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There are many ways to reach out and find the people you are trying to attract for your business. Here are just a handful of ways to get you started:
1) Attend organization meetings
Where do people in your target market hang out? Research this, and then plan to attend a meeting or two to mix and mingle. What better way to meet and get to know these individuals while learning more about the market?
2) Offer to speak at a meeting or conference
What do you have to offer that you feel could be of value to those you are trying to reach out to? Present a short talk or slide show on a helpful topic. Be sure you present something of value to the group. What helpful tips or other material would hold ther attention, and entice them to learn more about you and what you do? Just give them a small taste of your skills and knowledge. Chances are, they will want to talk to you after the presentation.
3) Advertise in publications your target market reads
The Internet is a great place to research what publications are out there. You can probably even get your advertisement to appear online as well as in the hard copy of a publication. Advertising can be rather expensive, so be careful with this one!
4) Present a free teleclass
If you are not confident in your public speaking skills, but still feel you have something of value to teach those you are trying to influence, try offering a no-cost teleclass. It is usually fairly inexpensive to rent a bridge line to host your class. You can teach from the comfort of your own home, too. This is also a great way to get a list of names to add to your subscriber list for mailings. If you are comfortable with this option, you can charge a small fee for future teleclasses you hold, which will bring you some passive income.
5) Start a blog
Write daily or weekly posts related to subject matter that will pique the interest of your target market. Spend time researching particular topics that you can write about. Then, add some pizazz...get excited when you post the information to your blog. If you're excited about something, others will be too. And don't forget to use keywords. These are what the search engines will use to find the content in your blog and draw others to it.
© 2005 Cynthia Morse, Virtually At Your Service. All rights reserved.
You're welcome to reprint this story. If you do, please include this reference: Cynthia Morse is a Virtual Assistant, and the owner of Virtually At Your Service, http://www.virtuallyatyourservice.biz. She offers remote administrative support to small business owners and other busy professionals from her home office, allowing them the time to focus on what they love and do best.

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