Get the Word Out - Part I

In my last post, we established the necessity of a two-pronged marketing approach. Always look for new clients while treating your current clients like royalty (within reason, of course). How, you ask, do you accomplish this? Get the Word Out. Here are a couple of ideas to get you started.

1. Advertise – in the local bar association newsletter. Be industry specific and target one demographic, in this case law firms.
2. Get listed – Yellow Pages and business pages, off-line and on-line – even a one-line is better than a no-liner.
3. Business cards – Be sure you carry business cards with you at all times. Place one in the hands of every court clerk you encounter. They often encounter attorneys or private individuals in need of a process server. If the ask the clerks for a referral, and the clerks have your card… well, you get the idea. A word of caution here; just because they have your card don’t assume they will refer you – mark sure you treat them well, always smile, always be friendly (and it doesn’t hurt if you bring cookies or donuts once in a while).
4. Rule of Five – Devise a marketing campaign that puts you in front of your customer no less than five times in a specified period. (Rule of five says that most people generally have to see your ad at least 5 times before taking action.) So grab a copy of the local bar association membership listing or directory. Target the litigation attorneys – family law, personal injury, commercial litigation, debt collection, etc. Send them a full-color, professional looking postcard that provides your company name, phone number and be sure you include that your company provides process service. While this is a numbers game, it is relatively low-cost and eventually pays off, usually in a way that defrays the costs spent and provides you with a long-term client.
5. Website – If you do not have a presence on the web, you do not have a presence. Even a simple single webpage is better than no web presence. We began with a low cost web-hosting template and eventually upgraded. A website is not static, however. It will require ongoing attention and changes as people will expect to see changes when they visit. If it stays the same, they will not come back. A basic website generally will not provide immediate results, but as your business grows so can your web presence. Think of a website as another tool for growing your business. When you are ready to upgrade with the help of a professional website developer/SEO professional be sure you ask for a referral from someone who is happy with his or her web partnership.

Check back next posting for the remaining ideas to “Get the Word Out”.

If you would like the complete low-down on how to start up your own Process Service business, check out my book “The Business End of Process, Running a Process Service Company From the Ground Up” available on Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=%22The+Business+End+of+Process%22&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3A%22The+Business+End+of+Process%22&ajr=0.