The Top 10 Ways to Market your Business or Professional Practice Without Networking
While focused, strategic networking is usually the most efficient way to build your professional practice, there are many other ways to market your business. Personal networking may not be appropriate in some areas, or for certain types of services, and some people simply don't like to do it. The following are the Top 10 methods my clients have used to increase sales and grow their practices without networking:
1. Newsletters. There are many inexpensive ways to distribute your newsletter, from buying a "packaged" service, to photocopying and mailing, to use of Internet technology. Newsletters keep your name in front of potential clients, and let you share the information you feel is important in a timely way. Remember to publish frequently, and be dependable over the long term.
2. Writing articles and columns. Every organization has a newsletter, and there are many newspapers and journals that need material on personal growth, health, wellness, communication, relationships and every other aspect of human life. If you enjoy writing, editors are eager for your material, and writing a column brings instant credibility and positive exposure.
3. Have a Website. Increasingly, customers are expecting to find information about professional services on the Internet. A clean, professional website may cost less than $1000 and work for you 24-hours a day, everyday.
4. Teach classes. Community colleges, city parks and recreation departments, churches and many other organizations are looking for instructors to teach classes. Often they will do the marketing and provide all your support services, and even pay you! Teaching is a great way to become known and give the community a taste of your expertise!
5. Volunteer. Whatever your specialty, organizations need your time, your skills and your help. You can volunteer to sit on Boards, answer phones, do their newsletter, or be a consultant - volunteering gets you known, and it can open doors for you!
6. Work with Sponsors. From insurance reimbursement for medical services to a philanthropist sponsoring an art exhibit, anytime someone else is paying the bill, you can expand your services and reach more people. Employers, educational groups, non-profits, foundations and government agencies can all be sponsors.
7. Do research. By designing and conducting appropriate research you accomplish several things for your business: You become an expert, you attract people who are interested in your research, you attract volunteers who want to participate, and when you publish the results you gain credibility and again attract attention as an expert.
8. Groups and Alliances. By combining your skills with a group of other professionals, all of you gain exposure, there are appropriate referrals to others within the group, and over-head costs can be reduced. Often groups are profitable simply by being able to share the cost of renting a large, visible office in a prime location.
9. Bid for Contract Services. Government agencies, corporations and non-profits all contract for services. These are usually announced in local newspapers, and are called an "RFP" or Request for Proposals. One small contract can open the door to others, and keep you and your practice very busy!
10. Advertise. Using the Yellow Pages or placing an ad in the local paper or even on the radio (less traditional, but why not?) will bring you business. I place this last because my experience suggests that for most professionals it's an expensive way to go, but it does work. Remember, placement and consistency (being seen over and over) will be important, so run your advertising for at least a year.
© Copyright 2003 by Philip E. Humbert. All Rights Reserved. This article may be copied and used in your own newsletter or on your website as long as you include the following information: "Written by Dr. Philip E. Humbert, writer, speaker and success coach. Dr. Humbert has over 300 free articles, tools and resources for your success, including a great newsletter! It's all on his website at: http://www.philiphumbert.com
 Google News Updated : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:05:39 GMT Nokia Forecasts Drop in Third-Quarter Market Share (Update1) - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By Juho Erkheikki Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Nokia Oyj, the world's biggest maker of mobile phones, forecast a drop in third-quarter market share after competitors slashed prices and a new handset was delayed. Nokia Sees Market Share Slipping in Third Quarter Nokia Lowers its Third Quarter 2008 Mobile Device Market Share Outlook Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:50:07 GMT Reviews of McCain's speech - MSNBC
MSNBC - The AP’s Ron Fournier says McCain “preached bipartisanship and unity from a stage retooled to carry him out to the Republican faithful. McCain: I work for you ‘Change is coming,’ McCain tells GOP in speech Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:35:16 GMT Lebanese ruling majority accuses Syria of interfering in Lebanon - Xinhua
Xinhua - BEIRUT, Sept.5 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese ruling majority accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of interfering in Lebanese internal affairs and not recognizing Lebanon's sovereignty, local press Naharnet reported Friday. Video: Sarkozy in Syria : the press is divided Editor's Notes: A losing battle, so far Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:59:29 GMT PIECING TOGETHER A PLEA How the deal got done - Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press - BY JOE SWICKARD • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • September 5, 2008 Prosecutors rolled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's plea deal into court Thursday praying the wheels wouldn't fall off. Detroit Mayor Acknowledges 'Poor Judgment' Detroit mayor pleads guilty, to leave office Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:57:24 GMT Dell looks to sell factories worldwide - CNNMoney.com
CNNMoney.com - By Scott Moritz Dell (DELL) is getting more serious about trimming costs and is exploring plans to sell its PC manufacturing plants, according to a news report Friday. Dell said to consider sale of factories Ahead of the Bell: Dell may sell plants, WSJ says Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:15:09 GMT Lavrov rejects Cheney's attack on Russia - CNN International
