I live in a town of less than 2000 people. That’s by choice- we’re surrounded by mountains, rivers, and good friends. I’m lucky.
An interesting thought occurred to me about my position: Are the rules different for succeeding in a small town versus a big one? I don’t think so, but the opportunities definitely are.
Those opportunities can lead to quite a bit of business. Here’s a couple of rules that I’ve found it’s good to stick by.
Get Involved
Small towns offer a lot of opportunities to be involved in your community and get to know people. Steering committees and civic groups are good places to dig in. It’s a cool way to get to know people and do something constructive, while building relationships that foster good business.
Be Early
You can’t ever miss a deadline in a small town. If you have a project that’s on a time line, create mileposts that let you be early. If the piece takes two weeks, set the deadline with your client at three.
The opportunity to do business in a small town depends massively on reputation management: If you read about a seller on Amazon who delivers early, think how much better it sounds coming from someone sitting across from you in the coffee shop.
Never Say Anything Bad About Anybody. Ever.
No matter how much they deserve it. It’s one thing to rant about a Fortune 500 company on Twitter. It’s something else entirely to talk about a person that everyone in your town knows by at most a couple degrees of separation. It doesn’t matter what that other someone is doing, only how you react to it.
And if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Small towns are just too small to create any friction that could effect your ability to do business with your neighbors.
It’s Personal
These are the same principals of doing good business anywhere in the world, I’m sure. But in a small town, the opportunities are different- projects are more personal, contact is more immediate, and word spreads fast. In New York, people don;t know who you are. But in your town, it’s different.
What’s your experience?
Tags: business relationships, business trust, content, marketing strategy
I agree with everything here save for your first point, that the rules for doing business are different in a small town.
I would equate doing business in WV like working in a semi-progressive, yet backwards facing environment. The way people look at internet marketing, or social media, is as though its the newest scam/pain/hurdle they are presented with, rather than the newest opportunity.
Case in point, how many local businesses advertise on the internet vs print or tv? How many local companies have a strong web or social presence? Its not a lack of exposure, they know these things exist, but for some reason the concept of embracing them seems lost.
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Ben Curnett
Reply:
August 19th, 2009 at 11:13 am
I don’t know, Patrick- it sounds like you do agree with me. I’m saying the rules are the same (be honest, punctual, and visible) but the opportunities are different.
I think I should have taken your lead a little more on how those opportunities are different, because I agree with you 100%. I imagine digital marketers in large cities have one less piece of the proposal pie; that is, we must convince a lot of our potential customers that digital marketing is even viable for them, that it’s even worth it to begin with. I think that’s a given for large markets.
Still, the teacher in me kind of likes those opportunities. It can be frustrating, sure, but it’s pretty satisfying when you make a convert.
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