49 ways to promote your business
Based on my own experience as a self-employed UX writer.
I received an e-mail from someone asking me for advice on how to get more customers. Did he really expect me to sit down and list all the things I’ve done to develop my business, I wondered. But seeing as I had an exam to study for, that’s exactly what I did.
It’s worth mentioning that when I first shared the list on social media, someone remarked that she found it a little daunting. But then someone else commented: “This post fueled my drive like crazy! My brain just won’t stop working.”
The secret lies in choosing: You don’t need to do everything, and definitely not all at the same time. Only do the things that light you up, the ones you feel comfortable doing, and only when the time is right for you. It took me almost a decade to do all of them (except for one or two that are still on my to-do list).
Let’s go.
Looking Inwards
Professionalism and skillful infrastructure
1. Be the best at what you do — study, experience, keep up to date with blogs, professional communities, newsletters, conferences, meetups, and workshops. Take courses in areas that overlap with your own. Learn from your colleagues, and always be hands-on.
2. Refine your personal vision for the short, medium, and long term. Create a roadmap to get you there, and carefully outline the values that will guide you along the way.
3. Be outrageously specific in defining your target audience, precisely identifying their needs and where what you do can meet them.
4. Do branding. I know people out there think that it isn’t essential, but I think it is. Not just having a nice logo, but the serious work behind creating a visual language that holistically represents who you are. I learned A LOT about myself and my business throughout the branding journey. You can start off with a basic logo and a basic visual language that you carefully think of yourself or with some help (which you can find on Fiverr or Upwork), but as soon as you can afford it, you should take it up a level.
5. If your products allow for it, aim to create an online shop as soon as possible. It will pay for itself.
6. Acquire a range of tools, so that not having them will not be an obstacle to development (basic video and audio editing, PowerPoint or Canva, Eventbrite and its likes, all the Google tools, Zoom of course). You don’t need to get them all right at the start but expand your toolbox slowly and steadily.
7. Make sure you have a study or a workspace that is comfortable, well-organized and cozy, with everything that you need in reach, from a pen that writes well to a printer, from a fast internet connection to a good webcam and a wall behind you that looks great on video calls.
8. Make sure your administration and back-office run like clockwork. If you’re not big on admin, pay someone to do it for you.
You are your business
9. Go to therapy, psycho- or any other kind that’s right for you. It’s always good and easily pays for itself.
10. Learn how to price your products or services, and how to set boundaries.
11. Find a smart, happy, successful business person who inspires you to follow and learn from. They don’t need to know you personally, you can follow them on social media, listen to their podcast or read their books or blog posts. When I started my business, I learned a lot just from following Marie Forleo.
12. Go to workshops that ignite your curiosity, even if they seem unrelated to your business. Everything you learn will be useful someday in ways you can’t expect. And if it doesn’t, so what?
13. Don’t manage your time, manage your priorities.
14. Don’t work with customers who rub you the wrong way or drain your energy. Identify them as early as possible and let them go.
15. Give your very best — your absolute best — to those customers you have decided to work with.
16. Turn off all notifications on your phone and desktop.
17. Learn when you are most productive throughout the day and try to make the most out of these hours. (It doesn’t always work. I’m writing this now instead of doing what I really should be doing.)
18. Don’t get too obsessed about what you really should be doing. Flexibility is vital for our soul.
19. Have a few good photos of yourself looking professional. Two or three will do. Refresh them every few years.
20. Stay close to two or three self-employed friends who love what they do, so you have someone to support you, give you advice, be happy with you when you grow and go out with you for a drink after a long day. Be that friend for them, too.
Looking Outwards
Communicate what you do
21. Set up a website, after taking the time to consider what you want to present upfront and what you want to achieve through it. You’ll want a platform that allows you to be independent and flexible, like Wix or WordPress with Elementor. Just make sure that you’re not dependent on others for ongoing site maintenance (at least after the initial set up).
22. Film videos that provide true value, and in which your audience can see you and hear you talking.
23. Give talks, a lot — as much as possible. At first, agree to be paid mere peanuts or even do it for free (but only for super-relevant audiences), but later, only for pay.
24. At least one of your talks should really entice your audience to learn much more about what you do. When you give that talk, make sure your website is ready to welcome guests and can be easily found on Google.
25. Manage a community in your field as an admin or moderator, and be very present in it.
26. Write on Facebook or LinkedIn (or whichever media your audience is on) about what you do, share significant milestones and important events which you participated in or led, etc.
27. Understand how your main social platform works, and stay updated with changes in its features and algorithms.
28. If your business is related to aesthetics — maintain a high-quality Instagram profile, or Pinterest, or both.
29. Today we also have Telegram, Clubhouse and TikTok. Check if these apps are right for you.
30. Choose two or three social platforms to be active on, and ignore all the rest, but…
31. If there are any social platforms that you’re barely active in, at least make sure your profiles in them are ready so that anyone who looks for you or happens to reach you will love what they see.
32. Send out a regular newsletter and constantly expand your mailing list.
33. Write a blog.
34. Write a book, or a great guide to whatever it is you’re best at, your unique selling point or expert knowledge.
35. Have a professional podcast.
36. Be a guest on others’ podcasts.
37. Take courses on practical marketing, design, writing and the basics of e-commerce, so you can run your daily marketing by yourself.
38. Hire other freelancers for larger projects or for anything you can’t do or don’t like doing. There’s a rule in economics that says that when everyone does only what they’re best at, everyone gains more.
39. Never ever spam and never do anything that feels like advertising if you have not been asked to or if it’s not the appropriate place. Delivering pure value is the best way to advertise without advertising.
Stay in touch
40. Go to meetups and conferences and talk to people.
41. Always answer everyone, and do so courteously, even if it takes a few days (or weeks).
42. Follow people you find relevant and interesting on social platforms. Even if you never post anything on Instagram, for instance, follow others who you would like to be in touch with and comment on their posts. That way, you can stay updated with all they’re doing and you’ll be in their radar too.
43. Attend Zoom meetings, turn your camera on, enter the meeting early and actually communicate with people openly or in a private chat.
44. Be an active participant in professional Facebook or Slack groups. Be generous with your knowledge and share it gladly.
45. Be supportive of your colleagues (there’s no competition here), give them credit when it’s due, help them to grow and flourish beside you.
46. Collaborate with colleagues from your field and related fields. Do great things together.
Put other aspects and layers of yourself out there
47. Write on Facebook or twitter about things that go beyond your professional world — but not if you feel reluctant to do so and only about things you want to share, otherwise it won’t come outright.
48. Participate in non-professional Facebook groups (or other online communities). Ask questions, answer others’, be involved.
49. Record a non-professional podcast. Mine is about brave choices.
I’ll end this by reminding you that you should view this as a list of options rather than a to-do list, and that easy does it — you should take your time doing these things. You don’t need to tackle everything at once. All in good time.
Good luck!
