Leverage Someone Else's Brand

If you are starting a brand new company or work at a very large company with a 'big company' image, it can be difficult to take your message to small business owners. One key way to do it is to leverage the brand equity that someone else has already built up to break into the entrepreneur's radar screen. Find someone who has earned the respect of your target market and use their credibility to promote your company.

Find the influencers

There are a number of ways to find who the leaders in your customers' community are. Look for who the most popular bloggers are, who are the ones being invited to do keynote speeches at the important conferences, and who are the authors of the most recent best selling books?

Approach them with sincerity
Once you have identified the appropriate thought leaders, approach them with the sincere desire to help them and the small business community. Too many people are contacting them trying to sell them on a particular product or service. Build a relationship with them first and show that you are genuine about helping entrepreneurs to stand our from your competition.

How to get involved
There are a number of ways to get involved and leverage your new partner's brand. Some of them include:

• Advertising on their website
• Sponsoring a prize for a contest
• Having them review your product / service
• Profiling your company and offering
• Having you as a guest expert contributor to their website to discuss a particular hot topic

By partnering up with people who have accomplished the recognition you are looking for you can shortcut your way to the top and gain the small business credibility you need to sell your offering effectively.

Evan Carmichael

Get Involved In The Small Business Community

I just came across a press release that Dell is holding a competition to find the best small business that "has used technology to drive a significant change or develop a competitive advantage in delivering superior customer value and experience."

While the message could be simpler, Dell is doing a lot of things right here:

• Don't go it alone - Dell has partnered with the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) to put on the competition and help promote it
  
  
• Give prizes - Aside from the recognition, the winner receives $30,000 in free Dell products and a lifetime membership to the NFIB. There are also prizes for the top 9 finalists
  
  
• Offer something unique - While the products and NFIB membership are good starters, the winner also gets to spend a day with Dell founder Michael Dell at the company's headquarters. What better experience could a small business owner ask for than to learn from one of the true entrepreneurial success stories of our time (see yesterday's post Teach Entrepreneurs What You Know).

Running contests and getting involved in the small business community is a great way to stand out, attract attention, and build a brand as a company that cares about entrepreneurs.