How to Promote Your Business Professionally & Consistently

ü  Order or reorder business cards

ü  Send official announcement email to family, friends and colleagues

ü  Set up email delivery service

ü  Create a “free cupcake” to build your email list

ü  Draft a Monthly Marketing Plan

ü  Develop a weekly content schedule to nurture your email list

ü  Establish a daily social media posting schedule

Launch Your Business Checklist: Get Out There

Getting out there You have to let people know that you’re open for business in a direct, explicit way. And then, be sure to update them on a regular basis.

Start with friends and family.

This can be one of your more supportive groups in your life who will connect you to new clients and customers. You tell them about everything else, why not share with them about your business?

Alert your network of professional colleagues.

Use LinkedIn and/or your personal list of email contacts. Tell them what you’re up to now and how they can get involved and support you.

Set up phone calls and in-person meetings with those who seem genuinely interested.

Don’t just leave it at the announcement email! Follow up with those who give you leads or offer connections! Allow your network to help you move forward faster than you would be able to on your own.

 

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Sample announcement email Hi all,

I’m excited to announce that my new business, [state the nature of your business or the name of your business] is now up and running! My business offers [describe your products and services] for [briefly describe your ideal client]. As a new business owner, I am currently seeking to build my clientele with referrals from my circle of trusted friends, family and colleagues. Please let me know if you or anyone in your network would be interested in my products and services.

[Optional offer:

Right now, I am offering a 20% discount for new clients/customers, so anyone you send my way by April 30 will get the hookup!] If your workplace, church or sorority needs a (free!) motivational/career/leadership/health & wellness speaker for your next event, please send them my way as well. You can also sign up for my free newsletter to stay in touch with me and my business: [insert link to opt-in page for your newsletter].Thank you so much for your help! I look forward to hearing from you.

[Your Name]

P.S. Please let me know how I can support you in your goals you have for this year – I would love to catch up and hear about what you’re working on, too!

How to create your business card - Vistaprint

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How to create your business card - Vistaprint

Focus Marketing on Your Ideal Client 1.  Who is she and what does she want?

2.  What does she struggle with?

3.  Why does she need me?

4.  Where does she hang out?

Getting out there You need an email list to capture new leads to your business and to communicate with existing prospects.

It’s an effective tool to keep in touch with your clients and customers.

How else would they know what new products and services you have available? Everyone is not on Facebook or Twitter, etc. And email is still the #1 marketing tool today. More people read email than read blogs!

Sign up with a free or premium service.

I recommend Aweber or Mailchimp for your email marketing needs. Many business owners prefer Mailchimp, which has a free option for smaller email lists.

How do you get people to sign up?

Create a piece of valuable content that would benefit your ideal client or customer. Offer it as a “free cupcake” on your website and use social media to drive traffic to the sign up page.

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Your first 100 leads

Set up your email list using Aweber or Mailchimp. Be sure to follow all directions. Add an autoresponder to automatically send the freebie to those who sign up. Use a service like LeadPages to create your opt-in form.

Follow up and communicate with the people who email you back with questions. Have one-to-one conversations about your products & services.

Create something super valuable for your ideal client. A juicy free report, guide, workbook related to your business. Or even a live teleseminar or webinar! Promote it on your website and social media networks.

Set up an Email List

Create a Free Cupcake

Follow up with Prospects

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Create your free cupcake •  Life Mapping Workbook

(15-page workbook & 15 minute audio)

•  Nonprofit Leadership Toolkit (4-page guide & 90-minute audio)

•  “6 Ways to Rock Your Nonprofit Career” (60-minute MP3 audio)

•  Young Nonprofit Professionals Career Guide (12-page resource guide)

•  Student Debt Planner (2-page Excel tool)

•  12 Effective Leadership Resources for Black Women

•  Free chapter of your existing book or ebook

Step 1: Create your free cupcake and image for your blog and social media –Give away a free report, audio, book chapter, etc. –Upload it to your site as a PDF, MP3 file – or use Dropbox, Google Drive –Use Canva, Fiverr, Killer Covers or a graphic designer Step 2: Sign up for an email marketing service –Aweber or Mailchimp Step 3: Set up an optin page to promote your free cupcake –Leadpages Step 4: Write and test your autoresponder –Write a welcome email to be sent automatically – “thanks for signing up, here’s your free cupcake” (link to PDF of your free report, MP3 audio, etc.) Step 5: Promote your free cupcake on your blog and social media –Write a dedicated blog post about it or even make a video to announce it! –Post a link to your homepage/optin page on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn

List-Building “Cheat Sheet”

Promote free cupcake on social media

Use blogging to promote your business •  Set up your blog if you don’t have one yet (remember, a blog IS a website and

you don’t need 2 websites)

•  Post an article on your blog at least once a week

•  Send out your blog articles via email to your list of subscribers through Aweber or Mailchimp

Use Facebook to promote your business

  Create a page, NOT a personal profile - use “website or public figure”

  Use your headshot as the profile photo

  Mix up the content on your Facebook page with photos, videos, quotes and blog posts

  Make sure you post about your products and services a few times per week

Use Twitter to promote your business •  Set up a Twitter account if you don’t have one yet

•  Put the Twitter icon on your website

•  Share links to your blog posts (use NEW POST: when you first publish something new on your blog)

•  Tweet at least once a day about your business – promote a product, service or upcoming event

Use YouTube to promote your business •  Create a YouTube account if you don’t have one yet

•  Put the YouTube icon on your website

•  Make how-to videos or tutorials related to your product or service

•  Post the link to your website in the description box for each video you make

•  Request video testimonials from clients and customers and upload them to

YouTube

Use Instagram to promote your business •  Create an Instagram account if you don’t have one yet

•  Put the Instagram icon on your website

•  Use it to show photos of your product or service

•  Post personal photos to give clients and customers a glimpse “behind the curtain”

of your personal life

•  Post the link to your website in your Instagram profile

Use LinkedIn to promote your business •  Set up a LinkedIn account if you don’t have one yet

•  Put the LinkedIn icon on your website

•  Create a simple profile with your bio and link to your website

•  Include your headshot as your photo

•  Clearly identify your business in your headline •  Use it to keep in touch and send updates to clients, customers and

colleagues

My 30-Day Marketing Plan Official Launch

Email Announcement

Website

Free Cupcake

Business Cards

Weekly Content Schedule

Daily Social Media Promotion

Module #5 Homework 1.  Write and send announcement email (or an update email) to your

network about your business

2.  Create your 30-day marketing plan

3.  Post your homework in the Facebook group and update your

checklist before our next call to get feedback, ideas & support!