Fitting in with Jenni’s theme of the week, I’ve got a brainteaser for all of you. As independents, we’ve done all sorts of things to market ourselves. There’s the expensive, the cheap, the cutting-edge, the traditional. If there’s a potential for new leads and enhanced business image, we’ve probably done it.

So what’s the single best marketing effort you’ve ever made? If someone were just starting out, or starting over, what would you recommend as a useful method to market your independent writing/design/consulting business? What did you do, and what did it do for you?

P.S. If you haven’t already, check out my blog. Writers will find tips and thoughts on marketing, publishing, and day-to-day freelancing; independent creatives and other readers will find some fun columns to spark that creativity and keep it fresh. Enjoy.

I found this article, Recession Spending: Ad Cutbacks Don’t Always Make Sense (byAndy Marken, President, Marken Communications) in one of the b2b advertising e-newsletters, and only after I read it, did I notice that it was written back in 2003.

Despite the fact that online advertising plays such a big role in marketing budgets today, the basic info in this article is still sound. If you stop advertising when the economy gets tough, you’ll have an even harder time when the recovery comes. The trick is to market a little differently, not to stop.

Using third-party environmental certifications (such as the recycled symbol and FSC logo) can enhance your client’s marketing message. The Paper Mill Store has posted a great reference for understanding and using third-party environmental certifications, including guidelines and logos for download.

I have to share something really cool. I’m filing it under Marketing cause it is and Creativity cause it’s that to. But it’s really smart WOM cause that’s the result.

An email in my inbox called to me “open this” (no, that wasn’t the subj line). It did say something about Sale though. So I did a little online sale shopping and after my purchase was completed (and I might add, without any glitches in navigating, etc.), I got an order confirmation that said (in a funky script font in red), “Thank you! now go back to work!”

Cute, clever, kinda “gotcha”… and best of all, I wanted to tell everyone. And that’s the difference between ho-hum and smart marketing!

Lucky I have such a great boss so I can shop during work hours.

Five quick tips from one of my fave marketing blogs, The Marketing Mix: 5 ways to make time for marketing. Easy enough that you can squeeze in at least one during your day.

I would also add to the list: Send a thank you note.

Ive been sending notes more often… for referrals especially, but also to clients, vendors and other contacts. I know how much I appreciate a thank you from a client, so I like to extend the same courtesy.

Now, go get marketing!

I recently came across a reference to Guerilla Marketing, by Jay Conrad Levinson, now in its fourth edition. First published in 1984, this book contains many time-tested, cost-effective marketing strategies that still apply today, more than 20 years after it was first published.

A few of us in the group are using eNewsletters to boost our business. Care to elaborate on how you do so? I’ll start:

I started the ChronicBabe eNewsletter, Goodie Bag, a little over a year ago, working with my web designer/developer (and group member) Matt Mayes of Stop Time Studio. My goal for the first year was to get more than 1,000 subscribers, and I beat that goal before my deadline - YES!

Matt designed it to be girly and friendly, and pack a lot of info into a small space. In fact, he’s gotten some recognition for how great the design is!

Why an eNewsletter?
The eNewsletter goes out every other week, and is full of useful tips and free information. The key: to drive people to your web site, or convince them to take some sort of action…like hiring you.

There are a few good inexpensive services out there that offer templates, which can get you up and running in no time. Or you can go my route and get a pro to design it for you (a great time-saver!) but either way, keep it fresh, simple, and info-packed. The more free goodies you can offer the better - it raises your perceived value, and reminds readers you’re a reliable resource. And speaking of reliability, if you pledge to publish monthly, you better stick to it! You don’t want ticked-off readers.

One of my favorite resources on using eNewsletters to market your business is Alexandria Brown, the Ezine Queen. She’s pretty hard-core, but I recommend signing up for her free ezine, which is full of great tips, and once you’re her subscriber, you get access to lots of free teleseminars on…you guessed it…making your ezine a business-builder.

Brandy Agerbeck runs Loosetooth.com, a business that’s really more like her life. She does all things creative, including graphic facilitation, art, she sells her wares, and she has a hedgehog.

Oh, and here’s her Loosetooth.com eNewsletter.

She manages to take good care of herself, have a successful career, and exude creativity at every turn - I really admire her sense of style and her commitment to being herself no matter what. Just something to think about!

Amid feasting and dog barking at our July meeting, our creative group came up with the following tips for successful blogging.

*Why blog?*

# Increase traffic to your site, through links on the ideaXchange blog.
# It’s food for “Google”:http://www.google.com/. You’ll rank higher, which will get you more traffic.
# Establish credibility. Show yourself to be an expert.
# Practice makes you a better writer.
# Network with other people in your field.

*Getting involved*

# Comment elsewhere. Include a link back to your site (or this blog). Traffic increases. Rinse, repeat.
# Set up “Google Alerts”:http://www.google.com/alerts, so you know what blogs are talking about your interests. Then you can go and comment on them.

*Post-worthiness*

# Websites that you read that help you with your creativity
# Books/resources that help you, that you like
# Business issues that have affected you. (Be careful to not malign or speak too privately.)
# Tips about your craft
# Most important: is it of value to others. This includes comments. Speak only if it’s valuable.

*Writing tips*

# Brevity
# Proper spelling (OS X tip: type beginning of word, hit option-escape, and recommendations will pop up.)
# Good grammar
# Clarity. Don’t vomit onto the screen.
# Be conversational. Use your own voice.

*Tips*

# Well-crafted link text. Put your links within the context of the sentence (instead of writing “click here”). If blogs that link to you don’t do this, it’s okay to write to them and ask them to change it to something more descriptive.
# Use links when you can. More you link, the more attention you’ll get.
# “Well-crafted titles”:http://labnol.blogspot.com/2005/11/good-blog-titles-are-short-still.html. It helps with search results, and it grabs people’s attention. In pages of similar search results, yours will stand out.
# Subheads. Break up your posts into sections, and Google will understand the context of your post better.
# Tag your post with categories.

*Formatting*

# You can use “Textile”:http://www.textism.com/tools/textile/, a simple markup syntax, for adding bold, italic, lists and links.
# Or, you can use the visual editor. Turn it on by going to “your profile”:http://www.idea-xchange.com/wp-admin/profile.php.

*Images*

# Only use images you have the rights to use. Or give really excellent credit.
# Don’t make it too big. An inch or two is big enough (150 pixels wide or so.)
# Images should be 72 dpi.

Here’s a resource everyone should know about: Bob Baker. He’s an expert on the marketing and promotion of indie songwriters, musicians and bands, but I’ve mined his materials for ways to promote a variety of clients. Check it out. www.thebuzzfactor.com