Last month I attended a SCORE meeting at the local library. If you’re not familiar with SCORE, you should be – it’s a great resource for entrepreneurs. Our local SCORE office offers free monthly seminars and last month they presented a marketing class. As I’m still trying to get my writing and editing business going, I thought I’d sit in. As I took notes and considered my business, it occurred to me that this would make a great blog post. Here are some of the ideas I took away from the free SCORE marketing class.

1. What exactly is marketing? It’s the way you communicate products and services to consumers (including everything from networking to your blog to advertising to communications).

2. Create a need and fill it: How can you do that with your writing?

3. The Four Ps of Marketing: Product, Place, Price, and Promotion – figure out the first three before turning your attention to the last one. Product, place, and price help define promotion.

4. Know Your USP: What is your Unique Selling Point? What are your specialties?

5. Cost: It costs more to attract new customers than it does to retain old customers. How are you retaining clients?

6. Price: Your price can effect customer perception. Too low and people will question your skills and ability. Too high and they will want to know what value you add that justifies your premium price.

There are many more aspects to marketing, but these points jumped out at me when considering how to market my freelance business. I’m still working out the details for my own marketing strategy (what exactly are my USPs?), but I’m excited to have a blueprint to help me.

Are you actively marketing your business? If so, what strategies do you find most useful?