As a professional who is an expert in their field, or an entrepreneur who runs their own business, no matter what type of services you are selling, you are a brand, therefore you need to learn how effectively market yourself better.
Marketing/ promotion yourself is the key to getting people who have never heard of you before to know that you exist and it is also what will keep existing customers interested in you as a brand. You need to put yourself out there in the business sense and show those skills and expertise that make you an undeniable professional in your industry.
The world needs to know… and here are seven steps to letting the world know about the expertise you already have:
This first rule is the one everything listed below is based upon. If you are a master of your craft, a true expert in your field, and possess knowledge that can help the people you serve, you should be educating people at every turn.
Share your knowledge (about carpentry, cosmetics, or car care), and potential clients will be drawn to you so that they can learn more.
In today’s world, people expect to get information whenever they want it. Let’s say they hear about you somewhere- on social media, from a friend, on a billboard.
The first thing they will do is go on their phone and check you out.
Hopefully, a mobile-friendly website. And on that website, you’ll be able to list your contact information, testimonials, and details on how you help clients.
Having no website means that there is no information leading to you, and the potential customer may thus decide to go somewhere else.
Share your knowledge on a bigger platform. We’ve established the knowledge you possess about your industry is valuable. How about writing an article or a guest post on someone else’s blog that is related to your industry? Explain a problem your customers struggle with. It could be about losing weight, managing paper, or balancing a checkbook. Outline a solution.
Maybe you can write an article in one of your industry’s trade magazines on something specific to your field. Those media outlets will likely have a bigger audience than yours, and being seen on those sites/publications will help draw people to you and your brand.
What if people in your circle started saying, “I see you everywhere.” Or you receive unsolicited calls from potential clients and customers, guest interview opportunities, and collaborations with other influencers you otherwise wouldn’t even know about?
That can happen through media coverage.
Here, you get the attention of a reporter, who, in turn, writes a story about you, your expertise, and/or your company. You can use a free service like HARO (which stands for Help a Reporter Out). On HARO, you sign up for a free account, after which you’ll receive daily emails about the kinds of stories journalists around the country are working on. If your expertise matches up with what the journalist is looking for, you could potentially be featured in a publication with a global reach.
You can also reach out to journalists at local news outlets, as well as regional publications and podcast hosts to get featured.
These days, the barrier to becoming your own media outlet is dropping. You can create videos with your smartphone, podcast from your home computer, and write blogs straight from your laptop, if you chose to do so. It’s an opportunity for you to relay your expertise through a platform that best showcases your strengths, whether it’s through video, audio, or in the written word.
Let’s not forget social media, which makes it easier than ever to reach new audiences. If you choose to create your own content, you can then share it on social media platforms. But use your time on social media wisely. Rather than being everywhere all at once, pick one platform and do a really great job at connecting with new people, sharing your message, and providing value.
Do you specialize in business law? Or are you a tax accountant? Insurance? Just as you would take out your teacher hat when a client is sitting in front of you, share your expertise in bite-sized chunks wherever you know your clients will be gathering. Your clients are searching for answers at certain times of the year and when they need answers, they need them fast.
Sharing helpful articles you’ve written on LinkedIn or on Facebook related to your topic are always appreciated, and will connect you with those topics in the minds of potential clients.
Live-streaming applications like Periscope and Blab also make it so easy to connect with a whole new audience through free video technology, and plenty of entrepreneurs have found raving fans through these platforms.
Just the other day, I saw this exchange on Facebook: a friend of mine had seen someone speak at a conference she had attended. The speaker was not known to her at the time, but the speaker clearly offered some great value, and right there on Facebook, my friend asked to get contact information so she could reach him at another time.
There is no better way to share what you know than in a live situation. So create those opportunities where you can be the one in front of a crowd. Find places to talk about your expertise- rotary clubs, association meetings, conference workshops. The more you speak, the better you will get. And there’s no telling where those live connections will lead.
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People do business with people they know, like and trust. The best way for them to remember you is to physically be seen in their space. We just discussed the importance of speaking publicly, but you can also make valuable connections and give back to the community at the same time.
Volunteer boards bring together like-minded people and are a great way to gather around a cause. It’s no surprise that business deals take place between people in these groups. Networking meetings sometimes get a bad rap, but gatherings where the focus is on personal relationships can go far in furthering your business.
The success of your business depends on how well people know about what you offer. Think of the strategies listed above as simple ways to establish, nurture, and advance relationships with potential clients.
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