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SUGGESTED SPEAKERS FOR DISTRICT MEETINGS

As all of the districts change over to new officers in the summer I always get requests for speakers. I will provide a short list that can be used.

BUILD AWARENESS FOR YOUR BUSINESS IN YOUR COMMUNITY

As a small business owner, you have something going for you the larger businesses don't. You already know who your main audience is. You know because if you're running a business, your main audience is very often the folks located 10, 20 or 30 miles from your place of business. Your challenge is to make sure you get on their radar. It's nice that you know who they are. But you need to make sure that they know who you are.

Here are some great ways to give back to your local community.

Join the Chamber of Commerce. Every town has one and every Chamber of Commerce needs more volunteers to help out and sponsor local events, workshops, and to serve on different committees. Contact yours and ask how you can join and get involved. Associate your brand with the community you live in. It's a great way to support your community, while also building name recognition and possibly getting you a link from their website. Or, if you don't have the time to serve on a committee, volunteer your office space for their next meeting or mixer, and supply food and drink. It's the little gestures that people remember and that earn you great karma points.

Sponsor a local team: There's no better way to spread awareness and goodwill for your company than to sponsor a local sports team or club. Every child has a parent, and every parent appreciates companies that help children. Look for opportunities to sponsor Little League teams, soccer teams, pee-wee football, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, etc. It's a great branding opportunity for you, even more that that, you get to help kids and youth living in your community. And don't just slap your logo on some jerseys and think you're done. Actually show up and participate.

Use Internet social media sites to organize a meeting so that you can get together with the folks in your community. It can be industry-based, a group for local entrepreneurs, for parents, etc. You don't have to stay within your little box; just form relationships with other people in your community. And when you're there and talking to people, don't worry about promoting your company. Just be a real person. What you do for a living will naturally come up in conversation and the next time anyone in that group needs what you do, they'll remember that they already know someone who does that. They have a friend they met at the last meeting.

Speak at local events. If there's a local seminar going on in your area about your industry, or about something you have some knowledge in, offer to speak. Or, if there isn't one happening, offer to help put one together and host it. Doing so establishes yourself as an expert and makes you the go-to person in your area for that subject. There may also be some great branding opportunities as well in the event.

Use local venders. As a local business, you should be supporting all the other local businesses in your town and using them whenever you can. You want to create synergistic relationships that will let you cross promote. Helping each other out means you create opportunities for cross promotion and makes sure certain jobs aren't outsourced to companies not within your community.

Join a local service club. Think about joining the local Kiwanis, Lions Club, Rotary Club, etc. There are lots of opportunities for networking in a local service club and provides you an opportunity to promote yourself within your community.

Growing your small business often means simply making the community know that you exist in the first place. Getting exposure doesn't have to be burdensome. In fact, it's often a lot of fun and a great reason to do some good in your community.

Pest Control Operators of California
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