Self Promotion Success Secrets
by Dan McComas

Self-Promotion Success Secrets How To Make Yourself Famous In Your Field To Sell More Of Your Services, Products and Ideas...Faster!

Imagine a steady stream of new business referrals seeking you out? Or consistently commanding higher fees than your competitors. How about doubling the money you solicit for your favorite charity this year. Sound enticing? It can happen when you un-leash the power of self-promotion.

Becoming "famous" is much more than an ego boost. Self-promotion gives you the power to improve your life and the lives of others. And publicity allows more people to know about you and your capabili-ties faster. There are many rewards for creating a higher profile in a specific niche market or industry: increased salary or fees, a better job or promotion, getting a raise, getting more members to join your group, obtaining larger grants or contracts, and attracting more people and funds to your cause, idea or mission.

Personal marketing, however, is different from traditional marketing because the focus is on you rather than on the organization for which you work or the product or cause you're selling. Remember the saying it's not what you know, it's who you know that counts? In truth, what really counts is who knows you and how favorably they perceive you. That's because people buy from people they know, like and trust. This is especially true of professional service providers where competence, credibility, trust and "chemistry" are critical to suc-cess.

Prosperity Is Not Always Guaranteed Because Of Your Technical Skills, Educa-tion And Experience

In most cases, the key to ongoing prosperity is your ability to sell your ideas, services and yourself. Of course, there's no substitute for superior skills and doing good work. Still, you've probably known people who have succeeded beyond their qualifications because of their ability to ef-fectively market and sell themselves.

Here are the self-marketing tools you can use to become famous in your field to promote doing business with you, and to achieve better marketing and sales results:

*Personal self-marketing and publicity plan;
*Positioning your unique "edge" to be remembered;
*Special Events/Speaking/Seminars;
*Networking/referrals;
*By-lined articles written by you;
*Articles written about you;
*Professionally written bio;
*Personal brochure/logo/slogan/stationary;
*Testimonials; winning awards;
*Associating with prestigious charities, colleges or universities and well-known civic organizations;
*Teaching/Adult Education Courses;
*Building relationships through letters;
*Newspaper, Radio-TV Interviews

The remainder of this report will focus on one particularly effective self-marketing activity, namely, how to become known through article writing. Don't worry, you don't have to be a great writer to get published. Really! Read on.

How To Write A Business "How To" Article... And Get It Published

If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing. --Benjamin Franklin

People are hungry for information. Why? They want to solve their problems or improve their lives. That means editors and reporters are always looking for advice that informs and entertains their readers. What you must do is convince the editor that your article meets these requirements. And with so many newspapers, magazines, business publica-tions and industry newsletters, it's not difficult. What do you write about? For our pur-poses, let's assume you've never done this before.

1. The Topic. Select a topic that offers helpful advice or information. A plumber could title an article "The Easy Way To Install A New Sink". An accountant might write "5 Tips To Help You Pay Hundreds--Even Thousands Less To Uncle Sam." The point is to provide enough (but not too much) information to assist people with the task at hand and, more importantly, to be perceived as a helpful or specialized problem-solver. If you're at a loss for a topic or background information, gather your company or industry's cur-rent marketing materials. Chances are you can adapt or structure your message around that copy.

2. The Length. Before you begin writing you must know: a) the length and types of articles used by the publication. Most "how to" articles are 250, 500, 1000, or 2500 words.

3. Use a Numbered Sequence. The easiest, fastest way to write your article is with a numbered sequence structure like "10 Ways To", "The 5 Inside Secrets Of____", "25 Ways To Improve Customer Service", etc.

