There are many ways to reach out and find the people you are trying to attract for your business. Here are just a handful of ways to get you started:
1) Attend organization meetings
Where do people in your target market hang out? Research this, and then plan to attend a meeting or two to mix and mingle. What better way to meet and get to know these individuals while learning more about the market?
2) Offer to speak at a meeting or conference
What do you have to offer that you feel could be of value to those you are trying to reach out to? Present a short talk or slide show on a helpful topic. Be sure you present something of value to the group. What helpful tips or other material would hold ther attention, and entice them to learn more about you and what you do? Just give them a small taste of your skills and knowledge. Chances are, they will want to talk to you after the presentation.
3) Advertise in publications your target market reads
The Internet is a great place to research what publications are out there. You can probably even get your advertisement to appear online as well as in the hard copy of a publication. Advertising can be rather expensive, so be careful with this one!
4) Present a free teleclass
If you are not confident in your public speaking skills, but still feel you have something of value to teach those you are trying to influence, try offering a no-cost teleclass. It is usually fairly inexpensive to rent a bridge line to host your class. You can teach from the comfort of your own home, too. This is also a great way to get a list of names to add to your subscriber list for mailings. If you are comfortable with this option, you can charge a small fee for future teleclasses you hold, which will bring you some passive income.
5) Start a blog
Write daily or weekly posts related to subject matter that will pique the interest of your target market. Spend time researching particular topics that you can write about. Then, add some pizazz...get excited when you post the information to your blog. If you're excited about something, others will be too. And don't forget to use keywords. These are what the search engines will use to find the content in your blog and draw others to it.
© 2005 Cynthia Morse, Virtually At Your Service. All rights reserved.
You're welcome to reprint this story. If you do, please include this reference: Cynthia Morse is a Virtual Assistant, and the owner of Virtually At Your Service, http://www.virtuallyatyourservice.biz. She offers remote administrative support to small business owners and other busy professionals from her home office, allowing them the time to focus on what they love and do best.
Brochures are a great way to get your message across.... Read More
For generations people have been saying that laughter is good... Read More
"I wouldn't pay more than what I charge now."If you... Read More
"Make money for taking surveys"," Cash for your opinion", "Make... Read More
Marketing can be expensive. It doesn't have to be, but... Read More
As a professional service provider, you're paid for what you... Read More
If your members, parents or donors wear clothes, watch t.v.... Read More
I have been designing Yellow Page ads for the past... Read More
Once you have the attention of a business prospect, at... Read More
Having run a multi-state franchise company with multiple brands it... Read More
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCEThe Oscars will be handed out soon, and... Read More
Our bodies work like our small businesses. They work best... Read More
First of all - keep in touch with your customers!... Read More
It's interesting to see how resourceful people become when starting... Read More
What Stands Between You and Writing an Artist Statement or... Read More
Today's business marketing rules are different than they were in... Read More
Giving away free bonuses is an important website marketing secret... Read More
Does your Web site talk about your company? Yes, I... Read More
The biggest crime in small businesses today goes unnoticed by... Read More
Alright you've got yourself a nice website with a great... Read More
So... you spend time and effort putting together a survey,... Read More
So how do you effectively market your product or service... Read More
Here is an example of a business-to-business sales letter mailed... Read More
In the last issue we looked at 5 reasons why... Read More
A few months ago, we attended the recent Austech 2005... Read More
Good business is about communication... not just what you say... Read More
People are known to shop on impulse- buying an item... Read More
A Complaint? It's a Compliment!What made you mad last week?In... Read More
Your Web site should be the cornerstone of your client... Read More
All small businesses can benefit from inexpensive off the shelf... Read More
Once there was a loan officer, who marketed his services... Read More
"But this won't work" said Steve. "I've tried it in... Read More
People attend trade shows because they are in a specific... Read More
Use your computer to send personalized color postcards in quantities... Read More
When commercials come on the television do you get up... Read More
Coming up with an idea, seizing the opportunity, and setting... Read More
If you're like me, you're always looking for ways to... Read More
Marketing is something that we do to let people know... Read More
Customizing booklets can be done by industry or by company."110... Read More
One of the greatest challenges to effectively marketing a business... Read More
"Goals are dreams with deadlines." -Diana Scharf HuntWhen clients come... Read More
We've all heard that "free advice is worth what you... Read More
Many people think that the quality of any graphic design... Read More
You may not realize it, but you already have a... Read More
Okay, we were kidding about the smoke, but not about... Read More
Some years ago, a prominent Australian hi-tech company... Read More
Dant dant da da dant dant da da. Dant dant... Read More
Each of these 11 marketing tips is based on a... Read More
Special event and a special recipe- hand it out on... Read More
I'm sure that you've had those Eureka! moments, too. When... Read More
Are you market products and services using PPCs? PPC Advertising... Read More
With direct mail, you can break even and still claim... Read More
To be your own marketing expert you first need to... Read More
A little advice about using leads that you purchase from... Read More
Can I share a secret with you?I love working out.... Read More
1. Mail to a different list Your list is the... Read More
Successful direct mail packages contain three things: an attractive offer,... Read More
Traditional marketing and advertising assumes that all of your customers... Read More
What does an old Russian joke have... Read More
At the very heart of any successful marketing strategy is... Read More
A few decades ago, in the early days of automatic... Read More
I do think that it is entirely possible for an... Read More
I would like to introduce you to one of my... Read More
excite v. 1 a: to call to activity b: to... Read More
There are many ways to reach out and find the... Read More
First, some background on today's topic. I've had a terrible... Read More
Marketing |