If you’re a freelancer, entrepreneur or self-employed, nothing is more important than self-marketing. You can be great at what you do, but if you’re not getting the word out and reaching potential clients you risk falling behind, not making enough money or not getting the right exposure.
If you don’t get your target right you’ll never be able to get your pitch right. You need to know who your potential clients are and what drives them
What is your tag line or elevator pitch? Over and over you’ll be asked, “What do you do?” This is your chance to sell yourself and your service. If your pitch isn’t clear and focused you lose opportunities and clients.
Your website gives you credibility, it describes what you do and it’s where clients make the decision to hire you or not. In today’s marketplace every self-employed person needs a well thought out, professional-looking website. There are many ways—not all of them expensive—to create a strong and effective website.
The more you know and use LinkedIn, Twitter, Face book, YouTube and all the social media sites, the more people you’ll reach and the more opportunities you’ll have. Today it’s a given that you need to be fluent in social media.
The backbone of good marketing is about creating a database of past, present and future customers. This is how you’ll reach out and keep yourself front-of-mind. Whether it’s email mailings, a newsletter or social media announcements, your database is a powerful source of future business.
Contribute to blogs. Get published on venues being visited by prospective customers. Get interviewed. Make sure you appear in the media your target market is likely to read. This keeps you relevant and builds your credentials as an expert in your field.