When you are on you own, doing business can be easier in many ways than a small business with employees. As a consultant or solopreneur, you can be more nimble, more adaptable, than your larger rivals and counterparts. The challenge for the solos tends to be that they can ignore basic marketing rules and strategies believing that they are just too small for any manner of marketing to have any positive effect on their business. The answer, however, is that the solo consultant needs marketing more than just about any other business because, without it, they will become invisible.
- As a solo consultant, you must be as tight with your SEO and social media marketing as any other business. Your potential clients need to know where to find you and keeping abreast of your clients and potential clients out on the social media platforms will allow you to gather the intelligence you need to increase your business.
- Every opportunity to network is an opportunity to gain ground on your rivals and to attract business. Whether it is online or at a local business or social event, you can’t afford not to be honing your people and sales skills. Keeping those skills sharp is what gives you the edge, what makes you the best.
- In conjunction with all of this, you need to revisit your marketing materials as well as update your profiles everywhere. Have you some recent accomplishment that no one knows about? Is your photo five years old? Are your materials outdated? Are your business cards a sad and flimsy affair where you got a thousand of them online for five bucks? You are who you appear to be so make sure your appearance is beyond reproach. No second chances when it comes to that first impression.
- Finally, when you get right down to it, it is all about your content. Are you establishing yourself as an expert in your industry or profession? Is your content working hard to educate and inform potential clients? Do they know why they need you? Have you done a video commercial yet? If not, why not? It is a perfect vehicle for letting everyone know who you are and what you can do and nothing will drive more traffic from mobile devices than an informative video. And, of course, when was the last time you re-visited your one minute “elevator” pitch? Are you ready for any encounter you may happen upon? Are you ready for that next opportunity?
-Written by Kevin Sawyer
