Happy Monday, Everyone!

With Halloween coming up tomorrow, many people are getting creative, developing costume ideas for the kids or themselves, thinking of ways to “trick or treat,” and designing the perfect haunted house. With the creative juices already flowing, why not come up with some creative ideas for your business? Are you putting as much thought into your business as you are into your child’s costume? Why not?

One of the keys to successful marketing is uniqueness. How is your company different from every other self-started business? What do you have to offer that no one else does? If you’re thinking to yourself, “I’m not unique,” then stop right there in your negative thinking! We each bring something new to the table when we start our own business. It may be personality, ability, or expertise. Remember that nobody else has experienced what you have experienced to get to this point in your life. Use that to market your business!

Another key to successful marketing is consistency. While it’s a good idea to add new features to your product or business, you also need to offer your clients some sort of consistency. They need to know that you will always offer them the best service or product, the best price, and the best guarantee. If you can’t stand behind your product or service 100 percent, then offer your clients something else. Your clients need to know that they can always trust in you. They will then spread the word to their friends and colleagues, marketing your business word-of-mouth.

A third key to successful marketing is variety. I have said more than once that one of the best ways to market your business is by submitting articles and press releases. Are you trying all the possible venues to advertise yourself? Ezines, newspapers, and web sites are just a few possible places to submit your articles. You may also need to send out sales letters to possible clients. Don’t give up! Keep submitting until you achieve your goals!

If you have any marketing tips to offer, email me your ideas! I’d love to hear from you.

To your success,

Katie

Hey everyone! Sorry my blog is late this week, but I spent the day with my mom and nieces yesterday, so I didn’t get a chance to get my thoughts in order. Plus, my husband has been struggling with his new promotion as he strives to bring some sense of order to the chaos that was left for him.

Speaking of order, even if you have a great product or service, how do you expect clients to respect your business if you’re disorganized? Not to mention how difficult it can be to work in an office that’s in disarray! Start cleaning up (literally) your business today to make yourself appear as professional as you are. Here are some simple tips to follow to blow through that clutter and find your work space again!

1. The first thing you need to do is ask yourself is it really necessary to keep this? You probably don’t need to keep notes you made to yourself a year or so ago. You probably don’t need to keep that calendar from 10 years ago (unless you’re like my husband, who has to keep anything related to Star Wars). However, if you find you really do need to keep something, buy yourself some multicolored file folders and label them accordingly. Organize your paperwork into different folders and file away in a cabinet or box.

2. Now that you’ve cleaned off your desk, you need to get yourself organized. Keep the folders that you are currently working on either in the top drawer of your desk or in a file organizer on your desk. Now that you’ve cleaned up that mess, you’ll want to try to stay on top of what stays in those folders and what gets permanently stored away. You may want to get a Rolodex to keep your clients’ information easily on-hand or keep them in a folder on your computer.

3. A great way to stay on top of what projects you are working on and who you need to contact is to get a desk calendar. This is such a simple tool to use for organizing your busy schedule. You could also use a calendar on your computer’s desktop to send you reminders. Use whatever works best for you, so you can stay on top of important appointments.

Now that you’ve cleared away the clutter, you will find that you are more capable at doing your job. You’ll be able to find clients’ files more easily, and you will be able to get your work done faster.

Share some tips with me on ways that you save time while you’re working!

To your success,

Katie

Hey Fellow Writers!

How is your Monday coming along? I don’t know about where you live, but fall is definitely here in the South. We are experiencing cooler temperatures for our area, so I am hoping that means we will actually have snow this year!

This is a great time to start looking back over your business from this past year and looking ahead for next year. What are your goals? What marketing techniques have you used that have been successful for you? What have you added to your business that has worked for you? Have you started working on a novel? Have you entered any contests?

Send me your responses. I would love to hear from you!

To your success,

Katie

Sorry I missed you all last week, but my husband and I took a final vacation to the beach before he delved into his new duties as store manager. The weather was perfect, and the ocean was warm enough for an afternoon swim! I hope you guys had a great week.

I thought I would give you a writing prompt today. Halloween is at the end of this month, and I would love to hear your best ghost stories or mysteries! If you would like me to post them on my site, I will be happy to do that for Halloween.

Have a great week!

To your success,

Katie