By Tina Hilton of Clerical Advantage

Any fisherman can tell you, catching fish requires bait. Certain fish will be lured by a worm, while others are fooled by lures made to resemble the live insects they feed on. Depending on what fish they are looking to reel in, a fisherman changes up the types of bait he/she uses. In the same way, a virtual assistant (or other home office warrior) needs to have more than one type of marketing plan aimed at drawing in clients.

People respond to different things in different ways. One client might be drawn in by your expertise, another may respond to your technological prowess and still another may like your ability to communicate effectively. That means your marketing “tackle box” needs to have more than one type of marketing ‘bait’.

Lindsay Buroker of Writing for Your Wealth shares these tips:

–If you’re creating a product or service, it helps to be a part of the demographic you want to sell to.  Nobody knows better how a particular market thinks (and what they want) than someone who is a part of it.  If you’re a twenty-something trying to sell to a baby boomer (or vice versa!), you’re picking a hard road.

–Create the product your audience wants… not the one you think they should want.  (Creating demand is hard, but fulfilling demand is easy.)-

These are great tips to think of when you’re thinking of ways to reach your target market. Put yourself in your potential clients position and determine what is going to not only grab their attention, but cause them to be curious enough to find out more and eventually buy your services.

Don’t be afraid to do the unconventional. After all, I’ve seen kids catch more fish with pieces of bread than their Dad did with his ultra tackle box.

I loved Rita Cartwright’s “Virtual Book Tour” idea. Rita promoted her new e-book “Online Marketing Tools for Today’s Small Business“ by making virtual book tour “stops” on hosting blogs and websites. Each host got to ‘interview’ Rita concerning the e-book and the author herself.  I’m sure this technique got not only Rita’s e-book, but her business, noticed by readers that she never might have otherwise encountered on her own.

The best fishermen have a full tackle box of many different types of bait, so that they are ready when the fish are biting. You too can compile a box of ideas geared toward different focus groups so that you have just the right ‘bait’ when the need arises.

If you have questions concerning virtual assistance or have an interest in working with a virtual assistant you can contact Tina Hilton or visit her business website for Clerical Advantage.