SEPTEMBER 20, 2006You want to grow your business and you are sure you can handle
making lots more money, becoming rich and retiring early.
You have a sales and marketing plan. Part of your plan is
to “work with FileMaker’.
Great! But how should you work with FileMaker?
First consider what type of business you have. Are you a consulting company, a plug-in developer, or a trainer? In this case your primary audience is most likely existing FileMaker customers.
Or do you have a solution in a vertical industry? In this case your core target customers will often not be using FileMaker.
FileMaker, Inc. is probably most useful when trying to reach an existing FileMaker audience. There are lots of ways FileMaker can help but two really stand out. First is to list your company on the FileMaker web site. Tens of thousands of visitors per week come to www.filemaker.com. Some are new to FileMaker but more are existing users who are looking for various things: information, downloads, updates, support, add-ons. Many are interested in services from 3rd parties, including consulting, training, products, and plug-ins.
I think our web site is only OK at delivering 3rd party info. We are definitely better than we were a few years ago, but it is still not as easy to find the info as I would like. And the format of the 3rd party section could stand improvement. We will be putting some energy into this over the coming quarters. <Side note: if you have any sites you think do this particularly well or you have practical suggestions for improved format let me know via an email to the address at the bottom of this blog.>
Despite the potential for improvement, the feedback I have from people who list themselves on the site is positive, ranging from “helps a little” to “our listing has been great for our business”.
So get yourself listed. First step is to become a member of the FileMaker Solutions Alliance (FSA) program at the Associate level. You can get information on the FSA program here: http://www.filemaker.com/developers/join_fsa.html
Next step, and a very critical one, is Have A Great Listing. When I see the variety of listings on our web site I’m amazed at the range. Some listings are well-written, list compelling benefits, offer accurate and up-to-date info, and include compelling screen shots (where appropriate). Others have almost no information, broken links, and missing graphics. What signal does this send to a prospective customer?
If you are serious about marketing your company you need to ensure all your customer touch points are compelling. Why not take full advantage of this opportunity especially when it is a free listing (well, not free, but it is included in the FSA membership fee).
One rule of thumb - take at least as much care in your ad on the FileMaker site as you would on an eBay listing.
More in my next blog.
FileMaker and Your Business (part 2)
First consider what type of business you have. Are you a consulting company, a plug-in developer, or a trainer? In this case your primary audience is most likely existing FileMaker customers.
Or do you have a solution in a vertical industry? In this case your core target customers will often not be using FileMaker.
FileMaker, Inc. is probably most useful when trying to reach an existing FileMaker audience. There are lots of ways FileMaker can help but two really stand out. First is to list your company on the FileMaker web site. Tens of thousands of visitors per week come to www.filemaker.com. Some are new to FileMaker but more are existing users who are looking for various things: information, downloads, updates, support, add-ons. Many are interested in services from 3rd parties, including consulting, training, products, and plug-ins.
I think our web site is only OK at delivering 3rd party info. We are definitely better than we were a few years ago, but it is still not as easy to find the info as I would like. And the format of the 3rd party section could stand improvement. We will be putting some energy into this over the coming quarters. <Side note: if you have any sites you think do this particularly well or you have practical suggestions for improved format let me know via an email to the address at the bottom of this blog.>
Despite the potential for improvement, the feedback I have from people who list themselves on the site is positive, ranging from “helps a little” to “our listing has been great for our business”.
So get yourself listed. First step is to become a member of the FileMaker Solutions Alliance (FSA) program at the Associate level. You can get information on the FSA program here: http://www.filemaker.com/developers/join_fsa.html
Next step, and a very critical one, is Have A Great Listing. When I see the variety of listings on our web site I’m amazed at the range. Some listings are well-written, list compelling benefits, offer accurate and up-to-date info, and include compelling screen shots (where appropriate). Others have almost no information, broken links, and missing graphics. What signal does this send to a prospective customer?
If you are serious about marketing your company you need to ensure all your customer touch points are compelling. Why not take full advantage of this opportunity especially when it is a free listing (well, not free, but it is included in the FSA membership fee).
One rule of thumb - take at least as much care in your ad on the FileMaker site as you would on an eBay listing.
More in my next blog.
Email me your comments.