The trick to marketing is to stay visible in a number of places, both to attract new clients and gain repeat business from current clients.

You want people to think of you first when they have a need for your product or service. You also want people to be very clear on how you can help them. If your marketing is focused toward a particular group of people, you are more likely to attract members of that group when they need your help.

For example, if you are a massage therapist specializing in stress reduction, you would advertise in the local publications most likely to be read by people in high stress jobs. Do your city police or firefighters' unions allow advertising in their newsletters? Do local associations of stockbrokers, attorneys, physicians or women executives publish bulletins for their members in which you could place a classified or display ad?

Part 1 of your marketing plan:

Make Part 1 of your marketing plan a well-placed focused ad written for your target market. For example, even though massage therapy helps relieve pain, improve circulation and more, if your main interest as a massage therapist is helping people lower their stress levels, that's the focus of your advertising. 

People will remember you for one thing. Which one thing do you want to be known for?

If you're a massage therapist using energy healing modalities, your focus shifts to a slightly different clientele. You'll be looking for people who are receptive to alternative therapies and who likely have an understanding of vibrational frequencies. Place your ads in one or more local body-mind-spirit magazines -- and the Florida Directory, of course! Mention how you can help specific conditions and why your combination of modalities is more effective for them.

If the purpose of your ad is to collect leads, offer a free report or informative brochure. If its purpose is to encourage new clients to make an immediate appointment, try offering a free mini-session or half-price introductory offer, so that people can test your capabilities before they commit further. If your ad's mission is to sell a product, make sure to include an order form and request that your ad be positioned for easy clipping.

The key to display advertising is targeting your prospective clientele and then advertising in the publications they read.

Part 2 of your marketing plan:

Part 2 of your plan should include a consistent method of staying in touch with your current clients.

It's essential to have an automated mailing list -- whether regular mail or e-mail -- so that it's easy for you to inform clients when you have a new class schedule, a new product or service, a special offer or a convention appearance, just to give a few examples. Your type of business and marketing budget will dictate the type and frequency of your communications.

Phone calls are also a good way to stay in touch. They take more time than mailings but they are more personal and immediate. Use the telephone to let clients know when you have openings in your schedule or a special event coming up.

If you have snippets of time available daily, keep a supply of note cards and your mailing list handy, to write greetings to your clients. Send a few each day, and enclose an article or news clipping you think they'd find helpful.

Staying visible to current clients doesn't need to be expensive or time-consuming, but it does need to be consistent if you wish to build a solid business.

Part 3 of your marketing plan:

For Part 3 of your marketing plan, pick one marketing idea from the suggestions below and test it to see if it's the right fit for your personality, your budget and your sense of fun. Marketing is how we inform people about the benefits of our products and services. Consistent marketing is necessary to build a strong business. But let's have fun while we're doing it!

For example, I love to write, so a newsletter is a perfect tool for me. As long as I provide useful news and practical information, my newsletter will be read. The one or two "commercial" messages remind readers how I can help them.

Here are nine additional "Part 3" methods to consider. They range from minimal expense to costly. A marketing budget is usually figured as a percentage of your estimated sales dollars -- anywhere from 3% to over 10%, depending on your business and your competition. Once you have figured out the dollar amount of your monthly budget and have fixed the display ad portion of your budget, you'll have a better idea of how much you can spend on "Part 3."

(1) Plan a monthly press release campaign to targeted publications for the purpose of obtaining news stories about your business in the various media.

(2) Obtain word-of-mouth referrals from existing clients by offering rewards such as referral fees, discounts, gift certificates and free services.

(3) Give speeches and demonstrations at bookstores, libraries, trade shows, churches and association meetings. Get the names of attendees and follow up with a phone call or mailing.

(4) Form a networking group of businesses with a similar target market, to share the expenses of mailings, to co-host special events, to purchase supplies in bulk, to brainstorm ideas. (Check out virtual networking at www.Ryze.com.)

(5) Sponsor events attended by your target market, making sure you're visible in print and in person.

(6) Exhibit at expos and trade shows, collecting attendee names for follow-up after the shows.

(7) Write frequent articles for the publications read by your target market. This adds credibility to your paid ads and demonstrates "what you know" to people in need of your service.

(8) Create a website. All business owners need a website nowadays to appear credible. Don't forget to advertise your website, using traditional and web-based marketing tools.

(9) Develop a sequential direct mail campaign to your mailing list of prospects and clients. If you don't have a prospect list yet, you can purchase mailing labels for the demographics that fit your target market, or you could trade mailing lists with a business whose prospective clients are similar to yours. Direct mail is one of the best ways to reach people directly in their home or business and it lets you explain your products and services fully. You can mail brochures, flyers, sales letters, postcards, news releases, promotional items and more.

(10) What marketing idea can you think of that will be both fun and profitable? 

If you're consistent with (1) your display ads, (2) your client follow-ups and (3) your "fun" marketing, you should get all the business you need with just a three-part plan -- as long as you target your market and focus on the "one thing you want to be known for."

(c) Copyright by Barbara Casey.