By Hilory Wagner

When it comes to marketing themselves, IPs are their own worst critics. "I'm never doing a good enough job at self-marketing," admits Hollis Thomases of Ad.vantage, a Baltimore, Md., firm that provides on- and offline advertising and marketing services. "I'd like to have more money at my disposal, and more time." Indeed, it's a notorious Catch-22 of self-employment: You need to market yourself to find new clients, but you're too busy with clients to market yourself effectively.

Still, until scientists can clone human beings, IPs will need to make the most of their current marketing strategies. Putting it off might be tempting -- imperative, even, if an important deadline looms -- but don't neglect to market your business for long. Business may be thriving by word-of-mouth now, but, in the long run, marketing is as crucial to keeping your business lively as is, say, good coffee.

A Necessary Distraction

The rewards of self-marketing are obvious: new prospects, increased sales, the growth of your venture, and money saved. What's not clear, however, is how to squeeze these activities into your daily workload. So you stuff envelopes while you download files; you drop business cards all over town while running errands; you call old colleagues for referrals. Somehow, you have to squeeze in promotional activities, either as part of the working day or as a wee-hours pursuit.

"If I don't work, I don't eat, so I have to be quite disciplined about getting work done," says IP Lois Carter Fay of Newport News, Virginia. Fay provides public relations, marketing, and writing services for technology and business-to-business companies. "Like most microbusinesses, the workload fluctuates greatly as a result of my marketing efforts," she says. Primarily Carter Fay markets herself through referrals from current and past clients, colleagues, and members of organizations to which she belongs, including the National Association of Women Business Owners and the local chamber of commerce. "Because my business is so diverse, I have learned to ask for specific referrals. For example, I have sent out letters saying, 'I find I now have the time to add a few quality clients to my roster. If you know of one or two technology companies looking for help in building traffic to their website or a business-to-business firm in need of a newsletter, please give me a call.' This has proven quite successful."

To get her name out, Carter Fay also contributes articles to business publications. "I write how-to or business profile articles for small business publications in my local area. I have written for Inside Business, Virginia Business, Richmond Business, and the Newport News Daily Press," she says. "The positive effects are three-fold: My name appears as a byline for potential clients to see; I can use these articles for credibility in my portfolio and during new business presentations; and I meet many potential clients who like the way I write and consequently hire me. This is a very effective way to spend my time, especially when I'm later hired to write an ongoing newsletter, develop a brochure, or provide marketing help on a monthly retainer basis for the companies I profile." Carter Fay spends five to ten hours a month writing articles. "More than that cuts into my profitability."

Although many IPs hope to have their names mentioned in the media, tech-recruiter Debbie Mancini of Arlington, Virginia, found that "getting ink" isn't always the business boost you might expect. "I got a call from a magazine reporter who was referred to me through one of my business networks. I should have been suspicious from the beginning since she wasn't very organized and didn't sound excited about the article," Mancini says. "When I finally saw the story in print, I was embarrassed. The magazine wasn't the quality I expected. The good news is I don't think too many people read it."

On the other hand, a different article turned out to be a real marketing coup for Mancini. "I responded to a question on [an Internet mailing list] about setting up a site," she says. "Much to my surprise, it was from a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and he interviewed me for a story that appeared on the front page. Okay, it was just a line or two, but it was the front cover!"

Mancini tries to be disciplined about self-marketing. "About once a month, I vow to do five marketing things a day. It usually lasts for a week and then I get swamped again, but at least it's something," she says. For example, Mancini says she might register her name with an online business directory or create a banner ad for the web. She also includes on her list tasks that help improve her marketing skills, such as subscribing to a how-to magazine or attending a marketing seminar.

Licking Envelopes

IP Lora Meisner of Tacoma Park, Md., schedules marketing activities into her daily routine. "Fitting marketing into my schedule isn't always easy, but I just remind myself that signed contracts can be broken and the business relationships of today can be gone tomorrow," she says. "My goal is always to build a customer base while continuing to serve the accounts I'm working on now. I will actually block out time on my calendar for marketing. Whether that means entering numbers into a database, searching the Internet for email lists, calling about mailing lists, or making sales calls -- whatever the task is on my list -- I put aside adequate time each week. Sometimes I stuff envelopes in the evenings while watching TV."

If marketing on an ad hoc basis is more your style, the Internet may prove a convenient medium. Always available, the Internet is a virtually free way to promote your business, join business-related discussion groups, and learn new skills. For Thomases, who markets herself in the off-hours ("if there is such a thing," she quips), the Internet is also the marketing tool of choice. "It's mostly late at night or on weekends. Fortunately, the Net is open 24 hours. If I want to submit an article, post to an [on-line discussion group] or email a webmaster [to ask for a link to my site], I can do it at any time I please."

At various busy times, IPs may simply lack the time to market at all. One solution to this problem is to recruit an unpaid college intern, as Thomases has. "Already, it has made a difference in my workload and my ability to concentrate," she says. "But at times it's disturbing to put part of your livelihood in an intern's hands. Unpaid college interns don't have the same motivation that an entrepreneur does," she says. "They have no vested interest other than their own education and career-opportunities to get work done on a timely basis, for example. When you delegate a project this way, you rely on that person to do a job as well as you would. That can be hard to get used to when your own reputation is on the line."

We'd love to hear your comments about this article!

Hilory Wagner is a freelance writer who lives in South Glastonbury, Conn. If you like, we'd be happy to put you in touch with her, or with any of the other IPs named in this article.