How Strong Marketing Can Help You Become Visible to Your Dream Clients and Employers
With a consistent marketing campaign, you can be the one they’re all talking about
When was the last time you saw Richard Simmons? That guy drives me absolutely nuts. And yet, it’s nearly impossible for me to go a whole week without seeing him on national television. He’s been in soap operas, talk shows, movies, sitcoms, and – last but not least – infomercials. Over the course of 250 annual personal appearances, Richard sells millions of dollars worth of books, diet plans, videos, and a whole laundry list of diet products. The truth is that his ability is not nearly important as his visibility.
An Empire in Dolphin Shorts
He’s not that fit or good looking. His advice isn’t that great. His products aren’t necessarily better or different than anyone else’s. But his constant exposure has created an extremely successful fitness empire.
On that note, there is a lot that advisers can learn from Richard Simmons. I’m not suggesting anyone create an “Investin’ to the Oldies” financial fitness video, but I am saying that one of the best investments you can make in your career may be the time and energy you spend increasing your visibility.
Make It a Priority
There are many ways you can effectively improve your visibility – some more creative than others. But, if you truly want to become known in your target, you have to make it a professional priority. You have to be prepared to create a budget and consistently promote your identity to the audience you want.
With great success, you can consistently use e-mail blasting, direct mail, and print ads on a pretty tight budget. For free, credible advertising, send press releases to the television and print media your clients use to promote awards, PR involvement, and even new marketing materials. If you have a seminar, you should use advertising to fill seats. You should also make your site a resource that your prospects bookmark.
Personal Public Relations
Those are all things you can do on a consistent basis that can nearly guarantee visibility. But, if you are truly creative, there are other avenues you can take. Using information channels like websites, e-mails, postcards and press releases, you can advertise community involvement and support, charity donations, and special events. You can also seek opportunities to write newspaper columns and star on radio and television shows as a financial expert.
Credibility for Free
All of these tools and techniques may seem beyond your capacity, but the advisers who consistently use them see them pay off in dividends. For instance, when Northern Virginia professional Dywane Hall began calling radio and television producers, murmurs were heard around his office that he was wasting his time. Dywane kept in constant touch with his media contacts. Before they had ever realized a change in the market, he had called them to explain what oncoming trends.
His persistence paid off over the course of the coming months. He was offered a weekly radio show by one station and began appearing on television as an expert. “It’s a whole lot cheaper than buying advertising,” Dywane said. “Besides, you can’t buy that level of credibility.” Over the course of a few years, Dywane’s public relations efforts stayed the same while his visibility skyrocketed.
Visibility at Work
The snowball effect of media visibility has made Dywane a subject-matter expert who has been quoted in USA Today, Money magazine, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, and nearly a dozen smaller papers in his market. He has been seen numerous times nationally on PBS and is a regular on the local news affiliates of FOX, NBC, and CBS. He supplements his media appearances with a direct mail campaign, using a personal brochure and postcards to further promote himself as a brand.
By constantly generating a flow of new prospects, Dywane has the power of selectively choosing his clients. Yet, he’s humble about his success. “I don’t claim to be the greatest,” admits Dywane. “But I am the one more people see and hear from more often, and that goes a long ways.”
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Mark Montoya has been working in personal branding for more than a decade for hundreds of online and offline companies, small businesses and individual service professionals. His focus has been toward improving the way jobseekers find employment on the Internet. He has synthesized his expertise by helping job seekers obtain their ideal choice of employment over the Internet on his sites MyOnlineCareerSpace.com and MyOnlineCareerCoach.com, and through his books 101 Tips Every Job Seeker Should Know and The Ultimate Online Job Search eBook. Learn more at MarkMontoya.com, on Twitter, Digg, or StumbleUpon.