CNN International - By CNN's Matthew Chance MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Russia on Friday rejected sharp criticism by US Vice President Dick Cheney that its intervention in Georgia raises doubts about Moscow's reliability as an international partner. Video: Cheney Slams Russia for War Against Georgia Russia says Cheney fanning Georgian aggression Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:45:40 GMT In Long-Awaited Maps of Cancer, The Breakthrough Is the Problem - Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal - By GAUTAM NAIK After struggling for years to improve the treatment of cancer, scientists now hope to fight the disease with the help of the same techniques that deciphered the human genome eight years ago: mapping it. What You Need to Know About Mapping the Cancer Genome Data on defective genes make tailored remedies possible Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:01:28 GMT Increase Search Engine Traffic |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Ten Breakthrough Marketing Ideas1. Create a directory of web sites... Read More Postcards may be one of the best kept secrets of... Read More Whatever business you are in, either online or offline, you've... Read More While I am not talking about the movie "Matrix", you... Read More There's really only one thing that separates Image advertising from... Read More Sounds pretty harsh, doesn't it? Well, I can tell you... Read More A well-designed chart can be one of the most persuasive... Read More Market, Market and then market some more. So many small... Read More Here is a powerful tip on how to substantially increase... Read More Each year, advertisers with super sized budgets sink millions of... Read More No matter if you're publishing your first book or producing... Read More HOW YOUR LIST AFFECTS POSTAGE COSTS AND WHAT YOU CAN... Read More Many people think marketing is some type of mystery that... Read More In direct mail, the offer is the incentive or reward... Read More Second in a series of three articles:What if you could... Read More When people think about promoting their business, the first thought... Read More It used to be if you were a small business,... Read More As an educated professional, your success is based on what... Read More "?A powerful agent is the right word?" --Mark TwainAnd what... Read More Thirty percent of all the drinkable water that runs between... Read More We wait with baited breath for the anticipated launch of... Read More SMS is good for:? Short lead times and immediacy ?... Read More So you've made a sale. Great!Now what? You're not just... Read More The Driver of All Marketing EffortsYou need to determine what... Read More In direct mail lore, there's a rule stating that you... Read More
Adsense
websites
Ten Breakthrough Marketing Ideas
Modern Marketing With Postcards
11 Rock Solid Techniques For Generating Product Ideas Anytime Anywhere!
Matrix Web Sites - Scam or NOT?
How To Get Your Prospect To Take Action
Differentiate or Die
Creating Great Charts for Persuasive Trade Show Presentations
How To Get New Business
2 Great, Free Techniques to Get Customers to Come to You, Not the Other Way Around
Marketing and Advertising Techniques of Super Bowl Advertisers
The Marketing Funnel: Simple, Effective Marketing Strategy
How Your List Affects Postage Costs
What Can Star Wars Teach You About Creating a Buzz for Your Business?
Business to Business Direct Mail Offers that Say Free
How to Leverage Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool
Marketing Tips: Free First
The Future of Marketing Part 1
Why Smart People Dont Know How to Market
How to Add Warmth, Color & Texture to Your Advertisements
Stop Your Marketing Leaks
Will Googles Gmail spell trouble for Email Marketing.
Step by Step Guide to an SMS Campaign
Walking Talking Advertisements
The Value of a Customer
Measuring the Return on Your Direct Mail Investment
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Marketing Your Franchise Online
Do you want to successfully market your business franchise online?... Read More
Two Steps to Improving Your Marketing Success
Since the human brain seems to be able to focus... Read More
Using Direct Mail
The advantages of using direct mail to promote your home-based... Read More
Increase Your Response with Multi-Step Marketing
"There is only one way to judge the effectiveness of... Read More
Flesh Eating Spiders And Other Marketing Horrors
After a friend was bitten by a spider, I decided... Read More
Importance of Endorsements And How To Use Them
Customer endorsements are an inexpensive and easy sales tool, particularly... Read More
The Benefits of a Marketing Plan
What is a Marketing Plan? Marketing is to do with... Read More
Direct Mail Response Rates Soar With Dimensional Mailers in Business-to-Business Lead Generation
The toughest job you face as a B2B direct marketer... Read More
Competitive Research and Google
It all started out with an email message: "I am... Read More
Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind
What's black and white and read all over? A newsletter... Read More
A Successful Solution: 10 Things to Consider
A provocation for the coming year, decade, century or millennium.By... Read More
Find the Goldmine Within Your Business
Doing a current customer breakdown can help you find the... Read More
Business In 2010: A New Face of Marketing
The term "internet marketing" was virtually non-existent a short 8... Read More
Why Instant Gratification Marketing Condemns Businesses To Losing 90% Of Their Potential Customers
Most businesses target only people "ready-to-buy". These hot prospects are... Read More
Roping In Loyal Customers While Making An Extra Profit!
You've probably bought a book or two at one of... Read More
Good Vibes/ Bad Vibes
Have you ever walked into a store or business and... Read More
4 Easy Ways to Get Free Marketing Exposure
Are there really ways you can get valuable marketing exposure... Read More
Trade Show Exhibit Booth ? 7 Tips to Improve Yours
Once you have decided to participate in a trade show,... Read More
Motivating Shoppers with Online Coupons (Part 2 of 2)
Last time we discussed how online coupons and promotion codes... Read More
Go Guerrilla
Jay Conrad Levinson coined the term guerrilla marketing, which I... Read More
Blowing Your Own Horn
Opportunity Assistance Business Resource Center http://www.opportunityassistance.comAt first you... Read More
The 5 Musts of Marketing
For most of the small business owners I work with,... Read More
Top Five 2004 Required Marketing Tips Needed to Succeed
When marketing your practice, as well as designing yourbrochure, web... Read More
Are You Playing Checkers or Chess?
When you think about how to attract more clients for... Read More
The Money Making Secret of The Toll Booth Position
I'm a marketing consultant and at one of my client-companies,... Read More
Marketing |