Doing Research Before a Move
Researching before a move is one of the best things that I can do to prepare my business for success. It is also one of my least favorite things to do (next to hanging curtains) in regards to moving. I hate research! I love to read great articles, books, and magazines but numbers, data, and statistics make me cranky. However, if I want my business to flourish, it is super vital.
In order to do your research, you need to know who your ideal client is. Once you have figured that out, you can progress on to where to find them. Write down some key words or ideas that correspond to your ideal client and then we are going to use those words in the next step.
Start with where: where do they live, eat, shop, go to school, and hang out. I use several places to look for this but, two of my main sources to start with are the local real estate listings and newspapers. I look for real estate listings that I think would appeal to my ideal client and make a note of that zip code for later.
Using the zip codes of the real estate listings, start looking for boutiques or businesses that you would like to partner with once you are running your business in that area. It is never too early to reach out to them and to let them know you are relocating to that area. Make sure that the relationship isn’t just a gimme-gimme one sided situation or that will quickly leave a negative taste in their mouth and a really bad first impression.
Newspapers generally have a digital copy now and I use that to start learning a lot about the location we are moving to. Here are some of the reasons I take time to read the local newspapers:
- Find local stores that your ideal client may like
- Fun events that appeal to your ideal client
- Find interesting session locations they may like
- Find out what is important to the locals of the area
- Learn Local Terminology – an example of this are terms like hill country, HRVA, The 757, and Tidewater Region
So, now that you have an idea where your ideal client lives, shops, eats, and works, what do you do?
- Contact those new businesses you found in the newspaper and see if you can partner together.
- Attend some of the fun events in the area and start building your community.
- Drive through those zip codes that you found and learn the area. You may find some neat local stores or session locations by accident.
- Look up local blogs that target your ideal client and get to know their editors. They are often a wealth of information and some are very generous to share and promote their local area.
- Find out if there are any industry societies or communities you can join and get to know them. If there aren’t any then start one.
- Look at what others in the area are doing but remember to be yourself and remain true to who you are!
By implementing these strategies, it will take the strain out of moving your business to a new area, turning it into a fun adventure instead. Want to know more? Feel free to send an e-mail with your specific moving questions. We would love to help you out!
