So you wanna be a very BIG DEAL…

In these difficult economic times, often the first thing business owners are forced to cut back on is advertising and marketing. But having budgetary constraints doesn’t mean that you can’t keep your name out there just the same. There are many things a company like ours can do to help you stay relevant and in front of people through new and creative advertising and marketing strategies. Together, we can keep your name at the top of the list wisely and efficiently.

Have you ever wondered how people get picked for newspaper or magazine interviews, or how TV news reporters find people to interview for their stories? They go online and they look for names that keep popping up. The names that they find most frequently belong to experts in the field—people who write articles, give seminars, and make appearances at colleges and trade shows. The more you get your name out there, the bigger you become!

Oh, but if you only knew how!

Last week we talked about Quora and how you can use it to establish yourself as an expert in your industry, but there are many other ways to become A Very Big Deal. By all means, use Quora, but add some of these strategies to your expert-making efforts as well.

STAY CURRENT:
Every industry has at least one trade paper. Start reading as many of them as you have time for to stay current with what’s going on in your industry. Knowing what’s hot and what’s new and being able to speak intelligently about it goes a long way toward making you look like you’re at the top of your game. And you won’t just look like you are—you will be!

WRITE AN ARTICLE:
Write an article or an opinion piece that’s relevant to what’s going on in your industry and submit it for publication in a trade paper or industry blog. We do this as much as we can. In fact, you may have seen our writing at either About.com or iPhone Life. This is a fantastic way to start putting your name out there. If you fear you don’t have the writing chops to pull it off properly, there’s no shame in hiring a copywriter to put your thoughts into written form for you. After all, you’re too busy being an expert in your industry. You can’t be worrying about comma placement and sentence fragments!

HOLD SEMINARS:
This might not be the most feasible option for everyone, but if you feel like you’ve built up a bank of knowledge that might benefit others, why not hold a seminar? That will expose you to lots of people in your industry who may be new to it or who are looking to expand their knowledge base about something specific.

OPEN A BOOTH OR PARTICIPATE ON A PANEL AT A TRADE SHOW:
This option may require some financial investment, but if you can swing it, it’s an awesome way to be seen. If you can’t afford to participate in the show, you can try to get on the board or the planning committee instead. Visibility is key and your presence will help you get that much needed exposure.

OFFER TO SPEAK AT A LOCAL COLLEGE:
Of course, you’ll be doing this for free. Just imagine all those optimistic, idealistic young faces hanging on your every word! As the expert at the table during a seminar or lecture, they’ll remember your words and discuss your ideas with their professor and classmates. Perhaps by participating in their seminar, you can even learn some things from them!

GET OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY:
If the college crowd isn’t your thing, you could offer to speak to alocal organization—just as long as their concerns are relevant to your industry and you’re not walking in there with your sales pitch. Remember this is all about being an expert and not about selling stuff. That part comes later…

SEND OUT PRESS RELEASES:
Send press releases every time something cool happens. So, let’s say you’re going to speak at a local college. Send out a press release announcing that fact and make sure you include your credentials. Don’t forget to use this opportunity to promote your writing and your seminars too! When people read about you in the paper, they can’t help but think, “wow! This person must be a really big deal!”
Becoming a Really Big Deal doesn’t just happen to people. Folks who are Really Big Deals are that way because they got out there and they made it happen.
JUST IN CASE YOU NEED SOME MORE INSPIRATION, TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE:
(YOUR NAME HERE) renowned expert, published author, lecturer at several prestigious colleges and universities, owner and proprietor of (YOUR BUSINESS NAME HERE).

That sounds fancy, right?

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