Simple and Quick Marketing Tips that You Can Start Today

When it comes to organizing their businesses, many never get started because they do not know where to begin. Or they say that they just don't have the time. So in this series of articles, I will be eliminating both excuses from your current mindset. In each article, I will be providing you with two (2) tips for organizing and marketing your business – two weeks out of the month that are already planned for you. All you have to do is take action and do them. So lets get started.

WEEK 1
Marketing Campaign

Marketing, including word of mouth campaigns, will be the lifeline of your business. You should always have at least one campaign in progress even if you feel you have enough work to do. So I suggest you try one of the following ideas. They are easy, quick to do, and wont take much of your time.

1. Choose a local newspaper to post an ad for your business or event. Many small journals offer free advertising in both their printed and online versions. Examples in the Cincinnati Tri-County area:

• www.pulsedt.com
• cincinnati.craigslist.com,
• www.cincinnati.com
• www.citybeat.com
• www.zipscene.com

2. Go to one networking event. Walk up to 5 people and ask them how they heard about the event and what they do. Ask for their business card, pause, and then say “how about I give you mine too”. At this point walk away unless they want to hire you right then and there. :) Check the above sites for networking events in Cincinnati.

WEEK 2

Join a social network.

Join a social network and actually FILL out your profile completely and add a professional-style picture as well. I'd suggest: www.facebook.com and www.linkedin.com. But if you are a musician, artist, or a creative business, www.myspace.com might be just right for you. Make sure to update your status and profile regularly. Users of social networks are always checking the status of their friends and will be immediately notified of any changes you make. A great marketing strategy! The day I changed my Facebook profile to show my new website address, I received a surge in hits without handing out one new business card. (And yes you can join all three networks!)

If you have a quick and easy marketing strategy that can be implemented in one week, please share them. I will give you all due credit and it will be a great service to others. Email your suggestions to yvonne@CoSolutionsLLC.com.

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Finding Your Passion with a Target Market

I was going to name this article “The Fear of Success” but I felt that was giving the word fear way to much power. Instead, I came up with a quick anagram for the word that is much more appropriate for my life.

Fear is a:

F = Fundamental
E = Exercise that makes me both
A = Aware and
R = Realistic

Based upon this phrase, each article I will be discussing one element of small business ownership that causes people to lose their initiative. I am going to try and demystify these weaknesses so that success can take hold of you from within.

This article is about doing what you love. I've found that when people describe their business to me they always end their sentence with “but I wish I was doing something else too”. Surprisingly, 75% of the time that “wish” is actually a business idea that is quite close to what they are already doing. If this is true, why haven't they just done it? The problem in my opinion is the fear of opening their true self to the world. Sometimes its safer to say “I'm a party planner” than to say “I'm an event planner who specializes in organizing charity events for women who have been abused”.

Why is this? It's because there is this assumption that if you get specific with people it will infer something about your personal life. The planner in this example probably feels people will quickly assume that she was abused. This may or may not be true, but the assumption that people may view her as a victim is enough to keep her from fulfilling her passion.

This is where I feel its important to remind you that not everyone is going to understand or relate to your passion from a business stand point. Which means these individuals are not part of your target market to begin with. However, for people who have the same passion or have gone through the same experiences as you, your message will resonate loud and clear. And honestly, aren't these the type of people you want as clients. In other words, don't be afraid to match your passion with your business. If you embrace who you are, you will actually see your business pick up because you are now using your time to only focus on good leads.

To learn more about how to follow your passion while maintaining a profitable business, check out my new eBook now available on my sister website: www.FindingYourWayPlan.com