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Hiring someone to market your products and services can be costly when you’re first starting out. But the truth is that it’s simple to get started by doing a few things on your own first.

Save money with DIY marketing in the beginning with these helpful tips.

The  things you need to start promoting your products or business are:

• Professional business cards – you can get free cards but the printer will put an ad for their services on the back. Business cards are your calling cards. Make sure your business card is professional looking and has your phone number, your email, and your website address on it, and give it out like crazy. Having business cards and using them effectively is one of the greatest marketing tips a person can offer. You can find already made templates at Deluxe Business Products. 

• Professional email address – free email addresses like Gmail are fine. But you should avoid using names like WhosYourDaddy@ or MomOfThree@ because potential clients may not take you seriously. Also, 90% of consumers prefer to receive updates by email. Businesses using email receive 50% more sales-ready leads. And 60% of marketers say that email marketing is producing ROI for their organization. Learn it and use it! Let me know if I can help. [Use promo code 37D9XVVYXFEFJPN to get 10% off your first year of Google Workspace]

• A professional web presence. Every customer is different and they expect to be able to engage with you in the way of their choice and at a time of their choice. When starting out, your professional profile on LinkedIn or a Facebook business page can serve as your web presence but you’ll want to get a professional website at some point.

• RingBoost – get a vanity phone number to help your prospects and customers remember how to contact you! Who can’t remember 1800-FLOWERS?

Plan out your DIY marketing strategy first

Ideally, your marketing plan begins before the marketing itself.

The point is to recognize that you need to think about it and develop, define, and act on clear goals.

Thinking ahead like this will allow you to put forth your best efforts as you implement your marketing strategy.

• Where and how will you find your prospects?
• How will you learn about your prospects and what they need?
• How will you market to them?
• Where will you network and how?
• How will you engage your prospects to create interest in learning more?
• What questions will you ask your prospects to qualify the buyer, build credibility and differentiate you from the competition?
• How are you going to gain their trust?
• How many emails will you send? What email marking tool will you use?
• What will you post on your website, when, and on what topic? You can create your own website or hire a freelancer.
• Which social media venues will you use and what will you share? You may want to use a social media management tool to boost your website traffic and exposure on the most popular social media platforms.

• What value will you provide first to your prospects?
• What objections do you anticipate and how will you respond to them?
• What else will you do to prepare for making the sale?
• How will you collect from your customers?
• What will you do to follow up with your prospects?
• How will you eliminate their perceived risks in buying from you?
• How will you gain testimonials from your customers so that you can use them in the future with prospects to earn new business?

Consider offering a bonus product to those who do buy

Basically, you find something valuable to send your customer that you can offer on top of what the purchase already includes, as a perk for readers to buy from you, instead of someone else.

Always be a valuable resource to your customers and prospects.

For example:

• some sort of printable you’ve created or have permission to share.
• an E-book or digital resource you’ve created or gotten permission to share.
• a coupon code to use on other products that you sell.
• send samples of other products that you sell.
• create a special webinar or online event that you run just for those who bought from you.
• offer to provide a free speech to their employees.
• reward them for referrals.
• and of course, always provide excellent service (even after the sale).

Create a great experience

This is the best form of DIY marketing! Create a story that people will want to tell over and over! There are plenty of ways to do this, and I think it’s a great idea! It has been done many times with a good measure of increased sales as a result.

Establish yourself as an expert

Get involved with your local community. There is a tremendous advantage to paying attention to your community. They can offer amazing business-building benefits.

Coupling good marketing and a proven consistency in your community are key factors to your success. The more people that know you and your credible work, the more they will call.

It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you!

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