Alignable Basics for Small Businesses

Alignable is a great tool for online networking in a local area. We use it to meet people, set up coffee meetings, and set up webinars to expand our local network. Alignable, is a free social media platform, that brings Main Street directly to you. It is a place where small business owners can foster quality relationships with other entrepreneurs, service providers and retailers in a supportive network.

Alignable is a user-friendly interface that allows for the sharing of ideas and knowledge, asking of questions, offering of recommendations, celebrating of successes and providing of support from your local community thus promoting mutual growth through authentic connections. This networking tool can be invaluable to small business owners as they maneuver to grow their business. This blog will explain the intricacies of the platform and explain how it works.

What is Alignable?

Alignable is a social media platform designed for small businesses and local communities to connect and collaborate. It focuses on facilitating networking and relationship-building among small business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals within a local area. Unlike LinkedIn – which connects users professionally – Alignable is a referral based network – a B2B platform. Small Business users can create a business profile to share updates, offer recommendations (referrals), ask for advice from other small businesses, and collaborate on ideas and solutions.

The platform aims to help small businesses in different communities grow by fostering meaningful connections and partnerships within their local communities. Today, there are over 8 million small business owners on Alignable who are expanding their business and creating new referrals.

Alignable for Small Business

Alignable is a powerful platform for small businesses to connect with other businesses, grow their networks, and get more small business referrals. It is a free platform that allows businesses to create a business profile, connect with other businesses, share content, ask questions, and refer businesses.

Alignable can be a great way for small businesses to:

• Increase visibility: Along with posting on other social media platforms, your business profile will be seen by other businesses in your area, which can lead to more leads and customers. Compared to networks like Twitter or Instagram, your business will have a target audience of mainly other small business owners.

• Enhance networking: You can connect with other businesses in your industry and learn from each other. We like to schedule coffee for local folks and intro webinars for those in other locations.

• Improve marketing: Alignable can serve as a method of organic marketing (free marketing) in that you’re creating new referrals and marketing your services/products to other small businesses.

• Increase credibility: A strong Alignable profile can help you build trust with potential customers. Creating an Alignable Profile When it comes to generating referrals, Alignable is the perfect platform to connect with other businesses. Unlike LinkedIn – which allows you to connect professionally, an informative profile is essential to getting those referrals.

Here’s an example of an Alignable Profile - the CCS profile:

How to Use Alignable to Help Build My Small Business

Complete Your Profile

Tell your story and add your branding. A complete profile helps you stand out. Upload your logo, photos, profile pic, and other information in your profile. Make sure to enter services and people that could refer possible leads.

Make Connections

To get the most from Alignable – use all of your connection credits each monthly to find new folks in the community that may align strategically with your business – networking and client opportunities. You can upgrade your package to receive more connection credits by upgrading to a premium account. Premium Alignable accounts allow you to go out of your local community and network in surrounding communities. For exampls, business owner in Springdale – with a premium account can network across Northwest Arkansas.

Consistently Update Your Profile and Post

You can highlight your services on your Alignable Profile. You can add photos, description, and other information related to your services (or products). You can also promote your services or products through sponsorships. See more on that below.

Make sure you post profile updates to your Alignable profile to communicate with your network.

Schedule Networking Meetings

Use Alignable to reach out to business owners in your community to schedule coffee or webinar. Short scripts work best (see below).

Make a goal to reach out to a certain amount of people – if you have a goal of 2 networking meetings per week – you may need to reach out to 25 to 50 people to schedule 2+ meetings (or more depending on business, industry, etc).

Example Scheduling Email Template

Hey Mollie – this is Sue from ABC Company. If you have time for coffee for networking purposese, please let me know. Would love to learn more about you and your business. Have an awesome day!

Join and Post in Groups that Align with Your Small Business

Find and join groups that are relevant to your business. Post engaging and thought-provoking content to add credibility to your profile and expertise. There are a variety of groups on Alignable – from small local groups to larger subject based groups.

Attend Online Networking Events

Through groups, Ambassadors can invite you to online networking events in your community or about a specific subject matter. You can attend those or apply to become an ambassador.

Get Recommendations

On Alignable, you can receive and give recommendations. Recommendations add credibility to your profile. They also show well as part of other online review sources (Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Yelp, etc).

Alignable says that “a good rule of thumb for Recommendations on Alignable is the 5+1 Rule.

The 5+1 Rule has two components:

5: Getting and Giving 5 Recommendations is your starting point for building a profile where you stand out as a trusted resource in the community

+1: Setting yourself a goal of adding one recommendation and review each month to a business you know.”

Advertising on Alignable

For small business owners, Alignable is a great way for small businesses to reach a wider audience and brand awareness as a small business. By following the tips below, users including small business owners are able to create effective advertising campaigns that will help them achieve their business goals through referrals and networking that are crucial to establishing a credible business and even increased revenue! The benefits of advertising on Alignable:

• Targeted Reach: With Alignable, businesses can precisely aim their ads at particular demographics, interests, and other businesses. This way, they can focus solely on potential customers intrigued by their offerings.

• Cultivate Connections: Alignable presents an excellent avenue for businesses to foster relationships within their industry. This interaction can yield partnerships, referrals, and even avenues for collaboration.

• Amplify Brand Visibility: Utilizing Alignable can significantly enhance a company's brand exposure by introducing it to a wider audience. This exposure can effectively translate into increased customers and sales.

There are a few different ways to advertise on Alignable. Businesses can choose to sponsor posts, create referral cards, sponsor the Local Spark Newsletter, or sponsor posts (or services).

• Sponsored posts: Sponsored posts appear at the top of the Alignable homepage and in the feeds of users who are interested in the business's industry. Businesses can choose to sponsor posts for a specific period of time or for a specific budget.

• Local Spark Newsletter: The Local Spark Newsletter is sent to businesses in a specific community. Businesses can sponsor the Local Spark Newsletter to reach a targeted audience of potential customers.

Growing your Business on Alignable

At Comprehensive Consulting Solution for Small Business, we understand the challenges faced by small businesses in the dynamic Alignable landscape. Our team of experts is dedicated to helping you navigate the intricacies of the platform and develop a compelling content strategy that ensures your business stands out. We specialize in helping small businesses find their target audience, craft engaging posts, and achieve their unique business goals on Alignable.

Contact us today for a free consultation at (479) 935-2488. Let's make your small business shine on Alignable!