We have heard many market reports that 2007 was bad and that 2008 might be worse. For some, 2008 has been a great start, but has slowed down. Do you have a game plan for 2008? Do you have a business plan? Or are you just putting your head down just praying that it gets better?
There are many ways to market yourself. The end result is that you are the one that controls your own destiny. Being strong, showing perseverance, open minded, one that thinks outside the box, and determined is a formula for success in my opinion. So what can we look at that would help us to continue to be successful and to grow our business.
Type of marketing plans :
- Marketing yourself & branding yourself (Part 1)
- Blogging (Part 2)
- Networking (Part 3)
Marketing Yourself & Branding Yourself : - Part 1
- Target marketing -- Is very important and can be defined in a few ways, depending on your objective. What we would want to focus on would be age, geography, and top trendsetters in your area. Here is the series on these trendsetters.
-- Baby Boomers & Echo Boomers
-- Single Women
-- The Hispanic Sector
You can also utilize the Localism feature that Active Rain has set up for all of us. This can be applied right here on AR when blogging.
- Branding -- There is always a conversation that Marketing & Branding is either the one in the same or different. I believe that they are different from one another. I also believe that we can learn so much from Google and how they brand themselves. For many of you that follow my blogs, I have done a whole series on Google and what we can learn from them. The biggest marketable idea is changing up your web site pages or your blog sites.
-- HUD Settlement statements - For every client that you closed in 2007, you can send them their HUD sheets as a reminder for tax purposes.
-- Newsletters - Mass marketing by sending quarterly news letters through e-mail. Evening sending your best blogs quarterly or monthly. Basically setting up a drip campaign. You can use such sites as :
* * Constant Contact
* * ACT Contact Manager
* * Microsoft Outlook
-- Business Cards can be a very cheap from of marketing & advertising. Here is a great list of ways to use them : Business Card tips
-- Active Rain Groups - There are several different types of groups here on Active Rain that you can join for possible referrals in your area. Realtor Referral Network. & Referrals Only & Mortgage Referrals Only
-- Data Base - You are your database.... by : Linda Davis Linda talks about friends, family, outside vendors, and so much more. Using the sites mentioned above to do a drip campaign for things other than just newsletters.
-- Podcasts & Videos - A very cheap and effective way to broadcast online.
Freebies -- And we all know that we love freebies, especially those freebies that can help us market or move our business.
-- Do you forget things? Need someone to help you remember things? Try : jott & remember the milk
-- Want to send a stylish newsletter online? myemma.com
-- Find out information about your market, so you can pass it onto your clients. Altosresearch.com
Overall, in my opinion, Marketing yourself and not your company is very important. Sure, using a company's logo or name can help influence others when choosing you. But keep your eye on the ball and always put yourself first. You need to always be thinking outside of the box and always taking in fresh ideas, in order to stay ahead of your competition.
Marketing yourself in 2008 series :
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