Music Therapy Maven » Advertising

Maven Sponsor Shout-outs!

Kimberly — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:16:03 +0000

If you like this post, please subscribe to the RSS feed. If you like this site, you'll love the newsletter!

I’m excited to share with you these wonderful Maven sponsors. They’re an impressive bunch and I’m honored that they’ve chosen to sponsor this blog. So please…if you haven’t had the chance to check them out, do!

Michelle Erfurt from the Music Therapy Tween continues to share useful information for music therapy students, interns, and professionals alike. She has started selling these beautiful, hand-made boomwhacker ® totes and recently shared two videos to help organize blogs that you follow and blog posts so that you can read them later.

Margie of Music Therapy Tunes is excited to announce that you can now download songs straight from her site! You have your choice of purchasing individual songs or download an entire CD. Additionally, Margie just posted 2 new videos to her megtunes YouTube channel–check out the bottom bar on her website. Want to submit your intervention ideas to share with other music therapists? Simply email Margie at margie@musictherapytunes.com and she’ll help you out!

Rachel Rambach runs the popular Listen and Learn blog. Rachel is a board-certified music therapist, a singer/songwriter, a blogger, a social media and technology enthusiast, and an educator–and you can find a little of all of that on her blog. Rachel just launched a new feature called My Musical Space, which highlights the studios and offices of readers, the places where they create, teach, and facilitate music and/or music therapy (you can see the first one here). You are invited to submit your own photos and captions by emailing Rachel at rachel@listenlearnmusic.com.

Rhythm Ring is a nifty little instrument that lets you literally have “percussion at your fingertips.” This finger shaker can easily be used with string and percussion instruments and–let’s face it–that what we music therapists use most of the time, isn’t it? Congratulations are in order because Rhythm Ring is now a proud sponsor of Buddy Cruise this year…and have already donated 150 Rhythm Rings for an event next month!

The Musical Autist is the brain-child of music teacher and soon-to-be-music-therapist CJ Diachenko. Ms. CJ started her blog this past spring, which “is dedicated to all people on the autism spectrum, their families, and their allies” as well as for her music students. This Musical Autist blogger has some big news to share. Not only has she successfully completed her pilot Summer Concert Series of Sensory-Friendly Concerts BUT she has also received grant funding from the local non-profit Creating Communities to continue these concerts through the end of the year. Congratulations Musical Autist!

Would YOU like to become a Maven sponsor and be seen by thousands of readers every month? Learn how here!

Maven Sponsor Shout-Outs!

Kimberly — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:11:17 +0000

If you like this post, please subscribe to the RSS feed. If you like this site, you'll love the newsletter!

Michelle Erfurt from the Music Therapy Tween continues to share useful information for music therapy students, interns, and professionals alike. She has started selling these beautiful, hand-made boomwhacker totes and recently shared information with her readers about her favorite autism resources, session props, and how to make lyric and chord sheets.

Margie of Music Therapy Tunes continues to upload new music therapy videos on her “megtunes” YouTube channel. These videos share “how and why” information for using certain songs, as well as the lyrics and chords. Additionally, you can now download songs straight from her site! You can pick your choice of 12 songs and have a personalized CD of those songs sent directly to you. As Margie puts it, “(t)his is great for specific populations like early intervention, or physically challenged where you can listen to the music and select a song for your goal areas.”

Rachel Rambach runs the popular Listen and Learn blog. Rachel is a board-certified music therapist, a singer/songwriter, a blogger, a social media and technology enthusiast, and an educator–and you can find a little of all of that on her blog. In addition, check out Rachel’s spinoff project, Listen and Learn Plus! It’s a premium membership site for people who want instant download access to Listen & Learn’s vast collection of over 200 songs, resources, and materials. Rachel recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of her debut studio CD Time to Sing Hello (Congratulations, Rachel!) and continues on her quest to post 365 blog articles in 2011.

Cellist Emily Ann Peterson’s blog provides a place where she is “Putting the ‘Oh!’ in ‘Cello’.” On the Emily Ann Peterson blog, you’ll find tips for teaching and playing the cello, as well as information about the Suzuki method, music and the brain, and where to purchase string equipment and supplies. If for nothing else, head on over the Emily’s blog to check out all her cool pictures!

Would YOU like to become a Maven sponsor and be seen by thousands of readers every month? Learn how here!

3 Ways to Make Your Presentations Sparkle

Kimberly — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:56:51 +0000

If you like this post, please subscribe to the RSS feed. If you like this site, you'll love the newsletter!

