I’ve been stirring out of my “location doesn’t matter” belief over the last couple of years. There was a time I’d convinced myself that a web shop could exist in the middle of the middle of the continent without pigeonholing itself into proximity work. We proved it even. Kind of. Ten and then twenty and then thirty percent of our work was coming from outside of Prius range. But 70% is a big number considering we’d never admit to targeting companies within a 250 mile radius of EP.
Over the past few months, that percentage has flipped. We have more work coming from NYC or LA then we do from Sioux Falls or Minneapolis. The flip is due more to unexpected press from css galleries and a few high-bandwidth clients than it is to any concerted effort. But, as much as I like to think the increased referrals are the result of hard work, none of it has been part of any real plan.
If I think about our [planned] marketing strategies too much, I vomit a bit in the back of my mouth. We spend a few thousand per month advertising in local, print publications. We run some MPR ads. We pay to get our banners up at local events and trade-shows. All of these strategies are meant to bounce prospects from offline media, which means geo-targeting markets, which, in turn, means pigeonholing yourself into proximity work.
The only rationale behind these strategies is that they used to work. Actually, they still do, but a few words / screenshots on the right blog can do more than a print ad or radio shout ever will. It took a few pokes in the eye to make that clear.
I feel our print budget turning into plane fare. Our ad production turning into blog posts. Our local trade-show presence turning into… I don’t know, something with the word guerilla in it maybe. Whatever it is, it won’t be based on what worked five years ago.
You can force location not to matter, but it takes some attention. Finding clients regardless of location means giving up the tight focus on your own [location.]