink): $50.00
300 pens with business info: $42.00
Gas to town once a week for 13 weeks: $130.00
TOTAL: $372.00
Total time in marketing/networking efforts:
Ad design: 8 hours
T-shirt design and ironing: 8 hours
Press releases: 12
Volunteering: 22
Organization Meetings: 18
TOTAL: 68 hours
For a relatively small amount of money and time, within 13 weeks, I had
established myself as a valuable resource to my community, instead of just
another new business. When people discuss writing/marketing/web projects in town
now, my name and my business almost immediately come to their mind. My monthly
article in the newspaper has established me as a “specialist” of some kind,
although I have to formal Internet or computer training. Yet, because my
experience is much greater than many in my rural area, my knowledge is
considered valuable.
Not all my incoming work entails copywriting. I have had to realize and meet the
needs of my community by expanding my services to web design, training and
teaching, layout and graphic direction and creation. I had to learn about my
community’s needs while my community got to know me and the services I offer.
To have the local community serve your business, you have to serve your local
community. Prove to them that you are a resource, not just a person providing a
service. You can't be a stranger, and you can't do it from your desk chair. It
takes more time than money, and more networking than work. So get up, and get
out there.
Lisa
Hayes is the owner of Written and Read Desktop Creations and Consulting.
She specializes in promotional writing and design, providing a broad
spectrum of marketing and desktop services.
Ms. Hayes has nearly ten years experience in writing fields and five
years of computer experience, with four years desktop experience in marketing
and advertising venues. In her
spare time, she teaches job and computer skills to disadvantaged people in the
central West Virginia area. Author
of two magic books which have sold over 20,000 copies worldwide, she has just
published Thus Far, a collection of her own poetry.
Visit
her website at www.wvcottages.com/WR/.