I am thrilled to introduce you to Natalie Mullis, a South Carolina-based music therapist who’s the brains behind Key Changes Music Therapy. Natalie (or @KeyChangesMT on Twitter) has spent the last several years building her private practice and, along the way, sharing her knowledge and adventures with her readers. Enjoy!

As a music therapist, I can tell you what I do, how I do it, and what the results are in my sleep. Since educating others about our field is something music therapists do nearly every day, knowing how to be remembered is vital to our individual success, as well as our success as a field.

So how do we make sure that we stand out in the minds of potential employers? How do we make sure that, when the decisions are being made, we stand out from the volunteer musicians, the counselor who plays guitar, and the retired music teacher who has experience with special education?

The automatic answer is this: research, board certification, objectivity, data, etc. Music therapy is a unique field, so as a result, shouldn’t we automatically be remembered?

Unfortunately, that answer isn’t shiny and sparkly enough to stick in the minds of most busy moms, dads, and CEOs who are constantly bombarded with sales pitches. Making a razzle dazzle sales pitch is something I’ve figured out and I’m going to share my secrets with you!

Know What You Bring To The Table

Research who you are pitching your services to and tailor your presentation accordingly. When listing areas of functioning that music therapy has shown effective in, reading skills in young children does not belong on the list for your local nursing home. The more your tailor, the better you look. I even like to use names of the people attending in scenarios and examples. It makes it personal, it makes them smile, and it makes them remember you.

Be Authentic

No one likes a robot. If you are discussing a particular aspect of what you can offer a person or facility, and it happens to get you really excited, tell them! If you have an applicable anecdote to share that highlights aspects of your personality, share it. Odds are that your audience has heard someone pitch a service before. You want them to realize that they aren’t just purchase your music therapy services, but that they are purchasing your music therapy services as well as your spark, drive, and ingenuity.

Let your Passion Show

After my introduction, I start every talk I give with a disclaimer that goes something like this:

I want to let you know that I have a tendency to get really excited when I talk about music therapy. It might send me off on a tangent, so if this begins to happen, could someone please just wave to me to remind me to get back on track?

My audience knows right from the start that I am passionate about music therapy and that I whole-heartedly believe in it. To this day, I’ve never been waved at, but I think it’s because they are enjoying my tangents as much as I am. I’m far from a perfect speaker. I laugh nervously at mistakes, I bounce around the stage, and I often say “really”, “awesome” and “amazing” far too much. But it’s those obvious signs of excitement that have landed me contracts with companies I didn’t even know were in the audience. It’s what made a parent call me 6 months after my talk because they still can’t get me out of their head. It’s what makes people tell their friends about me.

What can you do to give your presentation some sparkle?

About the Author: Natalie Mullis is a board certified-music therapist and owner of Key Changes Music Therapy Services (founded in 2010). She provides music therapy services to children, adults, and elders with a wide range of abilities through the midlands of South Carolina. She is the president-elect for the Music Therapy Association of South Carolina, as well as a member of the SC legislative task force. Natalie can be found at www.keychangesmusictherapy.com

Using Social Media to Build Your Music Therapy Services

Kimberly — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 20:35:34 +0000

If you like this post, please subscribe to the RSS feed. If you like this site, you'll love the newsletter!

I am very excited to share with you the wisdom of Tamara Suttle, mastermind behind the blog Private Practice from the Inside Out. Tamara is a licensed professional counselor out in Denver, CO who’s been practicing since 1991 and blogging since 2009. Needless to say…she’s got a lot of good information to share!

What I know about music therapists online is that there’s not nearly enough actively engaging with social media. And, the hunch I have is that, for some, this wild, wild world of social media feels a bit overwhelming…a tad too chaotic…and downright cold and impersonal. In other words, I wonder if some of you are just plain scared.

Since I’m a bit tech-phobic myself, I thought it might be useful to tell you what I have learned about some of the social media tools over the last two years.

Hanging Out Your Shingle

Having a website is a bit like hanging out your shingle. If your goal is to help your ideal clients find you online, then it’s not sufficient to have a directory listing with Psychology Today or a Facebook page declaring you are online. You need a really good website.

Kimberly and I are both fans of WordPress platforms. They are varied enough that your site doesn’t look exactly like the music therapist’s site who sat next to you in school. And they are flexible enough that they will grow with you as your practice grows.

