You will also receive a complementary subscription to the high-content, high-value “Web Impact” e-zine about how to get more value from your business website.
(I will never rent, trade, or sell your information) * = required fieldMarketing and sales are a top priority for your business, but when you are the one running everything, especially as a sole-proprietor, resources can be scarce. It’s frequently a “catch-22” – you need marketing to get clients, you need clients to have a viable business and the resources to market with. The truth is – you will have to do some marketing, and it’s your choice how to do it.
In the course of your business, you will frequently be engaged in a tug-of-war between time and money. At some points you will have more time available and less cash on hand, and at other times, you will be busy with your clients and have more money available. These periods might even alternate in waves throughout the development of your business.
The good news is that there are viable options for marketing your business when you are in either position, and over time, you will probably want to do both types.
When you have some time, there are a lot of great techniques you can use to market your business. The advantage of these strategies (aside from lower cost) is that you really get to create value for your prospects, which will gain you credibility over time. These methods are geared primarily toward content creation and relationship building. Some options:
The thing to remember about these methods: It will take some time on your part (to create and distribute the content, to engage with others and build relationships) and they won’t necessarily generate instant website traffic or sales. However, these techniques, engaged in regularly, will eventually build up into a mass of “presence” online, firmly establishing your expert status in the landscape of your target market’s online universe.
If you have more cash on hand, and less time, there are a few options which will appeal to you:
These options will take some of the daily efforts of marketing off your shoulders, and can sometimes bring a quick infusion of traffic to your website, but you need to be prepared for the costs associated with them.
No matter what mode of marketing you are currently in, having a solid foundation for your efforts will make any campaign easier, quicker, cheaper, and more effective. If you have already created a baseline of marketing materials and tools for your company, everything you do will continue to build on that and ideally, each thing you do will support and enhance other things already in place.
So, what sorts of things should you have in your foundation?
Compelling Branding
Spend some extra time getting just the right branding for your company. This includes your company name, tagline (Unique Selling Proposition), a well-defined niche and target market (the “ideal client”), a logo, and visual styling that pulls it all together and really conveys what you are all about.
A Solid Online Presence
Once your branding is in place, having a website is a must. Use a domain name that connects to your company name, and make sure your website’s design is in line with your branding. An excellent website will be able to evolve with your business, and allow you to add and adjust your content to take advantage of your future marketing campaigns. Your website should include a lead-capture tool so you can begin gathering prospects as soon as you launch. You will also want to establish a few social media profiles and begin collecting friends, fans, and followers, so you have a ready group of people to market to.
A Library of Written Materials
As you develop your various marketing messages, keep them all together in a folder on your computer for easy cut-and-paste later. Don’t waste time and energy starting from scratch each time you need to provide a short description of your company, your products, your e-zine, your key benefits, your bio, etc. Keep your carefully researched keyword lists handy. Keep copies of all your event invitations, sales letters, speeches, presentations, and postcard campaigns. Of course you should be revising them as you gain clarity about what messages appeal most to your market, or as you tweak your service offerings, but to save time and maintain consistency, you should reuse as much of your material as possible.
Marketing takes effort. No matter which guru you read an eBook from, or which consultant you hire, you will need to invest in your marketing on an ongoing basis. There is truly no “magic bullet” – just good advice, solid strategies, and useful tools and techniques. You will still have to do the work – or pay someone to do it for you.
If you are looking to develop your strong online marketing foundation in the form of a dynamic, professional website and/or blog, I urge you to contact me today.
