Building A Business? Read the Hollywood Script

You'd have to be living on another planet to not know the third installment to the Vampire vs Werewolf saga is upon us. Or that Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha are back to have more sex and set more fashion standards in the city. Why do we know so much about these movies and for how long have we known about them? You better believe it wasn't by accident, and even more than that, if you are a start-up entrepreneur or an experienced business veteran, you should put down the popcorn and take notes. What you can learn from Hollywood is free marketing, advertising, and sales advice from the best of the best. So what are their secrets? Big budgets? Most of the time. Good PR people? Sometimes. But even more than that, it's building buzz around their "product" (the movie) and watching it take shape for their audience. Here's what you can do today for your business according to the Hollywood script:

1. Set the stage. Just as any good Hollywood movie will do, you have to prepare your clients, audience or customers for what you have coming. Is it a brand new product line? Tell us about it months in advance. Are you introducing a new technique? Make us salivate at the thought of getting our hands on it. Set the stage with language you use in your emails, publicity materials, website, and mass mailings. Hollywood does it all the time: "Coming Soon!", "In theaters Summer 2010", "Now Available in Blu-Ray and HD!" You can do the same with your products and services.

2. Build the buzz. Social media is the honey that draws the bees to you. Everywhere you look there's a way to reach a mass audience using fans, followers, peeps, tweeps, likes, lenses, and all sorts of media. For Sex and the City, the talk was about the big budget for the wardrobe, the wardrobe changes for just one scene, the shoes, the accessories. The cast was everywhere talking everything about their movie. You can do the same. Make YouTube videos about your website that just launched, create contests for showing up, giveaway something at the door, create a themed event. Anything that would make people want to talk about you and your service helps build buzz around you, your brand and your company.

3. Recruit evangelists. All those satisfied customers, friends, relatives, clients or "tweeps" who have done business with you, all those "atta girl" pats on the back...they need to be captured in the form of testimonials. Why do you want to see a good movie? Because your neighbor's friend's cousin's sister told you about it. Why did we all fall in love with Manolo's--and be honest did you really even knew there was such a shoe before Sex--because somebody on an HBO drama was wearing them. Suddenly that's the only shoe that was synonymous with "style". Get your satisfied friends and clients to record a video or type you an email detailing their awesome experience. Post that on your site or Facebook fan page. The more people evangelizing you, the more everyone wants more. Of you.

4. Give them a place to preach. No not church! I mean forums, fan pages, exclusive groups, monthly book clubs, whatever gets your audience involved and talking the talk. Get like-minded people together with the same interests and you've got the makings of an awesome fan club. Why do you think Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and even Mickey Mouse have fan clubs? So the fans can talk, get to know each other and take over the world. Well, not "earth", but at least that star's world. Give your supporters some place to talk about their interests. You'll learn what bugs them, what they like and what they want more of.

Now it's your turn. What's been a Hollywood lesson you can apply to your business right now, today? Share it with us!