Of course, having your own website is not enough to grow your music therapy practice. It’s just the hub from which effective online marketing takes place. I suspect many of you know this already…if you have a great website but no traffic to your website, your practice is still virtually dead (pun intended).

Not to worry, though! There are lots of ways to dip your toe into the social media waters. And any one of these tools is much simpler and wildly more productive in helping you build an online reputation than simply hanging out your shingle and waiting for the masses to find you.

The Old-Fashioned Way

Most of my geeky friends are too young to even acknowledge that online discussion lists and forums really were the first types of social media. I mention them for two reasons. One, I’m old enough to appreciate a nod to those who paved the way for modern day social media (and that’s exactly what they did). They introduced us to new rules for interacting online and they introduced us to a smaller world.

And, two, online discussion lists and forums continue to be an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise and resources to other. If you venture no further than this, consider joining the Music Therapy Listserv (you can find details on the American Music Therapy Association’s website) and at least one other list outside of your discipline (Here’s a list of online discussion lists for mental health professionals across disciplines.)

Once you master the basics of an online discussion list or two, you are ready for the power tools of social media…

Power Tools to Build Your Private Practice in Music Therapy

Blogs Rule for Engagement

Nothing helps you engage with the general public, referral sources, and even your own clients more than blogging. By posting relevant information, resources, and your own ideas, you build your professional reputation by establishing trust and credibility online. To build on that trust and credibility, you can comment on other people’s blogs and also choose to allow commenting on your blog – building a dialogue and transparency that furthers your own professional image. Nothing else online allows you to do this with such ease!

Once you master blogging and commenting on others’ blogs, you are ready for the speedway!

Twitter to Connect and Share Quickly

Twitter is one of those tools that I avoided like the plague…because I didn’t understand how useful it could be to me as a small business owner. It is fast! It is short (just 140 characters)! And, it is ridiculously unorganized!

After reading Twitter Power 2.0 by Joel Comm, I’ve finally figured it out! It’s not about telling the world what I had for breakfast. Who cares? It’s about connecting with others (both in and out of my profession) who can, in turn, connect me with others who can…connect me with others. Get it?

Twitter helps me feel not so isolated as a solo practitioner and…it helps me get the word out about projects and causes that are important to me and…it helps me find resources quickly that support my clients and me.

If you are needing to connect with other people and share information and resources quickly, Twitter ROCKS!

LinkedIn is Your Professional Network

I’ve only been on LinkedIn a few months and I’m still learning how to finesse it all. However, it is designed to be your professional network. I’m emphasizing this because I started out doing it all wrong by inviting (accidentally) everyone I know and their mother to connect with me on LinkedIn. By reading The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success by Wayne Freitbarth, I’ve since learned that in order to maximize the effectiveness of your LinkedIn network, you really do want to be selective in your invitations to connect. By doing so, you actually strengthen (and organize) your professional network.

LinkedIn has lots of discussion groups for you to join (so that you can build your online presence by participating in them); it also allows you to engage with like-minded professionals to expand your professional network.

Your Professional Page on Facebook

As a music therapist, your involvement with Facebook can be (but doesn’t have to be) a little dicey. (It’s why I’m not there yet.) Facebook’s policies on privacy settings continue to change and that has been an ongoing concern for many of us in the mental health professions.
Keely Kolmes, Psy.D. provides comprehensive suggestions for integrating Facebook into your marketing toolbox.

I can only add to it by encouraging you to take a proactive approach (as Kimberly has) in deciding ahead of time exactly what information is and isn’t appropriate for public viewing. I have heard Kimberly state on the Music Therapy Round Table podcast that she uses her professional Facebook wall (i.e. page) as a “resource page” posting links to a variety of information, resources, websites and blogs, including her own, that her professional Facebook “friends” may be interested in. Equally important, she saves the more personal and intimate details of her life to display on her personal Facebook wall (as opposed to her professional wall ) for only her close and selected friends and family to see.

And…About Getting Those Clients…?

So here’s the deal…in whatever ways you are venturing out online to help your clients find you…each one of these tools can help redirect potential clients and referral sources back to your great website…but only if you use them. I have found that I do best by learning to use these power tools one at a time.

Each time I add one, the traffic to my website increases exponentially. If you are like me…a bit tech-phobic and highly tech-challenged but motivated to dip your toe in the water…hold on to something…a colleague’s hand, one of the books I’ve recommended here, or Kimberly’s blog and email address…because as you learn to strategically use and integrate new elements of social media into marketing your music therapy services, you will grow your private practice, too!

