Marketing for Maximum Exposure

Bethany Siggins, Marketing Chair
A wise teacher once told me the greatest competition we have as image consultants is ignorance. Largely, the public does not know about us and is not familiar with the services we offer. How can we change that? Thanks to popular makeover television programs, audiences are becoming increasingly aware of the availability of professionals who specialize in helping men and women enhance their personal appearance. However, television programming alone will not bridge the gap between image consultants and those who need our services. We must make that leap by actively marketing our companies and our association.

It was with great pleasure that I accepted the role of Marketing Chair for the South Central USA chapter of AICI beginning July 1, 2008. To date we have already begun taking action towards marketing our chapter, and in the coming year we intend to use many available resources to spread the word. To begin, we will issue press releases in advance of our programs, to alert the media in Texas and neighboring states about our activities. This move should garner increased interest in our chapter, greater attendance at our programs, and increased revenue for our chapter.

The second step in our marketing plan is to create a South Central USA chapter group on LinkedIn to establish a forum for our members to interact with one another and to give us an increased opportunity to interact with potential clients. LinkedIn, a social network for professionals, has 23 million members and that number continues to grow. Please take a few minutes to create a LinkedIn profile if you have not already done so, and once the group is established I will send you an invitation to join. I look forward to serving the chapter and I will keep you apprised of our progress on these and other marketing initiatives we are working on.

Finally, I want to leave you with a few tips to increase your online exposure, making it easier for clients to find you. You may have thought having a great-looking website was all you needed, but visits to your website by your colleagues and current clients will only take you so far. It is essential to establish a strong online presence to bring potential new clients to your site. In addition to creating a profile on LinkedIn, I encourage you to do some or all of the following:

* Actively answer questions on message boards and at Yahoo Answers.

* Leave comments on blogs, create your own blog and write freelance articles for newspapers and magazines. The more your name and company name are mentioned online, the higher traffic you will attract to your website.

* Work continuously to keep your website looking fresh and modern - just like your personal style! Remember your website is one of your most important calling cards, and it should look as fabulous as you do. You will never know the business you lost by an outdated site, but you will reap the rewards in increased business by giving your website the time it deserves.

Yours Truly,
Bethany