What are some creative ways to market myself?

Answer 1

When I leave my home office, I am prepared to discuss my business.  I have samples of products, literature, business cards, etc.  I am dressed professionally and the exterior of my car is clean.  We have our car "branded" so it's important-you only have one chance to make a good first impression.  We are currently marketing our weight loss product, RVL, to local gyms - encouraging them to have a "biggest loser" type of competition- we offer discounts on the products to those who participate.  I make certain what's on my FB page is not offensive to others and encourage people on my team to review what's on their pages as well.

Answer 2

Well that completely depends on your niche but in general there are some free creative ways to do things:
1. Start a blog and write posts pertaining to your profession. Basically, you want you blog to engage your audience. Make posts informative and also ask questions.

2. Youtube marketing in the same fashion as a blog (vlogging) will do SOOOO much for you! Trust me on that!

3. Syndication, Get a Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or whatever socail networking sites you care about and use ping.fm to post to ALL networks in one fell swoop. You can also set up the blog to syndicate across multiple networks as well. Especially if you use a Wordpress backend.

Just be professional, truthful and have fun with your marketing. For instance, if you own a bakery, see if any local businesses are having any events coming up and market yourself by baking a theme cake. Things like that.

Foursquare is an excellent tool as well and a great way to get found locally. Offer perks and specials to repeat customers or offer discounts on services/items.

Eventually all of these things will fall together and you'll have marketing ideas popping in and out constantly lol.

Edit: Just took a peek at your page and see you're a hair stylist. Let's see here...Fun ways to market hair.... The first thing off the top of my head was a hair pageant of sorts. A localized event that can help you and others show off their skills and possibly have a "style-off". Things like this are fun and engaging as well. While yes there is a LOT of competition in your niche, fact is you can most likely still attain work through other salon owners and stylists and such similar to how us studio guys do things. If we're booked up, we pass along to another person we confide in to do the job properly.

Answer 3

It's not so much a matter of being creative but rather strategic. What do you want people to know about you and what do you want them to do - call you, send you an email, go to your website, connect with you, hire you. make a purchase? This will determine where and how (along with your budget) you create your market presence. There are many options available to you.

Answer 4

I market myself thru several channels . Social media , google , twitter, facebook I run a blog and have 2 facebook fanpages to keep my business in the eye of the public. and I reach a wide audience that way. This is what works for me :D

Answer 5

One company that can help you market no matter what you di is called My Lead System Pro. They have a ton of training that will teach you huslting locally and setting up an online presence. Right now they have a two week trial for 10 dollars. You can do a ton with that.

Answer 6

Hi there,

I took a look at your website online, to get a better idea of your niche.  Based on what I see there, I'd recommend the following:

First, some basic stuff:

1.  Social networking is important of course.  People look for recommendations from others, and local social reporting sites such as Yelp.com have gone wild over the last several months.  Video blogging is a big thing these days, and even short videos are perfect.  It doesn't have to be something overly professional...people want to connect with the real you, so be who you are and do what you do.  Let them see that and it will build your brand and crediibility with your target market.

2.  Don't be afraid to ask for recommendations and retweets/likes/+1, etc for your business.  People like raving about someone they trust and have had a good experience with...we're just usually so busy we don't make the time to do it unless it is put in front of us!

3.  Be involved and engaged in the online and offline communities that match your niche.  Follow along and post regularly on blogs or forums that relate to what you do, and include a link back to your site or most recent blog posts.  Attend local events related to your niche and see about leaving creatively done flyers in local coffeehouses, hangouts, etc that match up with what you do.

Related specifically to your niche...

1.  You could do video blogging on various topics such as a "behind the scenes" of an audio mix.  Show them the equipment, your studio, how you go about making various types of mixes, etc.  Show various before/after versions of a bad mix versus how you fix it up or would have done it better (be careful of any copyright violations, of course).  Don't worry about giving away "insider tips".  Most people wouldn't steal your ideas, and the rest of your audience will love seeing the "man behind the curtain" and that you're a real individual with personality.  And being willing to give away quality information for free builds respect and credibility.

2.  Offer free mini-mixes or snippets of what you can do as downloads.  Showcase various styles and such to highlight your varied skills, and to draw interest from a wider crowd.

3. If you are interested in blogging (and I see you have one), it doesn't have to be a daily thing.  You can post a couple times a week, on industry-specific topics (news, artists, equipment developments, political issues, etc).  You can generate a crowd of followers by offering a giveaway of some value, and allowing multiple entries based on various tasks they perform (leaving a comment on the blog, reposting about your giveaway on their blog and linking back (builds your credibility in search engines), "liking" you on Facebook, "tweeting" you on Twitter, +1 you on Google, signing up for your RSS feed, etc.)  There are random generators that can pick a winner for you.  And then mention your giveaway on every industry-related blog or forum that will allow it.  Contact blog owners directly and offer them a semi-customized pre-done post with a link back to your site, so they don't have to do any work and already get a post for their own blog for free.  And make sure you mix up the length of your posts, the content, etc.

4.  Don't ignore offline marketing, or tying it into your online efforts.  Consider creating flyers that include QR codes which you can post anywhere there is a bulletin board...college campuses, grocery stores, coffeshops, local dives, etc.  The QR code can link back to a sample of your work, a special coupon code for subscribers, etc.

5.  Make sure you maintain a database of some form with all your clients in it, and potential clients who simply contact you for information.  Email or call them periodically to see if they have any new projects they need help on, or to offer them a coupon code off their next mix with you when they refer a friend who successfully completes a job with you.

6.  Consider offering some kind of referral commission to anyone who sends you a paying client.  It could be as little as 10%, or any number that makes sense for your budget/profit ratios.  But it can net you free (possibly global) advertising, especially if you approach people in a position of authority in your niche and offer them an easy way to make some quick cash by just sending out an email or putting up a post.

 

Just a few suggestions.  Hopefully it helps get your own creative juices flowing!

Answer 7

Whoops, just realized I clicked on the first respondent, rather than you, in making my industry-specific recommendations!  Sorry about that!  :-)

Regarding your niche, hairstyling, many of the above still applies.

1.  You can blog on product lines, the benefits of organic/eco-friendly products versus mainstream products, why one woks better than another, what product works best for a specific style, etc.

You can discuss tools of the trade, licensing regulations, etc.  Gathering a following of not only clients but the respect of other stylists can lead to referrals when they are too busy or out of town, moving away, know someone moving to your area, etc.

The QR codes can still work, if you connect them to free tips for styling, a coupon you can offer for services or products, etc.  Put up flyers with your info, QR, coupons, etc whereever you're allowed to.

Do a product giveaway or a free styling session giveaway on your blog or facebook to generate interest.  Have them gain extra entries by posting/tweeting about your giveaway, which is free advertising to a larger audience for you.

Offer half off their service if they bring a friend in same day.

Do YouTube or Vimeo video blogs on simple styles, how you fix a bad cut, proper use of tools/accessories, etc.

Make sure you have a logo/website/etc that is specific to the brand or image you want to convey (sophisticated, green/eco-friendly, budget-friendly, etc) and try to keep that universal across all your marketing efforts, so seeing your logo/tagline/color combos instantly signals thoughts of you.

Add yourself to all local directories and fill out profiles completely, including a picture, bio, and contact info.

Hope all of that helps!

Answer 8

lol Daniellle. I already do all that ;). Thanks though. I just updated the site/blog big time so check back and take a peek. I have mixes up of all current work on the samples page too. I'm good on my end for the most part now.

Wibya toolbar <3.  Just kinda sucks that it gets blocked by popup blockers.