Marketing for Solopreneurs: Here’s a Powerful Tactic That Takes 4 Hours, Costs $2.20

Here’s a solopreneur marketing tactic that has worked extremely well for my small business. It’s perfect for the solopreneur because it’s targeted, inexpensive and easy to execute.

The tactic is The Prospect Letter—a personalized, signed letter that is delivered by the Postal Service to your five best prospects.

The beauty of The Prospect Letter is that you can build it in only four hours and it costs you the price of five stamps. Even if it leads to only one project from one client, it delivers a tremendous return on investment. Here are the six steps you need to follow to create The Prospect Letter for your small business:

Step 1. Go to your business’s list or database of prospects and select the best five (or six, or seven, or 10). Everybody has their own definition of “best prospects,” but I consider them to be: ones who know me personally, and ones who definitely would benefit from my services.

Step 2. Compose a letter to each prospect. Print The Prospect Letter on your business’s letterhead. The letter should contain:

a. A short greeting

b. A brief recounting/reminder of your relationship with the prospect. For example, if you spent 30 minutes at lunch with the prospect at a recent convention, remind her of that, and describe relevant details from your conversation. Or if you have worked on projects together with the prospect, remind her of how successful the collaboration was.

c. A list of benefits that your small business can deliver. I like to state the the benefits in the form of questions, because it places the emphasis where it should be: on the prospect. Using my services as an example, I might say, “Do you need:

• Writing that will boost the ‘open rates’ for your e-newsletter?
• An article in XYZ Industry News that demonstrates your thought leadership and positions you as an expert?
• A press release that will give your new widget some space in ABC Trade Publication?
• Copy for your online catalog or Web site that will boost widget sales?
• Text for your Web site that will improve your standing with search engines?”

A word of caution with the benefits section: Do not send the standard, “off-the-rack” list of benefits that exists in your small business’s marketing copy. The benefits that you list in The Prospect Letter have to be a great fit—a custom fit—for the prospect.

Address areas where you know the prospect needs your help—areas of her business that are really hurting. Using my small business as an example again: if I know that a prospect has a terrible e-newsletter with bad writing, brutal layout and design, and inconsistent delivery, I will mention the e-newsletter and ask the prospect if she is happy with its return on investment.

(If the prospect has told you of a problem that she needs solved, then most definitely include that in your list.)

Step 3. Include a call to action. This marketing staple, like the benefits section, has to be tailored to your prospect and it should demonstrate your knowledge of how she prefers to conduct business. If your prospect does business lunches, then suggest a time and place where you can meet. If your prospect is an e-mail-only type of person, then of course include your e-mail address. If you don’t know how she likes to operate, then offer a range of possibilities: Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, Skype, phone.

Step 4. Address the letter’s envelope with your own handwriting. I believe this is very important to the success of The Prospect Letter. Combined with the quality of the letter inside the envelope, it accomplishes three things: 1) it stands out from the rest of her mail, 2) it tells her you took extra time, care and effort on your communication to her, and 3) it says you really value her potential business.

Step 5. Affix a stamp that relates to your prospect’s interests. Again, this conveys that you are attentive to your prospect, and that you will provide attention to detail that other people cannot. If it’s not possible to get an appropriate stamp, then go with a generic USPS stamp.

Step 6. Follow up! If the prospect hasn’t reached out to you within a week of when she would have received the letter, then contact her. Do not be hesitant or shy about this step! The follow-up tells the prospect that you were serious about everything you said in your letter.

Build The Prospect Letter into your marketing calendar, and use it as often as you think is appropriate for your small business. Good luck with your new marketing tool!