My previous posts discussed some online ways to market a service business, as well as some tips for dealing with mainstream media. Here are some more ideas.
Develop visuals that tell a story.
Magazines, newspapers and websites all need good visuals: photos, graphics and video. Editors need visuals to draw attention to the text, break up the page visually, and help tell the story. The editors get a lot of written material, but relatively few good photographs or illustrations.
Start a file of photographs and illustrations that catch your eye and tell a story. They may spark ideas when you need some inspiration.
For example, a pharmaceutical firm developed a board-game-like diagram that clearly illustrated the FDA approval cycle for new drugs. I still remember that illustration even though I saw it more than a decade ago.
Create news.
You may not routinely have news, but you can “create” it. So hold a contest. Take a survey. Celebrate an anniversary.
Depending on the type of news you create, you may have several publicity opportunities:
- Announcing the contest, event and the like.
- Reminding people of the deadline or event date.
- Announcing the results and winners.
- Inviting the media to the event.
- Providing pictures to the media.
Conclusion
I hope by now you see that, although success is not automatic, there are many ways to market a service.
But remember, one of the best marketing activities is also the most fun: networking. Be active in one or two professional organizations. Help others out in their businesses. Participate in projects big and small. No matter how digital the world gets, we still like the “personal touch.”
A caveat: My rule of thumb is to do three marketing activities. Choose the ones that make the most sense for you; do them well and do them consistently. Doing no marketing risks having your business dry up. Trying to do too much can be distracting, time-consuming and even counter-productive.
If you’re not doing any marketing now, start small. Pick one activity and master it. Then add another activity and then another.
Let me know your results. I’d love to hear from you.