About the Author: Tamara G. Suttle, M.Ed. has established three successful private practices during the last 20 years in both Texas and Colorado as a licensed professional counselor and a certified clinical hypnotherapist. She is also the owner of Private Practice from the Inside Out, where she provides coaching / consulting services to mental health professionals who are interested in building strong and vibrant private practices.

Guest Post: 3 Cs to “Selling” Music Therapy

Kimberly — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:18:22 +0000

If you like this post, please subscribe to the RSS feed. If you like this site, you'll love the newsletter!

I am incredibly exciting to bring you this guest post! I presented with the author, music therapist Sarah Thompson, at our most recent regional music therapy conference on offline and online marketing strategies. As soon as she explained the 3 Cs outlined below, I knew you’d want to know about it. So I asked Sarah if she’d be willing to write it up as a blog article…and she graciously agreed.

3 Cs to “Selling” Music Therapy

by Sarah Thompson, MM, MT-BC, Neurologic Music Therapist, Fellow

In my 8 years of clinical practice, I have started many new contracts and programs, and encountered a wide variety of situations. While we aren’t always given insight as to why we win some contracts and not others, I have found a very useful tool to use in my marketing approach.

Author Michael McLaughlin provided some great tips in his book Winning the Professional Services Sale. One of things I have found helpful is his discussion of the 3 C’s.

1) Connect

This is the process of preparing and completing your in-person discussion with a potential contract. I think we often miss 2 key points in this step:

Do your homework. First, I think many music therapists are not as prepared as they should be for their meeting. Learn everything you possibly can about the company and the leaders in the company before the meeting so that you have an easier time connecting with them. This includes learning about every possible funding source they could use to pay for you.
What problem are you solving? Second, I think we often focus on selling ourselves and forget to uncover what problem the facility is really looking to you to solve. Is the staff overworked by unhappy patients? Are the nurses getting burned out because they can’t get patient’s pain under control? You may not be able to figure out what issues they are facing in the initial meeting, but you can anticipate and predict what many facilities who serve that population struggle with.

2) Collaborate

This is the core of your meeting. These are the stories that you tell during the meeting, and the time that you get to spend listening to them and what they need from you. As music therapists, we often have amazing success stories to tell.

This is also the time when you win them over with your proposal. A key point here is to really show that you are willing to listen and work with them. Don’t just get caught up in selling your credentials. Present your proposal as if they are initial ideas. You want to convey that you are willing to work with them in order to meet their needs.

3) Commit

You already know that you are committed to your profession as a music therapist. This is when you show your commitment to working with that population or community.

Let them know that even if they don’t hire you today, you are going to continue to do wonderful work with that population and in that community. Let them know that you are a resource for them and that you are always around. Ideally, this is where they commit to a contract with you, but if they don’t commit that day, this is where you leave the door open to a future contract. Show that you are committed to the same mission (serving that population/community).

Even if you don’t walk away with a contract, these tips will help you build a good professional reputation and a network of key professional contacts.

About the Author: Sarah is owner of Clinical Rhythms which provides products and consulting for music therapists. She is also owner and music therapist for Rehabilitative Rhythms Music Therapy, her private practice in the Denver metro area. Connect with Sarah on Twitter by following @ClinicalRhythms or by emailing her at Sarah@ClinicalRhythms.com.

My #1 Business Mistake (Don’t Do What I Did!)

Kimberly — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:31:27 +0000

If you like this post, please subscribe to the RSS feed. If you like this site, you'll love the newsletter!

Part of learning to become a good therapist is learning how to self-evaluate. What worked during a session? What didn’t work? Why didn’t it work? What would you do differently next time?

These same skills are important for business owners. We need to evaluate our programs, services, and marketing plans. Did that brochure work and attract new leads? How was the title of that sales page–did it attract more clicks? Are people re-registering for this new program? So I didn’t meet my goals of getting 5 people to sign up at the end of my talk–why not?

I’ve had a lot of time this year to think through what went well with my clinical business in Colorado, what didn’t go so well…and why.

One of my major frustrations at the time was that I wasn’t getting enough new clients. I felt I was working SO hard booking speaking engagements, setting up workshops, and creating brochures. But my business wasn’t growing like I felt it should.

In hindsight, I realize my mistake: I was thinking like a general practitioner and not like a specialist.

