Education-Based Marketing Rocks!

Bo Bradley discussed how
to set and achieve your
goals at our meeting of
Writers Who Mean Business.

Last night we held our monthly meeting of Writers Who Mean Business, 3L Publishing's regional writer's group. My boyfriend Kirk Donnelly attended with me. Afterward he made an important comment that resonated and made me nod. When the meeting ended, the members approached me to ask questions about my company. He was astonished how this generated so much interest in business. He said, "You give them a free service and loads of information -- and then they feel indebted to you and want to do business." He is right. Over the years, I have many people comment about "giving away the farm," and I always laugh. I'm one smart cookie, and I understand the value of education-based marketing, which is what organizing and managing a writer's group is really about. We host and manage the group, and we bring in interesting and provocative speakers to provide insight into writing, publishing and marketing and PR. The end result -- people are exposed to our 3L Publishing brand. As the host, they turn to me to meet their publishing needs. Not only have I shown them I care and know my stuff, but also I build long-lasting relationships. "Giving away the farm" isn't anything more than "renting the knowledge about how to farm." No one in that room knows how to publish. They need a publisher. The need to be educated about publishing. I educate them -- and I am a publisher. If you are a business owner, I believe education-based marketing is the only way to grow your business -- that an relationship building through networking.