You must be visible, according to My Fourth Law of Client Attraction.
Imagine that one morning you awoke to find that you were completely invisible. Additionally, nobody could hear you. Nobody would even see an email you sent.
Not the best situation if you wanted to bring in customers for your business!
However, for many independent professionals, this scenario is fairly close to reality, despite how absurd it may appear. Their potential customers rarely see or notice them.
Gaining more visibility is the very first thing you need to do if your business is not expanding and you need to get more customers.
My efforts to become visible in my business followed this pattern: publishing, speaking, maintaining contact, networking, and marketing
I started meeting a lot of new people and a lot of potential clients when I joined professional organizations, networking clubs, and the Chamber of Commerce in my area.
After that, I got in touch with organizations and started giving talks to professionals about marketing. I joined my mailing list and met even more people.
I then sent postcard mailings inviting people to various introductory marketing events and mailed a newsletter to those on this list every other month.
I switched to an email list in 1997, which had 50,000 members at its peak. I also distributed a variety of products and services to the people on the list and distributed this eZine to them once a week. Even now, twenty years later, the eZine is published weekly.
Last but not least, I released my InfoGuru Marketing Manual, which increased my credibility and attracted more customers and participants to my marketing groups.
I may be many things, but not being invisible is one of them!
The hard truth is that very few people say your name when they get out of bed in the morning. You can’t keep your business relatively unnoticed and expect it to grow by itself.
You need a “Visibility Plan” to fix this. There are nine approaches:
1. Begin slowly and patiently. It takes time to get in front of 50,000 people. Find out who your ideal customers are and how to connect with them.
2. Make the most of professional organizations’ in-person meetings. genuinely learn about people and what they require.
3. Reach out to people you’ve met to make connections with people who might recommend you to clients or be potential customers. Compared to virtual connections, real connections are more powerful.
4. Add people to your e-list and send useful information at least once a month with their permission. To remain visible, this kind of marketing that keeps in touch is essential.
5. Set up your website to receive sign-ups in exchange for an article or report. Give away a lot of value and demonstrate your expertise regularly.
6. Establish a presence on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook. However, you should not make this your primary method of visibility because it can be difficult to stand out in this crowded field.
7. Send articles to online publications that attract your ideal customers. This is a great way to gain credibility among a specific group of people.
8. Find opportunities to give presentations, including TED talks and presentations to professional groups. The power of showcasing your expertise on stage cannot be overstated.
9. Create a book or electronic book that showcases your expertise. A book is an effective door opener that serves as a platform for your programs and services.
I’ve done all of these things, to varying degrees, and I’ve also helped my clients do them well.
All of these are opportunities to demonstrate your company’s worth and establish long-term credibility and trust.