One of the biggest challenges for any mining supplier or service provider is getting in front of prospects.
This can be especially difficult when prospects work on mine sites in remote locations.
Once you do get face-to-face with prospects though the chances of doing business increase dramatically.
A meeting usually puts people at ease.
And if the prospect likes you, and if the prospect feels he or she can trust you then the likelihood of them buying from you are significantly boosted.
So how do you get face time with prospects?
A highly effective – and cost effective – marketing tactic is what I call the ‘invite and inform’ approach.
Step one: build a ‘farm list’ of prospects i.e. people that you want to do business with. A list of at least 100 contacts is a good start.
Step two: develop a highly effective piece of editorial content – something that provides value to the prospect.
Importantly, your content MUST be EDITORIAL in nature – NOT COMMERCIAL in nature. It has to provide information that will allow the prospect to make an informed decision about the purchase procurement and specification of your solutions.
The format for this content can be as simple as an article layout that you would see in, say, a trade publication. Great photos will help capture the readers’ attention.
Step three: mail an invitation to your farm list contacts WITH YOUR CONTENT inviting them to join a company table at an industry event hosted by you.
But not just any industry event.
The event should be of mutual interest to you and your prospects.
Industry body groups such as chambers of commerce, chambers of minerals and energy, mining clubs and business media outlets frequently host industry events featuring speakers on mining-related topics.
The reason why this so attractive to prospects is that they know by accepting your invitation and attending they’re not going to be held captive or hostage by you for the entire event. There’s an opportunity to network before, during and after the event.
At the very least your guests will enjoy have a nice meal and hopefully learn something they didn’t know from the event presenter(s).
And if your prospects don’t accept your invitation there’s the strong possibility that they’ll at least read your content.
When employing the ‘invite and inform’ tactic it’s very important that you regularly and consistently post invitations – monthly is best – and provide them with fresh and engaging content with each mailout.
Remember: NEVER try and sell in your content; offer information of value that shows you as a ‘thought leader’ in the solutions you provide.
After about six months you’ll have built a positive impression with the invitees and acceptances with start to snowball. It won’t happen over night, but it will happen.
For those that do accept your invitation and attend ensure you approach them at the end of the function and request five minutes of their time after the day’s event to see how you can help them boost business with your solutions.
Invite and inform. Try it!