If you don’t consider marketing fun, it’s probably because you’re doing it in the way that you think you SHOULD. If that’s the case, you might not be getting the results you want. Maybe you’re doing all of the things with your marketing, but are getting few leads or clients. On the other hand, you may not do much marketing, and it’s because it doesn’t feel good to you.
If any of this sounds familiar, stick around to learn 50 optional ways to market your business so you can start to see results, have FUN with it, and get those clients rolling in! As you read through the list, consider your strengths, talents, and interests. Then, choose your top 3 to 5 marketing activities to try.
Now, let’s get into those 50 ways that you can market your business with joy and fun so that you can start to project the vibe that is going to pull people to you!
50 Ways to Market Your Business
Within the 50 ways to market your business, you will find seven categories of activities to choose from. You will likely be more drawn to certain categories than others. It’s totally up to you which categories and activities you choose to spend your time on. Remember, you don’t have to market the way everyone else does! The goal is for you to have fun with your marketing so that you can have fun and be a magnet for the people you’re looking to attract.
Speaking
If you have the gift of gab – and you really enjoy or feel comfortable with addressing an audience – speaking could be a great way for you to market your business now. These are the ways that you can use speaking to your advantage …
Networking Groups – If you live in a city where entrepreneurship is thriving, use the opportunity to get out in your community, speak on your topic of expertise, and build brand awareness. Even if you live in a small town, go and check with your local Chamber of Commerce or the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Alternatively, if you’re looking to serve the general public, you can look for meetup groups to speak to within your community.
YouTube Videos – You don’t need fancy equipment or crazy editing skills. To get studio-quality light, position yourself facing a window and record yourself with your smartphone. Then, use free video editing software that comes with your computer or try out affordable video editing software.
Podcast Interviews – Did you know that you can pitch yourself for podcast interviews? Get my tips on how to pitch yourself for guest blogging opportunities and tailor the strategy to approach podcasters.
Speak From the Stage – What better or more exciting way to attract new clients than to speak at conferences? Here’s a list of places to find speaking opportunities for your business.
Facebook and Instagram Live – Going live to your own audience is a great way to increase brand recognition and give value that nurtures and guides potential clients closer to your services.
Events
Are you a social butterfly? If so, then you might enjoy events as a primary way to draw new clients to your services.
Workshops – Consider hosting your own workshop – whether online or in person. If you’re not inclined to speak in public, be sure to attend workshops that will draw your ideal clients to be in attendance.
Sponsor Events – Event sponsorships don’t have to be expensive. Some events look for people to donate their time! However you choose to sponsor an event, it’s a great way to build brand recognition since your logo and web address are often showcased, and your brand name is mentioned during the event.
Host an Event – Do you love to get people together? Consider hosting your own event to attract your ideal clients. As an event host – online or in your community – you will become known as a memorable leader.
Attend Conferences – If you are serving other business owners, go to trade-related conferences and if you are serving the general public, go to conferences where your ideal clients will be in attendance. For example, if you work with moms, be sure to attend conferences for women.
Network in Person – When you network regularly in your community, you become known and build word of mouth. You can even walk away from one networking event with new opportunities for clients.
Attend Trade Shows – Choose trade shows that are related to your industry or that draw a crowd of your ideal-fit clients.
Have a Trade Show Booth – Take your tradeshow attendance up a notch and have your own booth! You can use it to share information, walk people through a demonstration, or give consultations or laser coaching.
Referral Marketing
What is better to you:
- Finding someone online who you’ve never heard of, looking at their marketing, and considering working with them …
- Or hearing from one of your really good friends that they actually worked with that person and they had an amazing experience and couldn’t recommend them more.
Which would you go with? You would go with the referral! If you get on a sales call with a referral, they might sign a deal with you that very day because they heard from someone they trust that you are awesome.
Reciprocal Referrals – This is a win-win referral arrangement where you and a referral partner send regular opportunities to one another. This may or may not be a paid referral arrangement. It’s up to you! Referral partners are often people who work in and around your industry but are not competitors.
Affiliate Program – This is a little more advanced, so if you already have existing technology to market and sell your services online, then you might want to add affiliate marketing. Affiliate software keeps track of who sends you referrals. It calculates how much they should be paid per transaction, and can also automate the distribution of funds.
Word-of-Mouth Payouts – If you’re just getting started with online marketing, or if you don’t directly sell programs or services through an online landing page, then word-of-mouth payouts is your next option. This is a simple arrangement where you pay a percentage to anyone who sends a paying client your way.
Facebook and Instagram Shout Outs – This is when someone goes on Facebook or Instagram and talks about you and your amazingness.
