Thoughtless Marketing

Great webinar last night! Thanks to all participants for attending the Trade Magazine webinar, and for the lively discussions! If you missed it, fear not! The discussion continues over on the Five Buck Writer’s Forum. For the price of a caramel macchiato, you can become a forum member.

As I was arranging meetings for the upcoming conference and sending out more letters of introduction, I thought about how much marketing I’ve done in just the last few weeks. Let’s just say my argument that marketing 50 percent of your day (one I made just a week or so ago) was blown out the window. I spent nearly all my time yesterday marketing. I have this gift of a few days without projects, so I’m happy to devote it to making more connections.

But I was thinking about marketing I do without realizing I’m doing it. Well, I do know I market, but the passive stuff — what I call thoughtless marketing — really is marketing that happens without much input from me. You probably do it, too. Here are some ways in which you can market without thinking about it:

Entrecard. Look to the left here. See that little box about halfway down the page? That’s an ad for another blog — a free ad. Entrecard is a great way to spread word about your blog. It costs you nothing.

Keywords. Get those keywords working in your copy. You write about the same topics, right? Why not include one or two of those same phrases in a blog post? It’s an easy way to get noticed in search results.

Twitter. You may think you’re only saying hello and retweeting posts for fun. The more your name gets attached to certain hash tags and topics, the better your chances of being noticed by clients.

LinkedIn Forums. I love these little repositories of clients, for where else can you weigh in on a topic and have a discussion with potential clients without asking for the job? If there’s an industry or a focus you like, it’s there. If not, create it.

Blog comments. I’ve found some key contacts via blog comments, so who’s to say people aren’t finding me in the same way? Go on, mingle. You’d be surprised who’s paying attention.

Your website. In the past three weeks I’ve had five inquiries from the contact form on my website. If you don’t think you need a website, imagine how many people aren’t contacting you because they don’t know how.

Email signature. I have three — one that promotes the Five Buck Writer’s Forum, one that promotes a client I consult with, and one that promotes just me. If you have a website or a weblog, include the link on all your outgoing mail.

Online directories. I’ve had clients contact me because I was listed in Twellow.com, LinkedIn, Ryze (remember that one?) and even Facebook. Put your name and at least one form of contact out there.

What kinds of thoughtless marketing do you engage in?