Tools

Most discussions around marketing eventually discuss tools to reach out and educate target markets about the marketing objectives of the organization. SBDC's have a variety of communication and educational requirements and we wish to share substantive tools to assist you with this work. We have organized the tools into the following groups.

In most cases, these tools will not be a 100% turnkey; however, reviewing these tools, then customizing them to your organization to meet your specific needs can help move your marketing efforts forward. Use them to spark your own ideas and start a few steps ahead of the game.


PLANNING TOOLS - Growth does not happen by accident. Not unlike our clients: to succeed we must PLAN to succeed. Do you have a growth plan?

ADVOCACY TOOLS - SBDC's create a "macro" benefit to the communities we serve, and importantly, many of our funding partners come from the community / government arenas. Advocating the macro view of entrepreneurship - and specifically how SBDCs facilitate this - is a central growth challenge.

CLIENT TOOLS - Attracting the right clients is a bigger issue than just center metrics. Your parents may have told you "you will be judged by the company you keep" and their advice also applies to how your community views your center. Working with the right clients and growing seminar attendance is crucial to your center's success. These tools help connect with the desired clients.

LINKER TOOLS - Linkers are those people or organizations who connect you to your client base. In SBDCs, referrals from Chambers, Banks, Accountants, Governmental Organizations, and satisfied clients is immensely important. Not only are these partnerships effective, but they are inexpensive. (You don't have a HUGE advertising budget do you!!?!) Linkers are a key marketing strategy for SBDCs.

CONSULTING TOOLS - Tools to help in the consulting process are abound in the SBDC. Here are a collection of tools that you can use to better serve clients.

OTHER TOOLS - OK, not everything fits into a perfect little category. Here are some other interesting tools.

If you have marketing tools for SBDCs you believe would be helpful to share with other SBDC's, please email us at tools@growyoursbdc.com.

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Impacting behavior through communications

In SBDCs, failing to meet our goals often means we have a marketing challenge. It usually means we want to impact the behavior of others (people or organizations) in a way that helps move towards our vision; we want them to "buy" our vision. Improving how we communicate these goals and the gool we plan to do for entrepreneurs and our communities is paramount. To grow means to better communicate.

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Email us:
info@growyoursbdc.com