Have you wasted valuable time and money on promotion that doesn't work? Have your announcements and news releases been ignored? Have you been too quiet about getting the word out how your product or service will help solve people's problems? Most of us are passionate about our work. We put a lot into coaching training; we know that we want to help others to create a better life or business. If only people would just know that we are the right choice. The message? Be willing to put consistent time, passion and creativity into ongoing promotion that works. Follow these ten promotion steps to bring new clients and sales: 1. Take personal responsibility for online promotion. Online promotion works well for those of you who are bashful or reluctant to "sell." No cold, or even warm calls. You promote straight from your home or office via ecommerce. Now, that's convenience! 2. Delegate your Online writing articles promotion to your computer assistant. Remember, even if you don't want to spend your time promoting, you can learn it, then delegate it to your computer assistant. You write the tips and articles. Your assistant sends them out. Here's a sample of an ad I used for my high school assistant: Start Right Away. Need in office assistant with committed work habits who is comfortable Online, can use AOL, Windows 98, www.textpad.com to send monthly eNewsletter and articles. Good typist, good grammar, and can type short dictated messages. Able to use Textpad program and handle 3-4 X a week email promotions, which includes articles to promote products (books) and my service as a book and web coach. Must have own transportation and willing to work 6-9 flexible hours a week. This is a permanent part-time position. I expect person hired to commit to one year, and before leaving to train the replacement. Your benefits? You learn how a successful Online business works, and will have all the tools down to start one of your own. Pay? Start at $8hr. Regular raises when speed, reliability and skills are mastered. It would be wise for applicant to visit my Web site first too. I prefer an email introduction first to answer the above requirements. Then an in-person meeting at my office in La Mesa. 3. Develop Internet savvy. When you don't take this step, you will hang back, and stay stuck in fear. Action spurs you on. Take a free community college course, seminar or teleclass, or visit your library for help. In just three hours, I learned about search engines, and other basics. Contact mentors in this field. That's what helped my Web sales leap from $75 a month to over $4500 a month. Start with a professional email address, and then research in a book about Web sites with marketing pizzazz. Get your preplan ready, your home page headlines going, then your sales letter for your service or book. You won't need a Web site right away, but if you want to be a market leader, you eventually should have one. 4. Visit the top Web sites in your field. When I first started writing and sending articles, I sought out a book-publishing site whose ezine circulated to over 29,000-targeted people. I pitched three articles and they chose one on the right way to create a book's back cover so they could sell more copies. Later, because they liked my writing, they included a column by me that I did no work for because it consisted of the many book writing and publishing articles I had already written. That's a lot of free publicity, and still brings 10 or so new ezine subscribers to me each time. Web sites are always looking for new material (your articles) to entice their visitors to come back, again and again. Notice their signals: "New material added daily." In turn, they will post your key words, article description, short description about you, and a hyperlink back to your site. With regular submissions, you can be # 1 on Google.com and other search engines and like me, be listed on 3400 plus other Web sites. Start with a list of 12 Web sites and send one article under 800 words to them once a week. Take a nap while the sales roll in. 5. Run a search to find targeted Web sites.. Find the top ten Web sites in your field by using these search engines: www.altavista.com or www.Google.com. Once you get 10-25 articles published, your place will move up because the search engines spiders look for key words--within your article and its title. Results? More Web site visitors and increased sales as well. Here's a great shortcut: Instead of searching for what you think is your specific market, use the keyword "business" in the "search for" blank without the quotations in the blank "search for" box, then search. Lists of several million Web sites on business come up. Now for the fun part: Replace the keyword "business" with two words, "submit article" and then click where it says, "Search within these results." This sub-search will generate a list of pages of Web sites that want your articles. Not all articles have to be about business. These sites have categories that include self-help, writing, personal growth, health, book coaching, and family. You will reach business people who want your products and services and get a much bigger piece of the pie. Remember, your prospective clients or customers who visit top sites are looking for information first. They will appreciate your articles, may even pass them on to friends and associates. Many will eventually order a book or consult with you. Web sites want your information. These steps lead to what looks like a marriage made in cyber heaven. Part two of this article is available at www.bookcoaching.com/freearticles/article-32.shtml |