4. Start Writing and Keep Writing. Remember, there's a BIG difference between writing and editing. Don't try to edit as you write. Perhaps you've heard that writing is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Well, it's true. Why? Because that little negative voice inside your head will start saying things like, "What? Who are you to write an arti-cle?", or "You see, I knew you couldn't write, just look at that grammar" -- or "Hey, your spelling's atrocious!" The best way to defeat these mental blocks (which reside in all of us to one degree or another) is to Write. Write. Write. Don't stop until you've exhausted your ideas. Even if you run out of ideas KEEP YOUR FINGERS MOVING ON THE KEY-BOARD and write something like -- hdriertnasdsfiee blah-blah-dum-te-dum--adherfvn-fkjiri--until more ideas surface. And they will! Now...read it over. Don't worry about grammar, structure, logical sequence or spelling. You can take care of that in the editing stage. Finally, walk away from it for a day and let your unconscious mind (your most creative part) take over. During the next 24 hours you'll come up with more ideas and better ways to communicate them. You'll want to have a tape recorder or note pad by your bed to capture these inspirations--some will be brilliant, some laughable. Now incorpo-rate this additional information, look at your article with fresh eyes and begin editing and polishing. In some paragraphs you'll be making wholesale changes, in others it will just be a matter of fine-tuning.

5. Use a Photo. Remember to include a 5" x 7" glossy photo "headshot" (typically black and white) when you send off your article. Many publications will use them.

6. Congratulations. You're an Author! Feels great doesn't it? Hint: You may want to try this time-saving technique: Some writers find that dictating their article into a tape recorder and then transcribing the material is an efficient way to work. Caution: Never create an article that reads like a commercial for you or your company. Your target audience will never see it because the editor will never print it. Remember, value first, business second.

Convincing The Media To Publish Your Article

There are several strategies for approaching a reporter or editor. The fastest way is to phone first and present your article idea. Editors are busy so be sure to immediately ex-plain how it will help his or her readers. Another way is to mail a "query" letter (with or without your article) and follow-up with a phone call. Also, you should get a hold of that publication's editorial calendar to tie your future articles into seasonal or special theme edi-tions.

In the most cases, you won't be paid for these articles. But that's not your intention. You see, you're going to request that the publication run your biography or resource box at the end of the article. What's a biography box? It's a mini-advertisement about you and your problem-solving expertise which provides a vehicle for your readers to connect with you. It might say "Jim Smith is a CPA and partner in the firm of Smith, Lambert and Jenkins based in Charlottesville, VA. His firm specializes in saving small business owners money on their taxes. For a free copy of his "Business Owners: Never Pay More Than You Have To" kit, call Jim at 804-992-5780. Give readers a reason to connect with you. Trade publications and newsletters will typically run your "bio box" as you present it, however most newspapers will only run your name, title, company name and city. Oh yes, remember to include © 1995 by Jim Smith at the bottom of your article to automatically copy-right your work.

Yes, people will read your by-lined article and compliment you and it will feel good. You'll also get calls that may result in new business. But the largest leverage you'll receive is by photocopying or reprinting your article and mailing it to your prospects and clients with a hand-written note that says "thought you'd be interested in my recently published article on how to (whatever your article was about). You can also bind the article into pro-posals and use it as a handout at speaking engagements and at civic, association and cham-ber meetings. It's a powerful business building tool that you can keep it in your compa-ny's marketing arsenal and your personal propaganda package for years.

Note: If you don't have the time or inclination to write an article yourself, you can call in a business freelance writer to ghostwrite it for you. Simply have him or her interview you over the phone or in person. Don't fret over this method. After all, they're your ideas and many busy people do this. Just call your local Chamber of Commerce for a referral, place an ad in the paper, or look under "copywriter" or "writer" in your phone book. Congratu-lations! Now that you have your article in hand...go out and spread the profitable news!

Here's a sample query letter you can adapt for your purposes.

Dear (Editor's Name),

Small Business' are paying more taxes than they have to. Every day we help our clients, (many of them your readers) save hundreds or even thousands of dollars simply by making small adjustments in their accounting procedures.

That's why I wrote "5 Little Known Accounting Secrets That Can Save Your Business Hundreds--Even Thousands of Dollars Every Year." The 500 word article is enclosed for your review. (or I have an article idea that...) I be-lieve it would be of great interest and benefit to your readers during the busy "taxing" months of February and March.

I will call you shortly to gauge your interest.

Sincerely,

Jim Smith, CPA

P.S. By way of introduction, I've owned my CPA firm for 12 years. I have over 1,500 clients and four associates working with me.

Dan McComas is an author, public speaker, and corporate trainer who delivers keynote speeches and seminars on marketing, sales, persuasive writing skills, generating free publicity and sustaining self-motivation for companies and nonprofit organizations around the world.
He can be reached at promocoach@aol.com