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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Heat Up Your Summer Marketing

I live in Omaha, Nebraska, in the middle of the U.S. However, for the past few weeks, I feel like we've been living in an oven. Temperatures routinely are in the upper 90s, and got up to 106 last Sunday! (The photo is a screenshot from my iPhone on Sunday morning -- it was already 91 degrees at 11 a.m.!) We finally got our first rainfall last night in about a month. Nebraska is officially classified in a "drought." (I can attest to this -- my yard is yellow and brown.) Yikes!

When the temperature is like this, it can feel like there is no end in sight -- but the fact is, cooler weather will eventually be coming our way. It may be the same with your resume writing business. You may have lots of clients at the moment, with no end in sight ... but if you don't continue to market your business, eventually, you'll face a "drought" in your resume writing business too.

If you're currently in a "drought" in your resume writing business -- or if you want to prevent one down the road -- there are some things you can do to attract new clients. In a resume writing business, it takes a constant infusion of new clients to keep your business growing.

Ways to Find New Clients

Here are some tips to help you begin to make a change right now, today, that will benefit your resume writing business.

  • Take a fresh look at your marketing plan. At least once a year, you should revisit your marketing plan. What are you doing now? How can you revamp those marketing tools and employ some new ones? (For example, for 2012, I cut out all paid Yellow Pages advertising, but have budgeted to spend on Facebook and LinkedIn ads.)
  • Become a social networker. Twitter and Facebook are valuable tools for resume writers who want to take their business to the next level. If you don't have an account with either or both, now is the perfect time to get started. If business is slow for you at the moment, social media doesn't require much money -- instead, you can invest your time in building your online profile.
  • Advertise your business on your personal Facebook page. Do your friends know what you do for a living? Post links to new content on your website and other promotional links that friends and family can view and share. Just yesterday, I got a call from a new client who was referred to me by one of my best friends. This happens to me at least once a month, because I post careers-oriented content on my personal Facebook page. Also, create a fan page for your resume writing business. Encourage current clients to sign up and tune in for special information or offers that they won't find anywhere else. I use a tool called "Hootlet" from Hootsuite to share articles on social media. It allows me to schedule Facebook updates or tweets automatically so that I can find 3-4 articles to share while I'm surfing, but Hootlet will spread them out so they don't get shared all at once.
  • Market yourself offline too. Even if your resume writing business is 100% virtual (operating online), that doesn't mean that your local market won't also benefit. Some offline tools include posting flyers, public speaking, appearing in local media (TV, radio, newspaper) and using promotional items (like free pens).
  • Video marketing. People love to watch informative videos online. You can take what you know and turn it into a visual presentation that immediately gives new clients a picture of who you are and what you do.
  • Create a press release. I mentioned getting local media coverage. The easiest way to do this is through a press release. (Bronze members of BeAResumeWriter.com can find sample news releases and pitch ideas on the "Public Relations Resources" page in the Paid Member Resources section.) You should also check out the "Feed the Media: How to Get Publicity for Your Resume Writing Business" teleseminar recording and transcript for more information and ideas.

Remember -- your marketing efforts are cumulative. Sometimes a single drop can turn into a torrential rainstorm. Whether you're "hot" now and anticipating a cool-down later  -- or if you're in a drought now and need it to "rain" clients, try these ideas.

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