08/ 12/ 2004
by Tamara E. Holmes
Your marketing plan can make your business. It gets your name out there, targets potential customers and draws them in. An important part of the marketing plan that many people forget is that you need to sell yourself, not just your company and your products. A sure way to earn confidence and loyalty from your clientele is to establish yourself as an expert in your field. If you secure a reputation as a source of insight and knowledge in your field, you’ll build a steady customer base that will be there to stay.
It all comes down to name recognition. Setting yourself up as an expert means getting your name out to the public.
Everyone reads the papers
Establish yourself as an expert by submitting editorials to the local newspaper on issues pertaining to your field. For example, the owner of a veterinary practice might choose to sound off in the newspaper about pet care; the owner of a beauty shop might write about seasonal beauty trends. Regardless of your field, when you write a column, you need to find hot-button issues that relate to your business. By voicing an opinion, you’ll let potential customers see your humanity and your expertise, and you’ll be giving your business a plug at the same time.
Another venue is to write articles about your field. Trade magazines are a good place to submit such articles since they are often looking for pieces penned by experts. Some trade magazines may pay a nominal fee, while others will simply offer writers the recognition that comes with having an article published. Either way, small-business owners are compensated, at the very least, by receiving increased publicity for their businesses.
Write a book about it
Books offer another avenue for presenting yourself as an expert. By writing a book about your field or a topic related to it, you raise your credibility not only among potential customers, but also among media organizations as well.
When reporters write about particular issues, they often seek authors of books on those topics to quote in their articles. Not only that, but potential customers may be more easily wooed if they see that you’re knowledgeable enough in your field to put a book together on the topic and that reporters trust you to be a valid source.
In addition, writing a book also makes you more desirable on the speakers' circuit -- another avenue to building your name as an expert. Bookstores allow authors to speak about their books all the time. If you write a book, be sure to visit the local bookstores to talk about it and, once again, get your name out in front of the public.
Even if you don’t write a book, you can still seek speaking engagements in your field. By simply offering to speak on a panel about a topic your business is familiar with, you can boost your credibility and your business at the same time.
Offer a little friendly advice
You can also put together pamphlets about your area of expertise and leave them in public places such as local gyms or hair salons. For example, a personal finance counselor might leave a pamphlet with financial tips and information about his or her business for readers who would like to know more. Likewise, a small-business owner who sells jewelry might offer tips for cleaning silver. The key is to offer potential customers free information, which not only provides a service, but also gives those potential customers a source of expertise to go to when they need that particular job done.
A small business can never get too much good publicity. By viewing yourself as a brand and marketing yourself as an expert, your business can only benefit.
