How to Reach Targets and Get Marketing Results

One of the obvious must-do things as a freelancer is to market yourself. The concepts of self-promotion and marketing are in just about everything we read when looking to improve our businesses. We are constantly being told to promote ourselves, develop business, toot our own horn, boost client relations…the list goes on. We’re told a lot of what to do, and in many cases, how to do these things. What is often missing is learning about the ways to make these concepts work.

Something I’ve learned since I started freelancing full-time–by trial and error, of course–is that you cannot simply market yourself aimlessly. Instead you have to really think about where your clients are. And how to reach them.

For example, you’ve probably been told to make a website. And chances are, you have one. Fantastic. But what happens next? How do you get the people you want to attract to see it? Better yet, who are those people?

Ready…

When considering marketing, you have to place equal emphasis on doing the thing to promote yourself–attending a networking event, creating a brochure, etc.–and finding the people you want to connect with.

Case in point: A few posts ago, you heard me discuss how to get your business buzzing with a buzz piece. I created a new report on creating website copy, “5 Writing Rules to Break for Great Website Content” and was intent on getting this into the hands of people who could give me work.

In the past, I would have blasted it out at random, but this time, I’m thinking more in terms of creating a targeted “Clients I Want” list and nurturing those prospects over and over. Sending them my report was just the first step. I’ll follow up in a month with an email of more useful tips that apply to them. I’m not just reaching the people I want to work for; I am giving them information that applies directly to them. This is what knowing your audience–and reaching them–is all about.

Aim…

Even if you do not create one of these targeted lists with the intent of regularly communicating in order to hopefully secure projects, it is vital to consider the audience you want to reach and then develop methods to reach them. For example, if you are going to send out a brochure to promote your business, think about the types of clients you want to work for. And not just the types of industries you want to work in. Are you looking to connect with small businesses? Contact the owner or manager. Do you want to work for a larger corporation? Contact the HR or marketing departments. What about agency work? Consider connecting with a senior-level manager. Think about the roles people are in that will yield you the best results. Try to narrow down your audience as much as possible, and of course, once you reach them, make it easy for them to contact you or find out more about your services.

Specific contact information is highly advised, so getting the name, email and phone number of a contact can be essential. For my buzz piece, I am reaching out to marketing managers because I would like to get ongoing work at established companies. One of the tools I’m using to get information–if it is not on a company’s website–is LinkedIn. I adore the advanced search features that let you search by title and company, etc. I can usually get the name of a person currently in the position. Otherwise, you can call a company and will likely find it simple to get a hold of the person you need to speak with, whether it is an art director or an account executive. Information is out there and it is usually fairly simple to obtain. Get it and use it.

In my case, I want to speak to the people in charge of marketing that would be responsible for hiring freelancers. So I’ll expand my search to marketing coordinators, marketing directors and the like. In my case, I’ll also reach out to companies that I know of.

Fire!

Again, having that website or setting up that speaking engagement isn’t enough. Think about who your audience is. Promote your website to a mailing list. Send out a press release about an event. But make sure you have targeted contact information. Or, if you’re trying to get work, think about who your clients are. When considering the recipient of your actions–and taking innovative steps to reach them–your marketing efforts will probably be even more effective.