Our Vice-President of Sales and Marketing here stopped by my office this morning with a question about Active Rain.  In a nutshell the question was "what IS this thing?"  He asked it because it has been ranking near the top of the codes we look at to gauge "first-time customers" each month and he wanted to mention it to our Board of Directors tomorrow. 

The little discount code I offer you that delivers you a 25% discount on your first printing order (up to $100) has been registering enough to make a Vice-President sit up and take notice-- especially after I explained to him the growth in members at AR over the last 6 months, the ability to get interesting and informative content out in front of a "knowledge-craving" audience, the likelihood of repeat business as we establish credibility within the community, and the fact that [to-date] I have spent exactly nothing other than time to make the growth happen! 

I showed him the main site, and where my little membership ranked in our county.  I showed him the blog [I had done this before but people are people and until the cash starts rolling in I suspect it was a 'yeah, nice but so what!'].  I showed him various searches, like one for direct mail, that would allow us to be "found" as people looked for information about things they wanted to know more about to grow their businesses-- things we could not only help them learn but help them buy and execute! 

Good business comes from making it work for both sides:  the buyer and the seller.  You get reminded of this with every single transaction you work.  We do too!  If we can make printing your postcards or flyers, mailing to them to your farm, or designing your next key marketing piece 'work for you' we'll both be more successful!  That's why I offer up the discount code!

Chris Hendricks