15 Ways for You to Market Your Business Right Now

Always be marketing, you must.

It is appalling how many freelancers and small business owners I’ve had tell me they “hate sales and marketing” or “don’t see the point” in marketing themselves…but then complain about not having enough clients or not having good clients.

Do they just magically expect people to somehow find them? You have to market yourself to be successful — in ANY field, but especially as a freelancer and/or entrepreneur. When you run it all yourself and are responsible for finding and making your own salary, you better learn to love marketing!

Here’s the thing. I am just one name in an ocean of competent and successful writers and editors in the world. Just one random name most people have never heard of.

But I have become known in my tiny corner of the internet as a good writer and book editor.

Not (only) because I kept my head down and worked hard but because I went out and told people who I was and how I could work with them and introduced myself and my services. Then as I work with more people, they tell others and refer me to their friends, and so on.

Word-of-mouth is the best way to get new clients and the best way for consumers to get great referrals for work. In an ideal world, we would all be recommended to people all the time — after all, we’re good at what we do, people should talk about it!

But if you are a freelancer or beginner entrepreneur, you need to always be marketing yourself.

Marketing and sales do not need to be scary! I know many people just don’t know where to start, so here are some definitions and then some ideas for marketing yourself as a freelancer!

Sales & Marketing

Sales and marketing are two different things, though they overlap. In business, “sales” tends to refer to the exchange of money for products or services and “marketing” focuses on the larger chain of events including advertising, promotions, research, and also sales.

When you’re selling something, it’s more of a one-time exchange and is very product-oriented. Marketing is about focusing on what the clients need and want and figuring out what works best for them and creating a relationship with the consumers.

And sales is a PART of the marketing process.

Think of marketing as a more long-term objective targeting a lot of people, while selling something one time is more short-term and is usually to just one or a few people at a time.

Marketing is also your ability to communicate with others ABOUT your business and services.

The biggest thing to remember is that you must be proactive in your marketing efforts. Go out and GET those clients, don’t wait for them to come to you!

Marketing Ideas

Pick a couple of things from this list and start right away and then once those are in place and you’re feeling good about adding them to your routine, pick another one and implement it, and so on.

There are so many different ways to market yourself and this is not a fully comprehensive list but one which does have a lot of good ideas!

Start by defining WHO your ideal client is so that you know what kind of companies and people to target when sending out messages and creating targeted ads. For example, if your target audience is “influencers,” you’ll likely be using Instagram and YouTube as major sources for finding and messaging potential clients.

• Make sure you have an attractive and up-to-date website [make sure to include a “media” page with publicity] and include testimonials.
• Create a mailing list and add it to your website and blog.
• USE your mailing list and send out newsletters with useful information and announcements of new products or services.
• Be active on social media and use appropriate hashtags on all platforms.
• Use sources like HARO and PodcastGuests to be featured in articles and podcasts.

• Follow up with every single client asking if they need any other work and if they know of anyone else you could be helping. Asking for referrals is huge and necessary! Build a relationship with them — relationship marketing is important. (This includes following up with older clients from a long time ago and checking in again.)
• Ask for testimonials from every client. Not everyone will give you one, but some will — then post them on your website and share them on social media.

• Create a lead generator, such as a short free webinar, a free workbook, or a free ebook on your website — and promote it.
• Be actively blogging and getting your writing out there. This gives you more exposure and you can put your mailing list at the bottom of posts so people can follow you in places other than your blog.

• Answer industry questions on places like Quora, Twitter, and elsewhere. This continues to establish credibility.
• Be social — go to networking events and meet potential clients face to face. Always carry your business cards to hand out and discuss your services.
• Start a Facebook group or page for your business and be active on it — start conversations, give useful information, and make announcements about your business.
• Create targeted ads on various social media platforms to see which ones bring you the most return.
• Write a book — which gives you authority and credibility in your field.
• Start a YouTube channel or a podcast to get more exposure and give great information and broaden your reach.

And there are many other ways you can get the word out about you and your business.

One writer and entrepreneur, Ricardo J. Zulueta, Jr., also says, “You can also use influential marketing as a tool to build trust with [your] followers for your brand in your niche/industry through long term relationships/promotions.”

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