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Use of Tip Sheets
By: Ilise Benun
The goal of marketing is to make your prospect comfortable enough to say yes to working with you. But while one prospect may need a fancy brochure, another may not be comfortable unless he meets with you. Underneath it all, your prospects just want to trust you.
Use tips to gain that trust. Don't be stingy. Show them you know what you're talking about. Go ahead and give them a freebie. And don't worry that once they have this information in hand, they won't need you. It doesn't work that way. Information is abundant... it's help that we need.
How To Use Tip Sheets
1. Tip Sheet Press Release. Editors are on the lookout for information that will be useful to their readers. And like everyone else, they're looking to save time. Turn your press release into a tip sheet and they'll reprint directly from it, often with a blurb about you. Follow this format and chances are, you'll get some publicity. And you'll look like the expert
2. Tip Sheet Promotional Newsletter. Promotional newsletters are perfect vehicles for tips. However, most newsletters give nothing but news about a company, its products and services. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but fluff is less interesting to your prospects than practical ideas and solutions to their problems. A balance of the two can satisfy everyone's needs. So turn your newsletter into a tip sheet and your clients won't be able to throw it away.
3. Tip Sheet Brochure. Besides using this newsletter as a press release, I also use it as my brochure. It clearly conveys my perspective, as well as a sampling of the kinds of marketing recommendations I make. By reading it, my prospects can usually tell if they want to work with me. The only thing missing that a brochure might have are the details of how I work, such as fees and specific services offered, which can easily be taken care of either on the phone and in a personal letter.
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Ilise Benun, author of "Self-Promotion Online" and "Designing Web Sites for Every Audience," has been teaching people to promote themselves and their services since 1988. She has been self-employed for all but 3 years of her working life.
Benun’s articles have been published in national magazines such as Inc. Magazine, HOW Magazine, Nation’s Business, Self, Essence, Crains New York Business, and Working Woman.
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