Marketing for Independent Service Professionals

I decided recently that it was time for me to take a step back and revisit my initial marketing plan and get my act together in regards to some issues that I didn't really think about when I launched. In other words, the strategic aspect of business - who is my target audience, what is my marketing message, who is my ideal client, what is my unique competitive advantage and so on. I leapt, head first, into packaging and presenting my business - it took off - and has been rather successful - but I always felt like I'd built it on a shifting foundation.

In order to do this step backwards, I decided to purchase the materials I've promoted for years, from Action Plan Marketing. I got a copy of the Info Guru Marketing Manual - a product which teaches independent professionals the 5 P's of marketing: Positioning, Packaging, Persuasion, Promotion, and Performance.

With it, came access to the Info Guru Forum - a Yahoo Groups-based community where there is so much knowledge and advice flying around that it makes my head spin. Worth it's weight in gold! I've got a dual role there - student, and teacher - so certainly, if you want to know where I'm hanging out lately, sharing free advice, that's where I am. I also joined a Action Plan Group which involves a sort of "mastermind" of other people working through the same process. It is a way to "hold your feet to the fire" and be accountable so you actually go through the steps in the manual - as well as an intimate group of comrades to bounce your plan off of.

It's a little odd, going back - and figuring all this out NOW. I felt like I had succeeded with my business but something was always a little off, and missing. I knew I could do MUCH much better. Imagine if you were still not clear on what you were doing in business and you had the chance to do it all RIGHT from the start! I feel like I've got a handle on the packaging and promotion part but think, how successful would I be if I'm not only targeting the right market for me, but also figuring out the persuasion (sales) piece once and for all!

I've been recommending this material to my clients as the absolutely best way to build a marketing foundation as an independent professional. I have watched service professionals grow absolutely stellar businesses with the Action Plan principles and I finally said - hey - I've ALWAYS got more to learn, it's my turn. I shouldn't be surprised if it is turning everything I thought I knew about my own business on my head. I only wish I had made this move MUCH earlier in my business. You owe it to yourself to check out the site - he also has a Web Site Toolkit which I've sent dozens of clients to, that will help you plan exactly what you want from your independent professional web site and do THAT right from the start too. And even cooler - SOHO It Goes! is listed in his resources as a web design firm that can help executive an Action Plan style web site. Hope to see you over there!

Tips for Portfolios

If you are a writer or a designer of any kind, you must have a portfolio on your web site. Perhaps your business is suited to case studies instead. These examples of your work are critical areas of content to have if you are in a position to "show and tell" what you do for our customers. But are you taking advantage of all the strategies you can on your web site? Read these tips to learn more:

* If you have a great many items or case studies in your portfolio, categorize them so that they are better organized and clearly grouped.

* Make it easy to navigate with a clear menu to go through them in a linear manner, return to an index and if categorized, return to more like it.

* Take advantage of the ability cross-link pages in your web site. For example, where you mention a type of service in one area of your site, you could link to an example of this service in action elsewhere.

* Never assume the reader knows what you have done without at least a brief explanation. Better yet, break it down into problem->solution terms and remember to write in layman’s terms.

* Take advantage of the title tags on every page by creating keyword rich titles that describe your services. This can only help in ranking the relevance of your content in search engines.

* Hopefully, you already have access to the statistics for your web site. Study this data to get an idea of which areas of your site seem to get the most traffic, and aim your portfolio samples towards these areas of interest.

* Ask a select group of your clients or prospects in your target market which of your existing portfolio items or case studies are the most and least impressive. Use this information to make all of them shine.

* Are your portfolio items and case studies fresh? Make a point, at least once a year, to go through them and either edit or remove those which seem a bit stale or out of date.

* Be aware of how the technology you use to display your gallery of work might not be available to all viewers on all browsers and computers. As much fun as the flashier ‘slide show’ formats are, not everyone can see it. Know your audience.

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(c) Eileen Parzek, 2005

Eileen Parzek is an award winning graphic designer and writer providing digital and print graphic design and web design services. Always found at the intersection of information, creativity and technology, her business, Business Design Studio (www.businessdesignstudio.com) helps small businesses make a big impression, increase their reach and grow.

May be republished with full bio and credit link to http://www.businessdesignstudio.com