Mercer Island
Chamber of Commerce

You might think your best customers already know everything your business does. After all, they’ve bought from you before. They follow you on social media. They’re on your email list. They’ve been in your store, visited your website, or worked with your team. Maybe they’ve event sent work your way. But they probably don’t know nearly as much as you think they do. Everyone’s busy these days. Your business is central to you. If you’re fortunate, to your customers, your business is just one part of a very full day filled with work, family, errands, bills, appointments, deadlines, and scrolling on social media. Small business owners often assume that if they’ve mentioned a product, service, upgrade, event, or special once, their audience knows about it. Most people need to hear something several times, in several ways, before it truly registers. Then they need a few more sightings before they act on it. That means one of your biggest growth opportunities may not be finding a brand-new audience. It may be helping the people who already like and trust you understand more of what you can do for them. Think about the customer who comes to a bakery every Saturday for pastries but has no idea the store also makes corporate gift boxes. Or the homeowner who hires a landscaping company for mowing but doesn’t realize it offers seasonal cleanups, irrigation checks, or holiday lighting. Or the client who works with an accounting firm once a year at tax time but doesn’t know it can help with bookkeeping, payroll, or business planning. If a loyal customer doesn’t know these things about your business, you have a communication problem. Existing customers are your warmest audience. They already know you and have decided you are worth paying. But if they don’t know the full range of what you offer, they can’t buy it, ask about it, or refer people to it. You don’t need a complicated marketing funnel to fix this; just better visibility inside the customer relationships you currently have. Appealing to Your Customers Start by looking at your customer interactions. Where do people already encounter your business? Your receipts, invoices, email signatures, appointment reminders, packaging, menus, waiting area, website, voicemail, social media bios, and follow-up emails are all places where customers can learn something useful. For example, instead of a receipt that reads “thank you,” a retailer could add, “Ask us about private shopping appointments.” A service business could include a short note on invoices: “We also offer maintenance plans for ongoing support.” A salon could include a seasonal reminder in its appointment confirmation: “Need color, conditioning, or bridal styling? We can help with that too.” This is helpful. You’re not shouting “buy more from us.” You’re giving gentle reminders to people who already like you by saying, “Here are other ways we may be able to help.” You can also create simple “Did You Know?” content. This works well in newsletters, social posts, lobby signs, short videos, and even table tents. The format is easy and direct: “Did you know we also offer delivery?” “Did you know we can create custom orders?” “Did you know members receive early access?” “Did you know we handle repairs, not just new installations?” These reminders may feel obvious to you because you live inside your business every day. Your customers don’t. What feels repetitive to you may be the first time they’ve heard it. Another strong strategy is to organize your services by customer need instead of by internal category. Many businesses list what they sell, but customers are usually looking for a solution to a problem, not a list they have to search and apply to their problem. Instead of simply saying, “We offer design, printing, signage, and promotional products,” a business could say, “Planning an event? We can help with banners, invitations, branded giveaways, programs, and directional signage.” That kind of framing helps people connect the dots. It turns a list into a solution that customers can easily act on. It’s also worth training your team to mention related products or services in a natural way. Not every interaction needs to be but staff can be trained to listen for opportunities. If a customer mentions they’re planning a party, your team can say, “Just so you know, we also do custom trays.” If someone books one service, your team can mention the next logical service. If a customer buys a product that requires maintenance, your staff can explain what support is available. The key is relevance. Good cross-selling feels like service. Bad cross-selling feels like someone trying to meet a quota. Cleaning House Your website deserves attention too. Many business websites hide valuable offerings under vague tabs or buried pages. Make sure your homepage clearly communicates who you help, what you offer, and what customers should do next. If someone has to hunt for your services, they probably won’t. Most of us are not known for our patience when we’re looking for something specific. You can also use stories to educate customers. Instead of only announcing services, show examples. Share a short post about how you helped a client prepare for a big event, solve a last-minute problem, refresh a space, save time, or choose the right option. Stories make your offerings easier to remember because they show the service in action. Don’t bombard your customers; just make your business easier to understand and work with. Before spending more money trying to reach strangers hoping they’ll like you, take a closer look at the people who already do. What do they buy from you now? What else might they need? What do they still not know? Where could you add a helpful reminder, a clearer explanation, or a better invitation? Your best customers may be ready to do more business with you. They may be happy to refer you. They may even need exactly what you offer. But they can’t act on what they don’t know.

