It takes a special type of person to pursue a life as a solo entrepreneur. These adventurous business people crave the freedom and creativity that comes with carving their own path in the world of business.
However, that doesn’t mean that working alone isn’t without its drawbacks. Namely, if you’re a solo entrepreneur, you’re responsible for virtually every aspect of your business.
And unless you’re a veritable superhero, odds are you’re not going to excel at one aspect or another. But you know what? That’s perfectly fine!
With a bit of practice, some research, and a whole lot of patience, you’ll be a marketing master before you know it.
Here are a few tips on how a solo entrepreneur can improve their marketing skills.
Read Frequently
First and foremost, anyone looking to hone their marketing skills would do well to pick up a book (okay, or maybe a dozen).
Reading case studies and biographies of your favorite business people is a fantastic way to learn more about the marketing world.
Fortunately, you have no shortage of literature to choose from. From Tony Robbins to Tim Ferris, there are tons of great authors out there that specialize in helping solo entrepreneurs.
In fact, you can find tons of recommendations from top 10 lists and online articles.
Whatever you read and whoever you read about is up to you. But don’t discount the importance of learning from the legends.
Study Marketing Campaigns
In truth, studying marketing is a lot like studying history. If you pay attention, you just might avoid making a huge mistake.
Reading is certainly helpful, but studying campaigns may be more advantageous. Thanks to the internet, you can get access to information on virtually all the world’s greatest marketing campaigns.
Choose some of your favorites, hit your search engine of choice, and get to studying.
As you go through each campaign, take some time to really digest the information. Ask yourself some questions along the way to reinforce your choices.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- What is it about these campaigns that caught your eye?
- What made this campaign such a success?
- What could they have done differently?
- If you were in charge of the campaign, what would you have done?
These questions may seem tedious, but they’ll get you to engage in some critical thinking. Asking ‘how?’ and ‘why?’ are great ways to hammer home information and get you to think in a new sort of way.
Network
As a solo entrepreneur, it’s all too easy to get stuck in your own ways of working alone. It may work for a bit, but after a while, you might miss the company of other professionals.
This is one of the many great reasons why all entrepreneurs should attend networking events whenever possible.
You’ll get to meet your fellow entrepreneurs while expanding your mind and making important connections that could shape your business. You never know who you may meet and what multi-million dollar idea they may have.
Create Your Own Mini-Campaigns
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.
It’s time to put your ideas into motion and create a few low-stakes mini-campaigns.
You can start by marketing a product you’d like to sell or even simply advertising yourself and your services.
What’s important here is that you get out and experiment. Try different analytic tools. Research different keywords. Tinker with various social media advertisements.
You don’t need to spend much on your practice campaign. Really, you could get away with doing it for free if you pick the right keywords.
The idea is to find what methods and resources work for you. It may seem like a silly endeavor now, but hands-on experience can vastly improve marketing skills.
Use Your Personality
As a one-person marketing team, you’ll come to discover that most of the time what you’re really selling is your skill set and personality.
And data shows that audiences tend to react positively to personality-driven marketing.
As a solo entrepreneur, it’s important that you’re your own biggest advocate.
You can use your own personality and interests to craft a nice little niche in your market. Find your audience and be yourself.
Create content that revolves around yourself, your experiences as a marketer, and how they relate to your services as a solo entrepreneur.
Engage Your Audience
While working as a solo entrepreneur can certainly be difficult, you have a few advantages that others before you could only have dreamed of.
Take social media, for instance.
Decades ago, finding one’s audience was nearly impossible unless they had a massive marketing budget. But now, thanks to sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, you can connect with your perfect client in a matter of minutes.
Make sure you’re taking advantage of the social media revolution. If there’s a social channel your clients are on, you need to be there, too.
Finally, don’t forget to engage. The entire point of social media is to interact, so don’t be afraid to meet some new people and share your ideas.
Partner With a Marketing Firm
Working solo doesn’t mean you can’t enlist the aid of some of the industry’s biggest experts.
Partnering with a marketing firm is a great way to gain access to tools you may not have otherwise, like link building and social media management.
Reach out to your local marketing firms and see what they can do to help you perfect your technique.
Are You a Solo Entrepreneur Looking For Assistance?
Kudos to all of you entrepreneurs who work day and night to earn your place in the marketing world! We here at Buzzhive Marketing salute you.
Furthermore, we’d love to partner with you and help you along your journey.
Whether you’re looking for someone to take over your marketing completely, or need a few tips or resources, we can help.
So get in touch today, we can’t wait to hear from you!