70% of our new clients actually come from Alignable. Here's how we do it
If you are a digital marketer that's just joined Alignable, welcome to the best business tool of your life. My business partner and fiancé Jeff and I use Alignable to connect with local business owners and support their digital strategy needs. We've found that business owners are more willing to chat and meet up through Alignable than they are through Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. It’s more efficient than drop-ins, cold calling, paid advertising and physical networking for our business. We've met some of our greatest clients, but on top of that, Alignable has allowed us to become connected to amazing opportunities in our local community. For us, that's Raleigh, NC.
The Big Step One: How We Succeed
Alignable is only as great as you make it. My first day, I spent hours poring over our profile, filling in every section, storytelling and tagging and picture-adding. We filled out our products and services with relevant images. We added personal pictures to the gallery to show that we’re real people living in the same city. Jeff and I each created a profile under our business. And then, finally, when the profile was perfect, we started to add people in our area that we thought we could help.
The Big Step Two: Local Online Networking
- Use the "My Network" tool to find business owners in your area
- You can click "category" to sort businesses by industry. I used this tool to focus lawyers, doctors, landscaping, HVAC, etc. It's especially great for when you want to target a seasonal business.
- Clicking the "new businesses" tab ensures that you are reaching out to active profiles.
- I don't typically type up a personal message until a business owner friends me back. The premade Alignable messages are too cute not to use! Once they connect, I know they are interested in a relationship. I pull up their website, "like" them on social media, and gather enough information that I can send a personal message. I send a kind, honest and short note out, usually asking to grab coffee at a local joint. (Everyone here loves coffee.)
- Import your contacts from LinkedIn or your email address book to find more friends you know. These don't count as "used" connections either.
- Utilize the forums. This is a GREAT way to get your name known in the community, both online and offline. Spend some time coming up with a well-thought-out response, and you will have people continuing to thank you and ask for your business throughout the year.
- We use our out-of-network connections to connect with local towns, rather than expanding our reach nation-wide. We operate in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill triangle, but we only live in Raleigh! Out-of-network connections allow us to connect with business owners in nearby towns, too.
- Once you've connected with a bunch of businesses, start a promotion. Alignable will alert your entire network!
Recommend Your Favorite Businesses! (They'll probably return the favor)
It's nicer to recommend businesses than just asking for them to recommend you. Here's your chance to say some really cool things about your favorite local spots and services.
Why We Succeeded
You know that saying: Never, never, never give up? Jeff and I are on Alignable every day, adding new businesses in our area and welcoming them, responding to forum posts and being a resource in general. It was a no-brainer to upgrade to Premium: one lead a month covers the cost and then some (and our efforts give us many more than one). Our premium status allows us to reach out to tons of local businesses.
Final Advice and What We Learned
Alignable was created to be a simple tool that brings business owners together. After you connect with them, it's up to you to take that connection to the next level to make a relationship and maybe even a sale. Like many things in life, you get out of Alignable what you put into it. Try spending three hours one day personally connecting with local business owners. I guarantee your schedule will be filled for the next week, and you'll unlock amazing opportunities and relationships in your community.
Have a question? Comment below!
Comments (21-30)
Hi Jenny,
I am not in your area of the country. Your post is highly informative and encouraging. It is refreshing to see your candid willingness to help other businesses educate themselves, so they may also build powerful, professional remote businesses, that multiple businesses of all level are in need of!
I, thank you personally, and will do my best to institute your plan, focus, and goals. I wish you continued success in Raleigh, NC!
Sincerely,
Colin B M Wood
Colin's PA Services
Binghamton, NY
Maybe you can help me. I am still trying to understand what upgrading your account or going Premium actually gives you. Can you elaborate?
Jenny, Great post!! Thanks so much for giving your story and the advice. Our businesses are very different, but the approach to marketing is relatively similar. Also, the caveat from Steve about our PTA is spot on. We are working to expand our base clientele into medical office and facility design and working on ways to accomplish this now. I will be spending time, now daily, to work on our online profile here and on the other profiles to get our name out. Thanks again!
Thank you for this information, I like how everyone on here is helpful and share best practices. I have been on this site only about a month and a half and it has helped me meet great companies in my area. Plus when someone ask me if I know a business that does this or that I can give them information about companies that are in my network.
Thank you so much, Jenny and Jeff! I have to tell you, I will be losing my largest client in a few weeks and I wasn't sure what I was going to do to rebound. I kept wondering how I could best utilize Alignable to find new clients. Your info and video are incredibly inspiring and helpful. You have laid out a plan for me to follow. All I need do is follow your roadmap and I am now feeling confident.
Thanks for the info. I do a lot of cold calling. I really do have something unique and fantastic and everyone needs to know about it. Took me awhile and sometimes it does still take me a bit to pick up that phone, but I do it anyway. So maybe I'll take your tip and upgrade to Premier. Again thanks for the great info!
Great info, thanks for taking the time to explain to everyone how alignable has helped you with your business! It definitely helped me with creating my own marketing ideas. Happy Holidays!
This is really good. I have been wondering where Alignable fits in to the scheme of things with so many on line networking options out there. As a slogan and jingle writer with no geographic boundaries I am always looking for the best way to get out there ahead of a marketers decision to search for what I do. I would also be curious to know where video and thus music plays into your digital strategy for your clients...
Cary
Nice write up. As with everything, what you put into it will be what you get out of it.
Thanks so much for your insightful post Jenny. Like you I run small business with my wife and am looking for new ways to help small business with specific needs. Perhaps we can refer each other business outside of the scope of what each of us offer? Can you provide a list of ALL of the digital marketing services within your portfolio then I can compare it against mine and let you know the things I offer you don't. Digital Marketing covers such a wide range of services so there is bound to be something unique. Finally, one of the things I offer that is highly unique is within the Roofing and Solar industry. I use AI technology and with that technology I am able to tell a business owner who in his market is actively researching and ready to purchase roofing services before any of it's competitors. My goal is to help as many business owners as I can with this truly game changing technology. I hope establishing meaningful strategic alliances on alignable can help me in reaching my goal. All the best Jenny with you business and please let me know if I can help in any way.