To succeed in selling your freelancing, consulting or coaching services, you need a marketing strategy that attracts the right type of clients. Without some basic planning, can find yourself wasting a lot of time either doing the wrong marketing activities or doing the right marketing activities in the wrong ways. Planning helps you think through what you will be doing so you don’t get half way through your project, realize something has gone terribly wrong, and have to start over from scratch. A good marketing plan covers these six steps.

1. Know Your Market and Competitors – What does the market want? One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to try to sell someone something you think they “need” when they don’t “want” it. A profitable market consists of people who have a specific problem, want to solve that problem, are willing to pay for the solution, and there isn’t much competition competing for business. Ask yourself:
   • What potential problems can I solve? Where are the unmet needs and opportunities in the market?
   • Is the market big enough? Are there enough people who want to solve this particular problem and will pay for a solution?
   • How can I make money? What can I offer that prospects will find valuable enough to pay for my solution?
   • How competitive is the market? Who are my biggest competitors? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How can I compete with them?
2. Know Your Customers – Who are my ideal customers and clients? What do they want most? What motivates them to buy products and services like mine? People buy what they want – not what you think they need – so focus on “wants.” (Refer to Customer Buying Process – 10 Questions To Ask for more details.) Ask yourself:
   • How does my prospect buy similar products? Do they go to the store? Search the web? Ask people they know for referrals?
   • Who is the primary decision maker? Who has the final say in the buying decision? For instance, the project manager? The purchasing agent? A husband or wife?
   • Where do prospects get information? Newspapers, magazines, books, trade publications, seminars and conferences? Who do they consider experts in your market?
   • What are their emotional reasons for buying? Are they try to avoid pain, make more money, be healthy, look younger?
3. Choose a Niche – Every marketplace is packed with competition. Rather than try to target “everyone,” focus on the people who are most likely to buy. A good niche is easy to contact in some way (i.e. they all read the same trade publications, attend the same events/conferences/seminars, live in the same area. In other words, you can buy a mailing list that targets them, advertise in the publications they read, or network with them at the events they attend) Start small and dominate that niche before you expand your business or carve out a second niche for yourself. (Refer to Specialize for a Niche Market)
4. Create a Unique Selling Proposition – Why should someone choose you over all the other options available to them? How do you explain your business to someone who asks, “What do you do?”
5. What Marketing Strategies Will You Use? The right marketing strategies for your business are those that deliver your marketing message to the most prospects in your niche at the lowest cost. The only way you will determine this is to test different marketing methods and see which generate the most leads. Marketing strategies may involve:
   • Advertising & Sponsorship – Newspaper ads, tv or radio ads, magazine ads, movie ads, local coupon books, billboards, Yellow Pages, classified ads, charity events
   • Direct Mail – Postcards, sales letters, flyers, mailers, catalogs
   • Speaking and Networking – seminars, conferences, teleclasses, webinars, trade shows, networking events
   • Writing – articles, press releases, newsletters, email, brochures, blogging, guest posting
   • Promotions – contests, sweepstakes, gift certificates, coupons, window display
   • Word of Mouth – social media marketing, referral marketing
   • Online Marketing – pay-per-click advertising, websites, banner ads, search engine optimization, Facebook and Twitter, leaving blog comments, forum discussions
   • Joint Ventures – partnering with local businesses, mastermind groups

   The best marketing strategies reach large numbers of people within your niche and effectively deliver your marketing message in a way that they are most comfortable with. For instance, if most people in your niche don’t use Twitter, creating a Twitter strategy is wasted effort.

6. Set Marketing Goals and Metrics – What are your benchmarks and criteria for success? What would make your marketing campaign successful in your eyes? The best goals are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. They should be a balance of financial metrics such as revenue, cash flow and profits, and non-financial such as new customers acquired, leads generated, articles published, or units sold. (Refer to Setting Goals for Your Business)

If you haven’t created your marketing plan, spend some time today to plan out exactly how you will attract new clients.

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