To help you determine how you should approach your marketing, I’ve developed the following worksheet. Each question builds on the previous question, so fill out the answers in order.

Throughout the worksheet, I will be using a few terms, which should be explained.

Prospective: This term is used in reference to those people or businesses to which you will be directing your marketing. They are prospective clients. Once they do business with you, they will be your client. Until then, they are your prospectives.

Attribute(s): This relates to the items or services (talents) you have to offer.

When answering the questions below, don't be satisfied with your first few answers. Try to come up with at least five answers for each question. Seven answers if you want to make sure to market in a way your competition hasn't thought of yet. The last few answers are the ones that will likely do you the most good. If the all the answers were easy and obvious, everyone would be doing the same boring thing, or everyone would be making much more money.

1. Who is likely to want what I offer?

2. If I wanted the attribute I offer, where would I tend to look for it?

3. What might I be doing, or where might I be when I need this attribute? (i.e., if I’m on a golf course when I need it, I should market on a golf course or on the golf cart.)

4. What might I be doing just prior to needing this attribute? (i.e., if you are about to refurbish your home, you will probably look through decorating magazines and go to your local parade of homes before starting the work. Buy ads in those magazines and/or sponsor the parade of homes.)

5. What do the prospectives I'm looking for have in common? Do they all belong to the same club or association? Do they all go to the movies? Do they buy the same magazines?

6. Where would you find a list of these prospectives? Is there a local film guide, periodical or association with a list you can use?

7. How and where are the successful people and businesses in your field advertising?

8. If I was looking for the attribute I offer, what would I want to see? Credits? Samples? Awards? Accolades?

9. Of those things, or others, what is most likely to impress me?

10. What keywords would you use to find your service during a search on the Internet? Fill out as many as you can and circle the top five. Use those top five in the text on your site’s index page and make sure all the keywords are in your metatags.