Recently, I was asked to participate in a recipe exchange program. Now, this is a laugh, as I pretty much only cook what comes in a box or bag—but it got me thinking about other types of recipes. Specifically, developing the right “mix” of ingredients to successfully promote your business.
Basically, there are three primary “food” groups to promote your business: advertising, marketing and public relations. Of course, there are many subgroups within each of these groups, including social media, direct mail, advertising, community relations, websites, marketing brochures, press releases and so on, but you get the idea.
As with any good recipe, it’s critical to have the right ingredients, in the correct quantities. A cake recipe asks for salt, but if you use a cup instead of a dash, the results are completely different. The same goes for promoting your business. If you focus too much of your efforts on social media, you may be totally missing out on people who might read about your company in their local newspaper. Likewise, if you believe that just having a website—no matter how good it is—is enough, you are missing out on many other opportunities to get your product or services in front of potential customers. Don’t be afraid to experiment. All good chefs do and masterpieces are created.
It can be difficult to determine what ingredients, and what quantities, you need. Carefully analyze each opportunity, making sure that it’s a good fit for your target audience—and of course, your budget.
I often hear business owners say “I’ll only use social media to promote my business because it’s free.” While it may be free (or inexpensive) to use the various platforms, it is far from free because it takes TIME (and commitment) to use these sites effectively.
No matter what, you should never rely on just one method to get your message out to your potential audience.
As with any good recipe, success doesn’t often come with the first effort. Rather, it’s a trial and error process, trying different ingredients, in different quantities. The key is to keep at it and don’t give up if your efforts aren’t immediately successful.
One final note: as with any good recipe, you should periodically review your efforts to make sure that the methods you are using are still current and producing the results you desire. Don’t be afraid to update and change the mix of your ingredients. After all, yesterday’s television is today’s YouTube!
I’d love to get your thoughts about this, especially as they pertain to social media—and the larger and larger role it plays in marketing. Comment below!
You are right, it takes a bit of this and a bit of that to get the right recipe. I just wish it wasn’t so hard to keep up with all the new opportunities in social media! Have you had a chance to look at what can be done with the new Facebook tie-ins? I look forward to your analysis!
It’s a full-time job just keeping up on the Facebook changes! For a business owner, I suggest not trying to keep up. It’s better to find what works and use it. If something new comes along that looks promising, check it out. But, don’t get caught up in trying every new thing that comes along. Big tip – watch what your competitors are using!
What a great blog and I loved the correlation with cooking by following a recipe. As a business owner one gets so focused in what is happening and really forgets to double check if the recipe implemented is actually working. Thanks for the reminder.
We definitely need to keep tabs on the results. After all, who trusts a cook who won’t eat their own food? 😉
There’s nothing like a good metaphor to make a good point! I’m a good cook when it comes to food, but your comparison is a needed reminder of the other kinds of recipes. Thanks.
Mary – as a good cook, I’m sure you “fiddle” with recipes all the time, trying to improve them. Sometimes, it works…sometimes not so much! What’s important from a business perspective is to try new things and experiment. Don’t get carried away, but sometimes you’ll come up with a concoction that’s better than the original.
That’s so cool! My professor turned me on to a book titled, “Dissertation Cookbook” as the author (Simon) guides you through the process of “cooking” your dissertation much like following a recipe!
Awesome lessons!
Thanks Deb!
Kelly
Love it! Thanks!!