12 ;e Costco Connection NOVEMBER 2016
THE IDEA OF promoting another business’s work
may seem counterintuitive, but it’s a great way to
build a solid social media presence and build interest and loyalty among your existing and prospective customers and clients.
Small and medium-size businesses have a
tremendous opportunity to form relationships with
their fans—and soon-to-be fans—by establishing
themselves within their industry and the community they serve. Promoting the work of others
who serve and participate in that community
establishes your business as one that’s friendly and
supportive, and it primes your audience to want to
hear more about what you have to offer. Touting
the work of others also opens up an opportunity
to strengthen your own professional network.
Here are some tips for how to promote other
businesses’ work alongside your own.
; Explain the why. Always include a brief note
about why you’re sharing what you’re sharing.
Are you moved by it? Do you find it clever or well
designed? Do you think it solves a problem your
audience might have?
; You don’t have to promote your direct
competitors, but it’s a good idea to note what
others in your industry are doing to serve your
shared community.
; Stray across strict boundaries. If someone in
a seemingly unrelated field is doing something you
can relate to your community, share it.
; Don’t tie everything you share back to what
you’re doing or your own business. It will read as
disingenuous and turn off people rather than attract them.
; Avoid sarcasm. It’s impossible to guarantee
your fans and readers will know you’re not being
literal, so it’s best to just say your piece directly,
and with a smile.
; Do interact. Chat with the businesses whose
work you’re sharing, and chat with your fan base
about it.
Praising the work of others not only shows the
customers and clients you want to reach that you
play nicely with others, it also shows them that it’s
important to you to exist in a connected, supportive world. That kind of feeling can lead others to
promote your business in kind, and to support it
through sales. C
KIM WERKER
Kim Werker is the author
of Make It Mighty Ugly
( kimwerker.com; Sasquatch
Books, 2014; not available
at Costco).
MORE IN ARCHIVES
At
costcoconnection.com,
search “Fresh Views.”
FRESHVIEWS
BE POSITIVE
R
EILLY
LI
EV
ER
S
MANY SMALL;BUSINESS owners have
cited Sun Tzu’s ;e Art of War as a source of
inspiration in building and leading a company. Costco member and entrepreneur
Damon Brown, an Inc. magazine columnist
and author of ;e Bite-Sized Entrepreneur
(ADS LLC, 2016; not available at Costco),
;nds useful lessons in Kayt Sukel’s ;e Art
of Risk (National Geographic, 2016; not
available at Costco), which includes an
interview with Army Special Forces veteran
Mark Walters. Brown found Walters’ point
of view enlightening, and shares three les-
sons that can help any entrepreneur.
Study your stuff. Brown cites a story of
Walters being injured in a battle and saving his
own life thanks to prior medical training, some-
thing he could have blown o; for the “cooler
aspects of his military career.” Brown uses
Walters’ devotion to this part of his training
to reprimand new entrepreneurs who don’t
do adequate research and practice, and says,
“You should have 90 percent of your
work done by the time you actually
start your business.”
Take small experiences seriously. “Bullets mean life or death,
but Walters spent a significant
amount of time tussling with less
lethal things to ultimately prepare
him for deadly ;re,” Brown writes.
Even though business may not
send bullets your way, you will
;nd yourself under ;re in other
ways. Brown’s takeaway: “Learn
important lessons when the stakes are low.”
Trust your training. “Once you are in the
proverbial ;eld, it is really easy to rely on your
senses, your brain or even your fear to see you
through. Don’t. ;e chaos of your battle;eld
is only mitigated by your training,” observes
Brown. “It is a matter of taking an external
idea or structure and understanding it to the
point where it feels like instinct. Bottom line:
;e sharpest instincts come from practice,
work and observation.” C
Supporting your peers
Battlefield lessons for business
©
ELN
U
R
/
S
H
UT
T
ER
S
TCK