What’s the difference? As a “general practitioner MT,” I was taking any client who came my way. I booked speaking engagements with any group I could. The wording on my brochures and website was broad, so that almost any clinical population was covered. I figured that, since music therapy could work “from cradle-to-grave,” why not offer all that myself? One of my big fears was that if I focused on a particular population, I’d be turning people away.

In contrast, as a “specialist MT,” I would have specialized working with a particular clinical population (or, better yet, a particular problem. But that’s for another post). This is a mindset shift more than anything. But if I had made this shift in thinking a couple years ago, I could have brought more focus and more business to my practice.

I could have been clearer in how I talked about the services I offered. People reading my marketing materials would have an easier time understanding how I could help them. Instead of talking to a rehab groups, parent support groups, and medical teams…I would just have one area and do that workshop really, really well. No need to tailor a bazillion talks for a bazillion different types of groups!

At this point in my career, there’s not much for me to do about this. Except share it with you, of course! But rest assured, when I’m ready to re-open my clinical practice, I’ll be doing it with my specialist hat on.

P.S. I admit that I didn’t reach this “ah-ha” moment on my own. I heard it from Dr. Laura Dessauer, an art therapist in Florida who last summer started the International Association for Therapists in Private Practice. I haven’t talked about this group a whole lot, but there’s a wealth of knowledge provided through the calls and forums. If you’re a therapist in private practice…it’s worth checking out!

It’s Blog Sponsor Week! Meet Emily Ann Peterson

Kimberly — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:30:23 +0000

If you like this post, please subscribe to the RSS feed. If you like this site, you'll love the newsletter!

This week, I’d like to introduce you to the wonderful sponsors of the Music Therapy Maven. Today, meet Emily Ann Peterson, a professional cellist, cello teacher, and blogger in the Seattle area. You can find Emily at EmilyAnnPeterson.com, where she puts the “Oh!” in “Cello!” Welcome Emily!

Emily Ann Peterson is a cellist from North Texas who transplanted to Seattle in 2008. Her mission is to promote personal growth & instill character development to any age, ability, or audience by revealing an authentic, vulnerable, and disciplined approach to both teaching and performing.

In the very short time she’s been in Seattle, her repertoire of involvement in the Seattle music scene (both classical and non-traditional avenues) has grown at an exponential rate. She is a Suzuki certified cello teacher with ~25 students, their ages ranging from 6-60+. She volunteers for Whitman Middle School’s exploratory orchestra class by coaching 15+ beginner cellists.

In the non-traditional arena of music the following bands and artists have featured her in their recordings or performances: David Bazan, Grand Hallway, Graystar, Rosie Thomas, Shannon Stephens, Barcelona, Talitha Bullock, Star Anna, Damien Jurado, Jesse Sykes, and many more. Her classical repertoire of involvement includes membership in the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, a featured musician and collaborator for the Karin Stevens Dance Company, and a guest musician for the University of Washington’s Opera Department.

She regularly plays with her band, JUBILEE, a nonprofit abolitionist band whose motto is “Do what you love to undo what you hate.”

For more information please visit, www.emilyannpeterson.com

Are YOU interested in becoming a Maven sponsor? Have targeted traffic sent directly to your site from thousands of visitors and hundreds of loyal Maven readers? If so, click here to learn how to make that happen!

Become a Music Therapy Maven Sponsor

Kimberly — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:00:53 +0000

If you like this post, please subscribe to the RSS feed. If you like this site, you'll love the newsletter!

Sponsor Music Therapy Maven

The Music Therapy Maven has grown steadily in readership over the past two years. And, although I’ve been wanting to do this for awhile–and even had a sponsorship contest last year–it hasn’t seemed right to open sponsored ads…until now!

Here’s a brief overview of becoming a Maven Sponsor:

Share your 250 x 120 ad on the lefthand sidebar
Be seen by thousands of readers each month
Increase your brand by increasing your visibility
Have an opportunity to write a guest post promoting your service, product, or company
Send valuable, focused traffic straight to your website
All for only $10 a month…and you can cancel at any time!

Becoming a Maven Sponsor is ideal for anyone with a product, service, or website they’d like to share with therapy and music therapy students, interns, professionals, and consumers.

Interested? Click here to become a Maven Sponsor today!

Do You Make This Common (and Easy-To-Fix) Mistake?

Kimberly — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:20:30 +0000

If you like this post, please subscribe to the RSS feed. If you like this site, you'll love the newsletter!

