Essential Tools and Tips for a Successful Marketing Strategy

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!