6 Essential Marketing Tips for Solopreneurs
April 13, 2017
Jane Bolto, content and marketing specialist
There are plenty of obstacles to overcome when trying to achieve success as a solopreneur. Marketing yourself shouldn’t be one of them. Follow these marketing basics for gaining clients and expanding your customer base.
1. Make It Easy for Potential Clients to Find You
It’s important to establish a presence in your field, so that prospective clients will be able to find you and access your services. To do this, take advantage of any medium that will help increase your exposure, such as advertising, promotion and hard copy. In addition, ensuring that you can be found in search engines, through the proper use of keyword targeting, will go a long way in putting you in touch will new clients.
2. Utilize Social Media
Social media is also a powerful marketing tool, and it’s vital that solopreneurs make use of social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook. When starting out, do not create so many accounts that you cannot keep track of your posts, but instead focus on using a few primary channels and start spreading the word. As you gain followers, you will begin to see your business grow organically with minimal effort.
3. Use the Right Tools
There is an arsenal of tools available to help people market themselves, and many of these are offered free online. When you are searching for keywords to target or researching the level of competition in certain areas, try using services such as Google’s Keyword Planner and Google Analytics, as these will indicate niches that you are most likely to find success.
4. Set Yourself Apart
If your personality and products match those of others in your field, it will be difficult to separate yourself from the pack—and this could prevent clients from finding you. Because of this, it is critical that you offer services that are unique from your competition. Focus on building your brand around your personality and the ideas that coincide with your beliefs.
5. Seek Out Flaws in the Competition
Perhaps the foremost way to successfully market yourself is the ability to capitalize on flaws in the competition. No business is perfect, and this creates opportunities for others. When analyzing a market, single out areas that competitors are failing to address and work at raising the bar in those facets. For instance, if the competition is known for having a lackadaisical attitude toward customer service, then strive to excel in this area. You may be able to entice others into using your services based on these differentiators.
6. Create Valuable Content
It is no secret that creating content and posting it online can help spread the word about the services that you offer. When you are promoting yourself keep in mind that prospective clients will be reading through your material to see if you will have what it takes to bring success to their business, and thus, creating valuable content is a must. Consider hiring a content writer to help ensure that you are upholding high standards.
Being a solopreneur can be a very rewarding endeavor, but there are some important things to keep in mind when you are trying to market yourself. In order to establish a customer base, make sure that prospects can find your business through the use of well-chosen keywords, and harness the power of social media to help spread the word and gain followers. In addition, you will want to analyze the competition and capitalize on any flaws in their system. Follow these marketing basics and you are sure to gain the exposure you are seeking.
Jane Bolto currently works as a content specialist at Nybizdb.com.
Learn more about the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and apply for membership today!