Freelance
Writers' Series
Career & Business Development Help
|
1. Define your market: Imagine your customer sitting right across the table from you. What do they look like, what are they wearing, how do they talk, where do they like to grocery shop, where do their children go to school, where do they eat out, socialize, etc.? Why do you need to know this? So you can speak to them in their language. If you can't imagine your customer, how are you going to talk (read, sell) to them? A campaign targeting small web design firms will be very different from one targeting editors at major magazines. That's why I like the sitting-across-the-table exercise. It forces you to actually imagine minute details about your customer. Marketing companies charge thousands of dollars to study focus groups for this kind of information. 2 3. Craft your sales pitch: With the details of your customer in mind, imagine how you would talk to them if they were sitting right in front of you. Every effective sales pitch has a call to action. What is the purpose of the message? Do you want them to place an order, call for more information, et cetera. Get in the habit of ending all of your sales pitches with a call to action. 4. Design your sales literature: You can go the do-it-yourself route, or use a professional graphic designer and editor/writer. However, make sure that in your sales message, you've used words and phrases to which your prospects can relate. Do the same with graphics. Your piece doesn't have to be complicated or fancy. Just make sure that it is error-free and makes a connection with your potential customer; ie, provide a benefit. Advertising 101: Benefits are what your product/service will do for the customer. For example, my widget will make you prettier, extend your life, save you time, make you thinner. All of these are benefits. 5. Obtain a list of prospects: You can order a list of names from a mailing list company, use your own in-house list, pull names out of the phone book, etc. I recommend using a mailing list company if you don't have an in-house list. Most direct mail companies can give you a list of qualified leads that match your specifications. Trade organizations are also great ways to target specific professional groups. For the publishing and media industries for example, Bacon's is a great source. Through mailing list companies, you can be as specific or general as you wish. 6. Prepare your mailer: Once you receive your mailer (postcard, brochure, etc.), affix the address of your prospect and add postage. 7. Send it off! 8. Follow up: One to two weeks later, follow up with calls, emails or another mailer. Remember, marketing is a numbers game. A prospect has to see your message 7 to 28 times before they will act on it. So, write down a plan of what you are going to do each day/week. Do not go longer than one week without marketing your business. Make marketing a habit. If you continue to market to the right prospects, soon, you will have enough customers to have your own in-house mailing list — the most profitable kind. Note: *********************************
|
