Your success as a service business owner or executive will be largely determined by how many high-end clients you can attract and retain.  Following is a detailed discussion about how to use different sales and marketing techniques to draw attention to your business.

The key to all of these marketing strategies is to provide quality information to a targeted group of people. The best place I have found for a reasonably priced list of high-income individuals broken down by zip codes is InfoUSA (http://www.infousa.com), but there are other providers who can also help you with this.  You can use this service as a tool to gauge how large your market is and, if you buy the list, you can use it to fill your pipeline with the right kind of leads.

Seminars and Workshops

Seminars and workshops that offer quality information about your business, market, or industry, are becoming popular ways to build a client base.  You can differentiate yourself by showing how clients how to use your services and how you fill a need that your competitors cannot.  Do not be discouraged if your first seminars do not draw a crowd.  If you find a systematic way to incorporate them into your marketing plan, people will show up over time.

Mailers

Some service business owners have done well marketing their businesses through direct mail.  Others I have talked to aren’t fans of it at all.  If you are going to do it, make sure you take the time to do it well.  Your mailer needs to be eye-catching and to-the-point.  Here are some pointers on direct mail advertising.

1.    Use a targeted list.

2.    Set an objective.  Do you want prospects to call for a free consultation?  Do you want them to R.S.V.P. for your next seminar?  What type of action do you want them to take?

3.    Write a good headline.  Try to strike an emotion (pain and fear are often used) from the start.

4.    Include a specific call to action.  “The first 10 callers will receive...”.  “Call (555) 555-5555 now for your free consultation.”  Those are the types of words you’ll want to use.

5.    Test your mailing before sending it out to thousands of prospects.  A random sample of 500 postcards or letters should give you a good feel for how the market will respond to that particular mailing.

If you want to see a sample of a solid direct mail piece, visit ezdirectmail.com (http://www.ezdirectmail.com).

Radio Shows and Podcasts

Several top service business owners create regular podcasts or even host their own radio show.  If you want to see what one of the best in the business is doing, visit John Dvorak’s site called www.crankygeeks.com, click on “Episodes” on the left-hand navigation bar, and download the podcasts.  Podcasts can be a great alternative to radio shows if you don’t want to go through the process of starting your own program.

Write Articles

If starting a radio show or podcast isn’t your cup of tea, maybe article writing is more for you.  Local business journals or newspapers are almost always looking for expert writers on a regular basis.  If those channels don’t work, you can publish your articles at a number of online submission companies.

Write Newsletters

Effective newsletters are a good way to stay in touch with your clients.  Whether they are e-newsletters or hard copy, monthly or quarterly, newsletters help you establish a brand, develop expertise, and stay in touch.

Press Releases

Let the local press know about some of your clients’ success stories.  For a quick primer on press releases, visit wikihow.com (http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Press-Release).  Visit marketingsource.com (http://www.marketingsource.com/pressrelease/releaseformat.html) for a nice sample template.

Website & Online video

Whatever marketing activities you choose to do, put this on the top of your list.  A good website will outline your core services, who you are and who you help, and attract visitors from your target market.  There are countless examples to see.  Simply Google “Service Business (Your State)” and hundreds of websites will come up.  It doesn’t have to be an incredibly high-tech site to make a difference, but it does need to be optimized for search engines and you should make a habit of using your other marketing efforts to drive traffic to your site.

When creating your website, consider adding video content.  Some business owners make entirely new presentations using PowerPoint while others simply use video from a recent seminar.  In my opinion putting an informative video on your site (either about your business, about a current trend, or both) is the best way for people to get an idea of what type of business owner you are.

Write Books

Writing a book or two is another way to make yourself stand out from the crowd.  Several service business owners have taken their books and created presentations from them.  This is a nice situation because they get revenue from book sales and clients become interested in their businesses.  It is easier now than ever before to get a book published.  If you don’t have the time to hire an agent and/or market your book to the publishing houses, you can self-publish or even write an e-book.

These are eight proven marketing activities that can draw prospects to your business.  The more you include in your mix this year, the stronger your business will be in December.

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