It’s not what you know, but who you know. Sound familiar? Connections are—and have always been—a quick start to opportunity. In a world where customers can compare prices in seconds, scroll past ads without blinking, and research a business before ever making contact, relationships carry weight. More than ever. People want to know who they’re buying from. They want trust before the transaction. They want to feel confident that the business they choose will do what it says, stand behind its work, and understand the community it serves. Community connection is a legitimate business strategy. But it’s not something you can do in an afternoon. Building Community Connection For many businesses, visibility is a constant challenge. You post on social media, run ads, update your website, send emails, and still feel like you’re shouting into the wind. But community involvement gives your business another way to be seen, and often in a more meaningful context. When people see you supporting local events, collaborating with other businesses, attending chamber programs, volunteering, sponsoring initiatives, or showing up for community conversations, they begin to recognize your name for more than what you sell. They begin to associate your business with presence, reliability, and shared investment. Trust isn’t built at the point of sale or when swiping the credit card. It has to exist before that to get to the sale. Trust is built before someone needs you. A customer may not need an accountant, roofer, designer, insurance agent, restaurant, contractor, consultant, or specialty retailer today. But when they do, they’re more likely to remember the business they’ve seen consistently involved, recommended, and connected. The Power of Referrals Community connection also creates referral momentum. Small businesses grow through marketing, but more impressive than that, they grow through conversations. One business owner mentions another. A nonprofit recommends a local service provider. A chamber member makes an introduction. A customer shares a positive experience. These moments may feel informal, but they produce some of the strongest leads a business can receive. Referrals happen when people understand what you do, trust how you do it, and remember you at the right time. Being active in your business community helps make that possible. You don’t need to attend every event, join every committee, sponsor every little league team, or say yes to every opportunity that crosses your inbox. Instead, choose connection points that align with your goals. If you want to build relationships with other business owners, attend networking events or small-group programs. If you want to raise your profile as a leader, look for speaking opportunities, panel discussions, or educational sessions. If you want to support the broader community, sponsor an event, partner with a nonprofit, or participate in a local initiative. If you want to deepen customer loyalty, invite your audience into the causes and collaborations your business cares about. But be strategic in your involvement. Time is limited and you want to be consistently present in the right places. Afterall, it’s impossible to be everywhere and you don’t want to exhaust yourself trying to be. Community connection can also help small businesses stay informed. When you’re connected to other business owners and local leaders, you hear what’s changing. You learn what customers are asking for, what challenges others are facing, what regulations or trends may affect your industry, and what opportunities are emerging. That kind of insight helps you make better decisions before a problem crops up. And you can get that through the chamber. A chamber isn’t a place to just collect business cards. The chamber can help you build relationships you might not have found on your own. It creates opportunities for members to be seen as contributors, not just vendors. Additionally, membership gives you a stronger voice and a broader network. For small business owners, that network is a competitive advantage. The businesses people remember build goodwill over time. They participate. They listen. They contribute. They’re part of the community’s fabric, not just another name in a search result. Community involvement doesn’t replace good operations, strong service, smart pricing, or effective marketing. You still have to deliver those things. A handshake will not fix a bad customer experience, and no ribbon cutting can rescue a business that doesn’t follow through. But when good service is paired with strong relationships, your business becomes easier to trust, easier to recommend, and easier to choose...repeatedly. In a marketplace full of noise, connection can be a beacon. It tells people you’re invested and accessible. It tells them you’re not just doing business in the community, but with the community.  And that’s still one of the best advantages a small business can have.