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Marketing tips to make yourself known

BY STAFF WRITER

Published 10/21/2008 More From This Issue »

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Get on TV. Even if you can’t manage to get your own show, you can still be on TV. Many programs, such as news programs, are looking for guests for expert segments. You can also buy your own TV time, creating ads and/or infomercials about your products or services.
Get on the radio. Seek out radio programs where you would be a good fit as a guest and contact the producer or show host with your pitch. Offer them something they can offer their listeners.
Write a book. Shorter books and e-books are becoming increasingly popular. Focus on your expertise and come up with ideas for possible titles. Then choose one or more of these titles and write a chapter-by-chapter outline to get a sense of whether or not the project would work, and how long the finished book would be.
Create or sponsor an event. Choose a cause that you believe is important and see if any annual fundraising events already exist in your community. If they do, find out how you and your company can become a sponsor. If not, start brainstorming about what kind of fundraising event might be successful and how you could get other interested parties on board.
Give lessons. Offering lessons to the public related to your product gives you the opportunity to form a relationship with potential customers and introduce them to your products. And by giving lessons, you’re setting yourself up as an expert. The next time your “student” wants to know something about your topic, you’re the one he or she will contact.
Work for your community. Nothing will seed and grow goodwill for you better than to be seen working regularly to make your community a better place. Regular donations to your Food Bank or other local charity, serving on town committees, doing volunteer work — all the positive things you do transform into others' positive thoughts about you and by extension, your business.
Create and send out a newsletter. Sending a newsletter to your customers or clients lets you contact them on a regular basis, and, if done well, lets them form a connection with you and your company.

Instead of a product pitch, your newsletter should share information that would be useful to the customer or client. You might include information on a special offer or product, but the bulk of the newsletter should be articles or tip lists. The keys to a successful newsletter are readability, usefulness and publishing on a regular schedule.
Write articles. The tricks to using this way of getting known successfully are to get your articles published in the right places and to be sure your articles give the interested reader a way to learn more about you or get in touch with you.
Create a Web site. Design a Web site focused on your expertise yourself or hire a professional to do it. Buy a domain name, get a Web host and publish your site on the Internet. Prospects want to know about your expertise, so make sure your Web site displays that and gives your site visitors a way to sample it. You can do this by providing articles or tips about subjects related to what you do on your site, by having a visual portfolio, testimonials from satisfied clients, or even take and post questions and answers from site visitors.
Join the “right” organizations. Remember, other business people are consumers, too — as are their families, their friends, their suppliers and their customers — all people who might be interested in what you have to sell if they got to know you.

Join organizations specific to your industry or field, and other business organizations, such as your local Chamber of Commerce, Business Association or networking group. By participating in these organizations, you also contribute to the well-being of your business community. In addition, some even offer financial benefits to members, such as discounts on insurance.

Source: Susan Ward, About.com

Get on TV. Even if you can’t manage to get your own show, you can still be on TV. Many programs, such as news programs, are looking for guests for expert segments. You can also buy your own TV time, creating ads and/or infomercials about your products or services.
Get on the radio. Seek out radio programs where you would be a good fit as a guest and contact the producer or show host with your pitch. Offer them something they can offer their listeners.
Write a book. Shorter books and e-books are becoming increasingly popular. Focus on your expertise and come up with ideas for possible titles. Then choose one or more of these titles and write a chapter-by-chapter outline to get a sense of whether or not the project would work, and how long the finished book would be.
Create or sponsor an event. Choose a cause that you believe is important and see if any annual fundraising events already exist in your community. If they do, find out how you and your company can become a sponsor. If not, start brainstorming about what kind of fundraising event might be successful and how you could get other interested parties on board.
Give lessons. Offering lessons to the public related to your product gives you the opportunity to form a relationship with potential customers and introduce them to your products. And by giving lessons, you’re setting yourself up as an expert. The next time your “student” wants to know something about your topic, you’re the one he or she will contact.
Work for your community. Nothing will seed and grow goodwill for you better than to be seen working regularly to make your community a better place. Regular donations to your Food Bank or other local charity, serving on town committees, doing volunteer work — all the positive things you do transform into others' positive thoughts about you and by extension, your business.
Create and send out a newsletter. Sending a newsletter to your customers or clients lets you contact them on a regular basis, and, if done well, lets them form a connection with you and your company.

Instead of a product pitch, your newsletter should share information that would be useful to the customer or client. You might include information on a special offer or product, but the bulk of the newsletter should be articles or tip lists. The keys to a successful newsletter are readability, usefulness and publishing on a regular schedule.
Write articles. The tricks to using this way of getting known successfully are to get your articles published in the right places and to be sure your articles give the interested reader a way to learn more about you or get in touch with you.
Create a Web site. Design a Web site focused on your expertise yourself or hire a professional to do it. Buy a domain name, get a Web host and publish your site on the Internet. Prospects want to know about your expertise, so make sure your Web site displays that and gives your site visitors a way to sample it. You can do this by providing articles or tips about subjects related to what you do on your site, by having a visual portfolio, testimonials from satisfied clients, or even take and post questions and answers from site visitors.
Join the “right” organizations. Remember, other business people are consumers, too — as are their families, their friends, their suppliers and their customers — all people who might be interested in what you have to sell if they got to know you.

Join organizations specific to your industry or field, and other business organizations, such as your local Chamber of Commerce, Business Association or networking group. By participating in these organizations, you also contribute to the well-being of your business community. In addition, some even offer financial benefits to members, such as discounts on insurance.

Source: Susan Ward, About.com

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