Balloon Artists: how to improve local reputation

Getting started as a small business in a small town, particularly as a balloon artist, is really hard. I’ll always preach the importance of a social media presence when you want to grow your business. Another way that’s arguably more effective for sharing the “wow” factor is to pour into your community and support local events.

Why is supporting the community important?

It leans into the human factor of… working with people! Having a solid online presence is nice because you can determine exactly what is leading to sales if you know how to read your site’s analytics.

However, there’s nothing better than pouring into people who know & trust your work and can refer you to others.

In a small town or niche: reputation is everything.

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How do I pour into my community?

First, I recommend starting with your network. It’s easier to donate, offer your services, or step up to help when you know the person. It’s a sad world, but most people think “What’s the catch” when you reach out to do things for free unannounced.

Go above and beyond with existing clients!

Let’s say you have the capacity, supplies, and means to do something your client didn’t even know to ask for… but it would make a difference in the space. I 10/10 recommend that you do it.

Hear me out, it’s easier to delight an existing client than to convince someone to work with you initially.

So… take whatever you can from a paying client’s profit margins and pay it forward. In my experience, it always works out in the end. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not the end.

Groups you can seek out to support your community

There are always groups out there that are built to pour into the community.

Organizations like:

Chamber of commerce
Main street
Small business association
Churches
Schools

I have two considerations when working with structured organizations like this:

Consider the fees to join versus your profit margins or inventory. If it’s $100 for the year, but you don’t have the means to keep a minimum of $100 worth of inventory on-hand for last minute bookings… this isn’t the group for you. YET.
You don’t have to separate church & state! You can support everyone equally- whether it’s the school your kids attend or the school across town. You’ll be surprised how many clients turn into friends long-term!