My 12 Best Marketing Techniques
Marketing. It is the life blood of business. It is essential to become at least familiar with some techniques and strategies that will get your name in front of the people who will be writing your checks.
This article is dedicated to my 12 best ways to get my name “out there”. Some are quite easy, others more difficult... all of them effective. These are in no particular order and my goal when implementing any of these techniques is to have the client or potential client contact me. So without further delay...
Create a Brochure or Postcard of Services.
This says I am in business and I am here to stay. Its much more professional than business cards and it will impress potential clients more if done properly. These can be bi-fold or tri-fold and can be included in a direct mailing campaign.
Business Cards
Easy to obtain. Professional. Classic. There is a reason everyone has them. They’re convenient, handy and hold all the necessary information like names, addresses, multiple numbers. Some even go as far as putting some type of offer on them like “5% discount if you present this card”. And they fit in your wallet or purse.
Classified Ads/Online Ads
Advertising in the newspaper has been done since, well, the advent of newspapers. They are relatively cheap and can pack a punch. Some products and services lend themselves to classifieds more than others so be sure to do you research before placing one.
Display Ads/Banner Ads
I debated on whether or not to include display and banner ads in the above category but decided against it for the sole reason that this category allows for one crucial element the traditional classified ads don’t. Images. Display and banner ads can be all words and text or they can take it a step further and provide pictures and images.
Write Articles
Writing articles is a great way to get your name and business into the world. In today’s information age, people want the latest information instantly. Writing articles helps to satisfy that need. By writing the article that people want to read you become an “expert” on that subject. People seek out your information to fill their thirst for knowledge.
Write an eBook
Writing an ebook or pamphlet is another way to get your information into someone else’s hands. The major difference here is in length. And that you can even charge for the right to read and/or use the information for anything other than personal use.
Give Away a Free Report
This is one of the best ways to market yourself. I use this technique when I have an 800 number (more on this later) set up. When people request information from your 800# they may hear a message or pitch and then have the option to request a free report (more information). Tip: There are many people out there making a decent living by selling reports exclusively.
Toll Free Number
A toll-free number is referred to as an 800, 888, 877, and 866 area code phone number. These are the only toll-free area codes. With a toll-free number, you get calls that ring on your existing phone line at no charge to the caller. This is beneficial for your clients if you do business in more than one area code, thus eliminating long distance charges.
Write a Book
Writing a book is one of the best ways to build credibility among your peers and with your clients. There is something commanding about being published. By writing a book you automatically become an expert in your field and bonus... additional revenue.
Build a Web Site/Blog
In today’s day and age, web sites are like business cards. They are a virtual necessity for doing business. Among millions of web sites, yours can easy get lost. Therefore it is essential your site or blog stand out. People must know how to reach you online because for the same reason the catalog industry is approaching $200 billion per year your web site needs to be accessible for clients.
Word of Mouth
Advertising via word of mouth is very potent and efficient. A world class referral. A casual mentioning between colleagues. A secret among friends. Any way you slice it this is a strong technique and certainly worth its weight in gold for you to explore and implement.
Other Freelancers
This is probably overlooked as a marketing technique and I admit I was taken back when I first heard about it. Talking to the competition, never! Other freelancers can be a great marketing tool because they may be over booked or not even interested in taking certain types of jobs, thus allowing you to handle their overflow.
Garren Washington is a catalog copywriter. You can visit him at Catalogwriter.blogspot.com or reach via email at catalogwriter@gmail.com
Garren Washington
Catalog Copywriter
catalogwriter.blogspot.com
catalogwriter@gmail.com
Prospecting, How To
Prospecting for clients is like prospecting for gold. You keep at it until you find a nugget. This article is to review how prospecting will put you in business and keep you there.
First off, I’ve never prospected for gold. But I have prospected for clients and prospecting should consume the majority of your time. How much time? There is no exact formula but I have heard from 50% to as much as 80% of your time, at least in the beginning. That number will go down as you build your client base and hopefully, referrals and repeat business.
There are two kinds of prospecting that I’m aware of. The kind where you find the prospect and the kind where they find you. The latter may not be considered prospecting but marketing and you can find 12 ways to do that by reading my article My 12 Best Marketing Techniques.
This article focuses on a couple ways to find clients. The main thing you want to remember is prospecting is follow up. You make a call. You follow up. You talk to someone who isn’t ready right now. You follow up. No matter what you do. You follow up.
I use the database program on my computer to keep track of everything. For instance, I am building a copywriting business and the items I keep track of are names, addresses, numbers, emails, websites, a description of the client’s business and whether or not they could be a web client (if they need web copy). I also created a section for notes to write any pertinent information.
Cold calling is probably as dreaded as public speaking but once you get into a rhythm it can be very profitable. I am not cold calling yet. I am emailing my prospects and I seem to be getting a decent response. If I were cold calling my prospects I would have a list that I call from and a pen. Make a phone call, speak to whomever I need to speak with and move on. I don’t use fancy pitches because people don’t want to be sold. I usually pose a question once I have the person I want on the phone. Something like this... Have you thought about hiring a copywriter to increase your sales Mr. Prospect? The prospect will answer yes or no and I move on to the next step which is either tell them how I can help or make the next phone call.
Depending on the product or service you’re pushing you can drum up several interested potential clients in a day. Oh and whether they are interested or not, follow up.
Cold canvassing is a little more challenging. It involves getting out and walking into the place of business to speak with someone face to face. Its nerve racking and time consuming but very efficient. For instance, if I cold called 100 people and got 5 interested contacts and I canvassed the same 100 people I would generate 20 interested contacts. Its something about being there in person that builds instant credibility.
What I am personally doing is emailing potential clients. I am not an expert but I do get results. I created a Query Letter and a straightforward Subject Line and mailed it out. I am getting a two percent response without breaking a sweat.
There are other ways to go about finding clients, too many to get into here. I hope you found this article informative.
My name is Garren Washington and I am a catalog copywriter. You can visit me at catalogwriter.blogspot.com or email me at catalogwriter@gmail.com
Garren Washington
Catalog Copywriter
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