Marketing to Fit Your Personality

When some people hear the word “marketing,” they may
automatically think of networking or public speaking. While
those are certainly some forms of marketing, those are not the
only avenues available. In fact, there are numerous ways to
market your business, both online and locally.

Finding a marketing activity to fit your personality will make
marketing a fun activity for you. The first step would be to
decide if you have more of an outgoing personality or if you are
more introverted. Once you have decided that, you can decide if
you would like to focus your efforts locally or online.

If you feel that you are outgoing and would like to market your
business locally, you could try joining a networking group.
These groups meet weekly and the goal is to meet other local
business people and help each other with referrals and leads.

If that option sounds a bit too intimidating, you could try
joining other types of groups, such as a book club or hiking
group. This will also allow you to meet new people, and as you
get to know the other members, the topic of what you do for a
living will come up. Another member may be in need of your
services, and if not, they may pass your name onto someone else.

Another idea for outgoing people is to give a presentation to a
group on a topic that complements your business. If you are a
virtual assistant, you could offer to do a presentation for your
local Chamber of Commerce on a topic such as organizing your
email inbox. You could mention in your presentation that, as a
virtual assistant, you handle email for many of your clients.
This will pique the interest of your audience and people that
are interested in hearing more about your services will get in
touch with you.

If you happen to be more introverted, you could offer a similar
presentation online via a web conference room or through a
telephone conference line. Since no one can physically see you,
you may be more comfortable speaking in front of a group this way.

The Internet actually holds many marketing options for shy
people. Message boards and forums are a great place to start.
You can find them on just about any topic and there will surely
be one that fits your target market. Social networking sites
such as myspace.com, Yahoo 360o, and squidoo.com, also offer
marketing opportunities.

It doesn’t matter if you are talking to someone at a networking
event or posting messages back and forth on a forum, it takes
time to build relationships and market your business with other
people. Don’t get discouraged if your sales remain steady.
Over time, your hard work will pay off and you will notice your
sales increasing.