The Secrets To Getting Customers For Your New Business Part 3

 Our quest for new customers is rolling on.. You have spent a whole weekend brainstorming on your ideal client and you have told everyone you meet about your brave new venture.

And you have made some sales.

To that you reply: Yes! but I have exhausted that pool at least for the time being. I have no more friends to tell. I even told the man who came to clean the drains and that resulted in a sale actually! But I need something else. Do I start to advertise?

Yes! you do need something else. You will use advertising, But not yet. Advertising is an expensive way of getting new clients and we'll use that when you have exhausted all the free ways to advertise.

Write an article

Write an article about your particular expertise and submit it to all the magazines and papers which are issued to your target market. In other words, become your own publicity and sales promotions writer.

Get the word out; establish yourself as an expert in your field. The easiest outlet for this will be the local give-away newspaper which most of your target market will read. Local newspapers are eager to publish interesting well-written articles.

If they like the first one they may even let you write the Gardening Column or the Bride and Groom Column or the Handiman Column. You get the idea. Often I have found that when the editorial staff know of your knowledge in a specific area they will contact you for comment or a quick quote when they want to round out a story.

Remember that these are not "sales" articles although they will certainly result in sales. These will have interesting and topical subjects that your target market will want to know about. Do not even think of putting a sly sales pitch in them. Sales will come automatically as if by magic.

There are other magazines or newsletters which may be appropriate, too. A Music Teacher got very good results with articles in the School Newsletters in her area. Your brainstorming sessions will have suggested the magazines which will yield the most.

There is one trap I should warn you about. You will invariably be approached by a glossy  free magazine which purports to being read by small business or some other target market who will ask to submit an article on your subject..

At first you will be flattered (I know I was!) but after you have invested much time and effort into the perfect article they will reveal that only advertisers are able to have content included.

You will be tempted but don't fall for it. Tell them to go and jump! You have so many legitimate places looking for your articles that you will not have time for these shysters!

We are always adding additional articles so please call in again soon.