Business, Network Marketing.
Say my name say my name, 9 tips for shameless self - promotion - destiny' s child coined it back in 1999 with the hit song of the same title, "say my name" . She demands to know that his affections haven' t strayed by insisting upon him calling her baby, telling her he loves her and of course, saying her name. The premise of the song centers around a woman whose man suddenly has what appears to be a change of heart and stops saying all of the sweet nothings that he used to.
This woman wants to know that she is on his mind 24/ It' s only natural, and you should be striving for the same type of adoration from your target audience in your business. - you want your target audience talking about you to their colleagues and network of influence. Yes, this is your business so it is a far cry from a love affair gone sour, but the message behind the request is a powerful one. You want them lifting you up through the power of their good words and solid reputations. As it relates to business, let' s be honest. When it comes to your area of expertise, you are the only person that should come to mind. There is always going to be competition, even if on the smallest of scales there will always be someone out there who you will have to compete with for business.
But guess what? - and this is going to sting a bit, but there might even be someone out there who is better than you. That doesn' t matter! How do you do that? What matters is that you leave no room for doubt in your prospects' minds that you are the best and only person for the job. Simply by making sure that your message, meaning your unique solution to their common problem, is in front of them constantly.
Here are 9 solid tips to help you get in front of and stay in front of your target audience on a continuous basis: ARTICLE MARKETING - Writing articles, just like this one, is a great way to showcase your knowledge and expertise in your industry or line of work. - everywhere they turn they should be seeing or hearing your name and your message. By providing your readers with useful information they can apply to their lives or businesses, you will be regarded as an authority on the topic of discussion. You submit the article and they take care of the rest. Once your articles are written, the easiest and most time - efficient way to submit them to the literally thousands of online directories that exist is by leveraging the power of article submission services like Article Marketer. Simple.
People only retain a fraction of what they hear, so while your elevator speech may be great, don' t expect everyone to remember you. - business cards - this may seem as old as methuselah, but traditional business cards are still a great tool to have when networking face - to - face. Having professional and attractive business cards on hand to give to people is a wonderful way to help jog someone' s memory later of who you are and what you do. Placed in rear and side view mirrors and on both driver and passenger side doors, these signs literally turn your car into a 24/ 7 marketing tool. CAR DECALS AND MAGNETS - Think of these as your traveling business cards. As you' re out running errands, driving down the highway for a day at the beach, or parked at a local stadium for your kid' s softball game, your business is being advertised without any extra effort on your part. Email communication has become a standard in business practices.
EMAIL SIGNATURE - It' s surprising how many people still aren' t taking advantage of this simple, no - cost way to get their message in front of people. - considering the number of emails that you send and reply to each day, why not take five minutes to create a signature that includes your name, email address, phone number, web address and possibly your company' s tagline or perhaps a thought provoking question? EZINES - Another great way to take advantage of the power of email communication. Programs like Outlook and Thunderbird come with the option to add a personalized signature. This doesn' t have to be anything fancy. Or, you can get more involved and provide articles( those same articles that you already wrote from Tip# 1) and recommendations.
It can be as simple as a useful tip sent out once a week. - do what makes sense for you, but just make sure that whatever you do, you remain consistent. Chances are you' ll be able to find one, if not several shows that cater to your target audience. INTERNET RADIO - There are literally hundreds and hundreds of internet radio shows on every topic imaginable. Show hosts are hungry for dynamic guests with great content for their listeners. If you can' t find an internet show that fits your needs, consider starting one of your own. Seek out and get in touch with as many shows as you can to start booking your interviews.
PRESS RELEASES - Grab media attention with a well - written press release. - the angle should be unique and it should not be one big sales pitch - keep it newsworthy. In general, press releases should tell Who, When, What, Where, Why and How. Just think about why it is important for people to know about your product, service or event. You can either hire someone, or if you' re keeping an eye on expenses, there are plenty of free resources online that not only walk you through how to write an effective press release, but you can even find templates where all you do is fill in the blanks. If you' ve never written a press release, don' t worry.
Once your release is written you can use an online distribution service like PRFree to get your news to the media. - sites like these and many others are becoming solid marketing tools. SOCIAL NETWORKING - If you think sites like Facebook and MySpace are all about dating and places for people to just" hang out" online, think again. When you set up your account on a social networking site, your profile page gives you total freedom to toot your horn. As you grow your connections or" friends" , each time they visit your page they will not only see you, but whatever message you choose to share. You can put up links to your websites and blogs, add photo albums, post articles, advertise upcoming events - the possibilities are endless!
In fact, many successful internet marketers use social networking sites as strategic marketing tools. - whether it' s these eight, or twenty other ideas that you decide to move forward with, none of them will be effective if you aren' t coming from a place of sincerity. AUTHENTICITY - This final tip is truly the driving force behind the previous eight tips suggested. You can have the best stuff out there, but if you' re pushy in your delivery, or if your agenda is to make a sale and not help others, it will show. Do you want to be known as someone who has a good product but is selfish and obnoxious? Really think about how you want to be known in the marketplace.
Or, would you rather be known as someone who has a good product, really goes out of their way to help others, and is enjoyable to work with? - they can either sing your praises or bellow their discontentment with the masses. Remember, having your prospects saying your name can go both ways. If you don' t want to see your business end as quickly as it started, do business with the objective of serving others because in the end it will serve you as well. If you don' t do it, no one will know about you so that they can help you spread the word. FINAL THOUGHT: There is no shame in promoting your business.
Don' t be afraid or feel weird about putting yourself out there - the more of you the better! - go ahead and start tootin' that horn so others can join in and together you can create a symphony of effective marketing that never ends.