Your business needs clients, but you can’t stop to get them! It feels like you’re being pulled in many different directions (both personally and professionally) that you can’t find the time to do any marketing. When it comes to marketing, what is most effective for businesses these days? It used to be you could pay a lump of money annually (or break it into monthly payments) for a Yellow Pages ad and the phone would ring. Or attending a local networking event from time to time. But things have changed. There are so many choices, and advertising doesn’t really seem to work anymore, at least not in the traditional way. Most of us are not outgoing and hate the idea of reaching out and “selling” our services .
So, for many, the marketing just doesn’t happen.
Yet we know it’s necessary to market our business to build and grow a stable income and reach our goals. But given the time and budget limitations, how can we get past the marketing hurdle?
By doing small consistent tasks that don’t take much time. When you approach it this way, you’ll actually get BETTER results!
In this age of online technology, doing small actions consistently is one of the BEST ways to get and keep your marketing rolling to consistently attract new clients and grow your business.
Some quick and effective things to do that you can spread out over a week, one per day. And then repeat the process.
• Create / Update Your LinkedIn Profile – This is a most powerful social media profile you can have for your business. Get it done one chunk at a time.
• List your business in online business directories – These get picked up by the search engines and you never know who will find you this way. Most are free or low cost. Be sure to include a key benefit you have to offer that sets you apart from your competition. This works for both local and virtual bookkeepers.
• Make one or two phone call per day to a present or past client – The point here is to talk to someone just to warm up the connection and let them know you are available if they have a need. This also works for connecting with colleagues, strategic networking partners, and any business connections you have or want to establish.
• Update your Association/Industry profile – If you’re a Certified XXX (or have a listing in any other type of certification or partner program directory) update or improve your profile information so it is attractive to potential clients who see it. Maybe make a special offer that is time sensitive.
• Making connections in Social Media like Twitter – Start following people you would like to make a real connection with. Then start sharing (tweeting) helpful information that would be useful to the type of clients you want to attract. Ultimately, you will want to be spending a little time on Twitter daily, if possible.
Getting the word out about your services so it can reach the small businesses who need your help can be a lot of work, the load is much lighter when you can approach it with just one small action at a time. When it becomes a habit, you will build a true, rock-solid business as a result.
Marketing is not something that should be done all at once and then stop when you get too busy.
Try out this simple daily plan above, and see if it works for you.
Do you already have a daily marketing routine that works well for you? Tell us your tips!
Need help? Not sure? Call for a FREE 30min advice / strategy session today!
Bookkeepers & Business Owners 