Content Marketing
Content marketing doesn’t have to be social media. We’re going to cover content very briefly to give you some ideas for options other than social media marketing. If you want to focus on content marketing, then check out my tips to create nine times the amount of content with less effort.
Tips and Training – Find ways to give value through information that your ideal clients want and need. Sort of like I’m doing now, right? There are a lot of ways to do that …
Podcast – Host your own.
Books – Write books that provide value on your topic of expertise, and that invite people to work with you.
Email Marketing – Send a helpful email every day.
Blog – Write your own blog or collaborate with people to create blog content at your website. This is fun and high-leverage! The more people who are involved in an article, the more eyes you’re going to get on it. This is because every single person who participated in the article has an audience. They’ll naturally tell their audience about the article and drive traffic back to your website. Here’s an example of a collaborative blog article.
Other People’s Audiences
What’s easier than reaching out to people one by one or a few at a time? Leveraging other people’s audiences! Let’s look at the ways that you can do that.
Facebook & Instagram – Go live with people to their audiences and boost your own following in the process!
Networking Groups – Go to other people’s networking groups and be a featured speaker or hand something out. You don’t even have to speak! Hand out your flyer or something that’s going to give people value and bring them back to your website.
Conferences – Use conferences – online and offline – to market your business. Think clever. There are many ways to leverage a conference to market your business – whether that’s speaking, getting social media shoutouts from the event coordinator, using the conference’s hashtags to get found on social media and so much more.
Webinars – Be a featured thought leader or expert.
YouTube Interviews – Get interviewed by a YouTuber who has a large audience and be sure your web address is mentioned and included in the video description.
Blog Interviews – Be featured on someone else’s blog! You can write guest blog posts for other people’s websites, get featured as a source in an in-depth article, or get interviewed.
Email Shoutouts – Maybe you’re launching a new service, course, or program. Consider gathering a list of email affiliates who will spread the word to their audience for you.
Public Relations
Okay, now we’re on to one of my personal favorites and that is PR. I’m a former newspaper reporter so anything press-related – whether it’s online or offline is very near and dear to my heart. The key to PR is that you have to pitch yourself. Publications and news outlets are not going to magically find you without you taking initiative. Let’s talk about PR!
Magazines – You could be featured in a local or national magazine.
Online Publications – Online magazines also look for feature stories and contributors.
HARO – Help a Reporter Out (HARO) allows you to reach reporters who need expert sources for articles that they write.
Letters to the Editor – Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine with an opinion about your industry, or to inform about your cause or mission. Write with the readers and publication in mind. What can you write that will be of interest, value, or help?
Write a Column – Did you know you can have your own regular column in a magazine or a newspaper? Consider your topic and pitch it to your publications of interest.
TV Interview – What looks more professional than having a TV credit to your name? Get your brand featured on a local TV station or nationally.
Goodwill Marketing
Goodwill marketing is not discounted marketing. It’s about helping people to know, like and trust you just a little bit more. It’s developing those warm and fuzzies with your audience.
Advise on Facebook and LinkedIn – Find groups where your ideal clients hang out and answer the questions people have related to your field. Be as generous as possible with your answers and watch the good will grow for your business!
Interview Other People – Give people the opportunity to get in front of your audience. This is helpful to them and YOU because they will tell their audience about the interview and drive traffic back to your blog, your YouTube channel, or wherever it is that you’re posting the content.
Giveaways – Give something that your audience definitely wants or even needs. For example, you could give away an iPad or a stack of books that are a perfect primer to help and educate your audience about what it is that you do. Giveaways will not only help to build your audience but keep you top of mind with those who win your sweepstakes.
Birthday Cards – Send birthday wishes to your clients, past clients, and referral partners.
Coffee Cards – Send inexpensive coffee cards to anyone who has done business with you now or in the past. These could also be for your referral partners.
Help Dream Clients – Offer your services to dream clients either for free or at a discount. This is a perfect way to generate goodwill with someone who can be a mentor to you or who can introduce you to their audience of potential right-fit clients.
Free or Low-cost Offers – Discount one or more of your services, courses, or programs as a way to show people that you care about helping them to get outcomes. This is a great way to show off your expertise and the transformation you can deliver with your high-ticket services, courses, and programs.
To Sum It Up
The more fun you have, the more likely you are to market consistently and the better results you’re likely to get. Remember to choose just 3 to 5 of these marketing options that are most suited to your interests and your audience.
If you want to make your marketing MAGNETIC and draw more perfect-fit clients to you, then book a Fully Booked Strategy Session with me. This is a complimentary discussion where you’ll be given a three-step personalized plan to accelerate online client attraction for consistent cash flow and sustained business growth.
