The annual Bridges to Better Business event had promised lots of common sense advice on marketing and other business topics, and no one went away disappointed. The Rotary Centre for Youth in Bracebridge was almost full to capacity with over 60 area business people in attendance, along with representatives of chambers of commerce and other business support organizations.

Opening the day was a representative of the Barrie branch of the Business Development Bank of Canada, who gave a very thorough rundown on the business services and financing options available through the BDC.

Keynote speaker Michael Hepworth demonstrated a keen understanding of the marketing challenges faced by small businesses as he went through the seven most common marketing mistakes and how to avoid them.

 In a refreshing change from many marketing experts, Hepworth was sensitive to the fact that many entrepreneurs in Muskoka are juggling family and other interests, and often they are looking to increase revenue without increasing their workload.  In this vein, marketing strategies were offered that could be customized to meet the individual’s needs.

Mistake number one was called ‘marketing that gets lost in the crowd.’ He challenged the audience to distinguish themselves in the market place in order to attract premium clients who will pay premium rates.

The second mistake was targeting too broad an audience. This dilutes the quality of the product, causes confusion, and makes it difficult to differentiate oneself.

The third mistake he talked about was that too many people don’t understand the lifetime value of a client, and how a marketing budget should be based on this value, rather than an arbitrary percentage of sales. This is just a sampling of the practical, down-to-earth suggestions offered by Hepworth in a three-hour presentation that had the audience’s attention from start to finish.

Audience participation was on the agenda after the keynote was finished. A series of round table discussions was led by various homegrown experts, including Rob McPhee of the Muskoka Community Network. This group came up with some practical and innovative solutions for Internet marketing.

Another group, led by Graydon Smith of Redhead Media Solutions, had a very fruitful discussion around using the media as a marketing tool. Success stories were shared, pitfalls were examined, and tips for using the media effectively were offered.

At another table, human resources consultant Lynn Sharer led a discussion on how to keep staff happy in order to keep your customers happy. The fourth table discussed the export market and how to prepare your business to go international.  A representative of the Ontario Ministry of Small Business and Entrepreneurship led it.  

The results of the round table discussions were shared with the whole audience to wind up a very busy day, which saw most people go home tired but satisfied and with lots of new ideas on how to grow their businesses.

For contact information on any of the guest speakers or facilitators, call the Muskoka Enterprise Centre at 646-9021, or e-mail info@muskokaenterprisecentre.com.