4 Ways to Start Promoting This Week

What I’m reading: Home by Toni Morrison
What’s on the iPod: Me, Me, Me by Middle Brother

Take a look at the poll just to the right of this post. Where does your promotion hang up? Let me know and I’ll try to help.

One thing I’ve noticed so far is that starting a promotional plan is the hardest part. Where do you go when you have nothing in place? So let’s look at that today.

It does take a little work to get to the promotions stage, but not much really. Ideally you’d know your target client, market, and your income goals. Ideally. However, the world isn’t ideal. Sometimes you don’t know that stuff until you’ve dipped a toe in and started.

So let’s start, shall we?

There are any number of ways to get up and running and get yourself in front of client prospects. If you’ve been toying with ideas beyond this list, go for it. The idea is to start, and to do it in a way that interests you. That way, you’ll stick with it.

Here are four ways to get promoting. It goes without saying that you have to be consistent and remember to follow up:

Letter of introduction. I love these. You find some prospects, do a little looking on their websites to see what they’re about, then you send them a letter introducing yourself. Yes, it’s that simple. I usually use the “Letter of introduction” subject line, but if you want to try something more catchy, give it a shot. Just don’t get too pushy or you’ll land in the Spam folder. In your letter, state why you’re getting in touch, what your background is (if it’s not extensive, just include what is there and add your interests and background that coincides with their business), and how you propose to help them (blogs, releases, newsletters, whatever).

LinkedIn/Twitter/social media. I can’t say enough good things about connecting with potential clients within social media areas. Put up a page on Facebook promoting your business, connect with targeted clients on Twitter, and join groups at LinkedIn. This month I did work for a client who found me on LinkedIn. Another inquiry came from LinkedIn.Why now? Because someone had a thread up in a LinkedIn Group that asked for a summary of what you do and a link to your website. Boom! Instant promotion without being a pest about it. That’s key, too — don’t be that person who has to remind everyone how fabulous you are, your business is, or how they need to join something or spend money with you in order to survive. It won’t wash with clients.

Mailed press packet. It’s going to mean printing out some business cards and maybe creating a sales letter, but it’s a super way to appeal to an audience that’s used to electronic communications. Business cards can be had at Vistaprint for under $20 (I pay to avoid having their logo on the back). At the same time, consider getting complementary stationery to put forth your best impression.

Blog about it. Suppose you want to work with clients in the digital electronics industry. You have great ideas, but they’re not big enough for articles. Get in touch with blog owners and offer a guest post. Choose wisely and do your homework — you want blogs that get a good deal of traffic, and you want to deliver a topic that will align with what they already provide their readers. Also, you should be a regular visitor and sometimes commenter. No one enjoys someone breezing into town and asking for space without being part of the community.

So which promotion can you start today? What will your message be?