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If you have chosen to be an independent consultant, selling and marketing yourself should be your number one priority. So, to attain this goal, you will need a lot of resources, time, networking and courage …but don’t worry you do not have to be a marketing genius to make yourself knowledgeable by your potential clients.
The first step to do before diving into the technics you need to master, is to determine your specialty filed, in other words what are you going to be known for, will you be an expert in a functional field like supply chain optimization, growth hacking technics, agile methods or a professional in a more specific subject like digital transformation, SEO and google ads, content marketing, patient journey …without a focal point or a specific focus, to be held for you will just get lost an a huge ocean of consultants who propose specific services showing their expertise and mastery of a specific field.
Once you have determined your core specialty, your marketing efforts should be selling and promoting that focus, collectively insuring a better ROI in return of your efforts.
In fact, the same marketing strategies that works for international companies works also for individuals. So here are some useful technics to market yourself as an independent consultant, experiment with them and find out which one works the best for you.
- Start a blog.
The blog is the most common and known place to sell you’re your services, show your expertise and discuss your point of you, making you able to command e premium price.
Try a write some interesting, insightful but most of all useful articles for your target.
Articles don’t have to be long they can be short and concise, use bullet point to divide your text and don’t forget to add visuals, like images and videos to enrich your content and make it visually appealing.
If you are not comfortable with writing think of starting a podcast or a YouTube channel, those canals too are quite useful and engaging for your audience.
- Have your own website.
Nowadays having a good website is a crucial step to attract your potential customers.
Because in these days, the first thing, a customer do is to google anything, they want to learn more about, so basically your client will search for your name, so make it easy for them to find you.
Buy your own domain and customize it according to your needs, invest some money in web design and development to show your professionalism and expertise.
Don’t to include your portfolio in a creative way.
- Use the power of advertising.
Take advantage of the detailed targeting advertising that all social media offers like Facebook, LinkedIn and twitter. Those social networks allow you to focus on your ideal customer which will help you avoid unnecessary spending on undesired targets.
Know your specific target, draw its profile and promote your service with a customized offer specifically designed for their needs. It is a worthy investment that will get you known in front of the right people.
- Work and strengthen your professional network.
Your personal network is a strong key to make you easily in front of your targeted audience.
Social media definitely has their place in today marketing promoting technics but your professional network is priceless. So, try to meet other business partners, or colleagues for drinks, social events, conferences, or even a simple coffee. These methods may not bring fruits in one or two months but they will definitely be a perfect source of referrals.
- Publish a weekly newsletter.
Email marketing is one of the oldest technics to build a strong long-time relationship with your clients. So, create a short and regular newsletter to promote your website or blog content, share your most useful tools, your industry news, your personal tips. The more personality, character, value you add to your newsletter the more feedbacks you will get.
Consider your newsletter as a weekly touch point between you and your client and show your expertise in it.
- Join an independent consultant network.
Search for firms that are specialized in placing interim talent or consultant in contact with the right clients. Those firms have experts that will help you with their inside tracks on corporate gigs, they will also provide with exclusive selling tactics and even help you expand your network.
- Events and speaking opportunities
Look for events, workshops and conferences that may interest your audience and attend them to sell yourself directly to them.
Digital tools are quite powerful, but nothing can beat the physical one to one meeting. This will give you the chance to showcase your credibility as an expert in your domain.
The fac to face meeting with your future clients is a valuable time to create more direct and personal connections.
Promoting yourself is a long and complex process but even if your business calendar is filled with projects, you should always make time for marketing efforts.
A strong branding and an active network are essential to promote your activity, reinforce your brand awareness and get you more feedbacks and engagement from your desired target.
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