I readily admit that I was never very good about it. It’s one of those things that I “knew” I should do…but never got around to. I know it’s good for marketing and I know it’s good for professional growth…I just never made it a big priority like I should of.

What is “it”? Recording myself work.

I’m in the process of pulling together application materials for the PhD program I’m applying to. Part of the application process involves submitting video clips of my clinical and musical skills.

Luckily, I had kept video I took in 2006 for a training program. And luckily I had enough foresight to get the appropriate releases and record sessions before I moved last summer and had to let go of all my clients.

But it struck me while editing this footage how valuable recording yourself is. And how I really should have listened to that voice in my head–and the voices of friends and mentors–telling me I should be recording myself more often.

Here’s why:

A picture is really worth a thousand words. My husband tells me that he never really “got” music therapy until he watched a video of it “working.” He had heard the definitions, had stories and examples described to him…but when he finally watched a video and saw how rhythm dramatically improved the gait of a stroke patient, that’s when he had his “aha” moment. And that’s just one person–think of how video footage can impact and influence a roomful of people!
Opportunities for professional growth. As therapy students, we receive external feedback from our supervisors and professionals. As interns and young professionals, we learn to self-evaluate what worked and what didn’t work during a session. But watching a video of yourself working, no matter how scary, gives you more of the external type of feedback. You’re able to look at yourself more honestly and, yes, critically. Which is a good way to challenge your professional growth.
Re-usable content. Once you have that remarkable video footage, you can re-use it over and over and over again. At trainings. At conference presentations. At in-house workshops. At marketing events. On websites. Record and edit once, then re-use multiple times. What a great use of your time!
New technology makes it easy. These days, the technology needed to put together a video is relatively inexpensive, slick, and easy-to-use. I use a $120 Flip Video Camera (I talk more about it here), a $12 generic tripod, my Mac’s iMovie program, my Mac’s iDVD program to burn a DVD, and YouTube. And for you PC lovers, there are PC-friendly programs (although I cannot personally recommend this, Microsoft has a Movie Maker software program. Check it out here.). So all-in-all, there is no excuse for not having the right equipment to create your own video.

If you–or your employer–are already in the habit of recording your work, great! You’re ahead of most of us!

But if not, my challenge to you is to start recording. Don’t make the same mistake I did.

Start with one session. Make sure you have the appropriate releases and the appropriate equipment. Then record. Watch and evaluate yourself. If you captured something remarkable, edit for potential marketing and training use.

And, of course, leave a comment below to let us know how it goes!

Essential Tools and Tips for a Successful Marketing Strategy

Kimberly — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:23:06 +0000

If you like this post, please subscribe to the RSS feed. If you like this site, you'll love the newsletter!

It takes 7 contacts before you reach someone.

No matter what action you want that “someone” to take (Buy this! Donate here! Read now!), it takes an average of 7 exposures for that person to take the action. Exposures can include many things: a phone call, an email newsletter, a Twitter update, a brochure.

The idea of “7 contacts” is important information for anyone running a private practice. Why?

Because it directly impacts your marketing strategy!

There are two basic (but vital!) ingredients for a successful “7 contacts” marketing strategy: 1) Use multiple tools and approaches (both offline and online) and 2) Be consistent.

Multiple Tools & Approaches

This is a fairly simple concept to understand–you need to use different types of tools and approaches in order to reach the most people. Depending on your business and your clients, this may include a combination of offline and online strategies.

It’s important to try and use the same tools your client uses. If you sell products online, it makes more sense to use primarily online marketing tools. But if you have a local service-oriented business, you’ll want to include more offline strategies in your approach.

Examples of offline strategies include:

Brochures
Business Cards
Face-to-face meetings
Workshops and inservices
Press releases
Articles in local papers
Networking gatherings

Online strategies you can use include:

Twitter
Facebook
Blogs
Website
LinkedIn
YouTube videos
Email newsletter

Consistency

You can have the fanciest tools in the world, but if you don’t use them (and use them consistently), they won’t get you any new business.

It’s important to devote time each day, week, or month on marketing your business. Even if you need to schedule time in your calendar, this is a task that needs to happen on a regular basis.

There are many ways in which you can spend your time. You may work on developing new workshops or marketing materials. Maybe you’ll be connecting with your “audience” online via Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Perhaps you’ll attend a networking event or give an in-service. Or you may think through and plan changes to your overall strategy.

When it comes to your marketing strategy, what tools and tips have been the most helpful for you? Leave a comment below–you never know who’ll find it useful!