Everyone loves to blog about their hundreds of marketing strategies that can help you get more paying clients. The reality is that only a few of your marketing strategies are bringing in the biggest pop of your income.

So, I went out last week and asked 30 people who I know are making money right now which strategies are bringing in the most income for them. While these answers are not “new” strategies, they ARE the ones that seem to be working. One thing that I noticed on new companies is they are missing signs, every business should print out the signs to market, take a look at foamboard printing by visiting www.foamcoreprint.com/blog/styrene-vs-foamboard-printing/. Some other people said that they started a delivery service and drive around in their new leased car, you should check out this site if you´re interested.

I also find it interesting that a few folks who I reached out to did not respond to this question. Just tickles my brain a bit to wonder why. Of course, they could be experiencing a family emergency or did not get my e-mail…but the eager people are the ones who are always at the top…as they say “The cream always rises to the top!”

So, I invite you to look over this Youtube video language translate today and ask yourself the same question “What marketing strategy has brought the most money into your business over the last year?” Once you answer that question, then go triple the use of that strategy to see if your results improve.

Thank-you to each professional below who took the time to respond. Trust me…in some way, you will be rewarded for sharing!

1. I use personalized video introductions, video messages and video outreach. I use vimeo plus and throw together 15-30 second clips of me introducing myself, an event or a service. It is so personalized that it really breaks down quite all the barriers. It puts a name with a face, shows that you care to take the time and it is something that can be shared with others. For new and existing friends on Facebook, I use the Facebook video message feature quite a few times a day to reach out and have some face time with new friends. Best of all it is very inexpensive, takes no time at all and jump starts the Relationship Building process.

Product plug: I love the FLIP HD MINO… game changer for Social Business Development Introductions

Ryan Coleman
http://twitter.com/nextforce

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2. Promoting our work with at-risk youth through our book From the Barrio to the Board Room has generated an influx of new business (much from traditional companies looking to improve their communication) and inspired current clients to increase the level of business they do with us. Promotions include blogging, newsletters, videography and photography, brochures, street teams and social networking that have led to free media exposure, partnership with major organizations and an invitation from the US Department of Education to present our work in Washington DC at a National Conference.

Corey Blake
http://writersoftheroundtable.com

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3. Live presentations, hands down. It results in immediate sales, future sales (consulting, investments, etc.) and other live presentations.

Mike Michalowicz
www.ToiletPaperEntrepreneur.com
www.ToiletPaperEntrpreneur.com/blog

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4. Writing books that become bestsellers.

Michael Port
http://www.MichaelPort.com

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5.  I’d have to say good old-fashioned personal networking has brought me the most business in the past year. I have been working my address book of contacts and making sure that everyone know what “I’m up to” now that I’ve left banking. I’m supporting this with speaking engagements at (or simply attending) bank trade shows, my monthly e-mail newsletter, webinars and articles to substantiate my “position” in the community banking industry. I also was recently added to the faculty of the Graduate School of Banking and will be teaching a two-day elective on social networking for bankers and have taught in their online classroom on website strategies for bankers (which has got me speaking to at least three new banks). While this all may not be “networking”, I feel that my best businesses deals come from “connections” and when I lose, it’s mainly because I’ve been asked to participate in the bidding process as a “vendor” and the relationship isn’t there.

Eric Cook, MBA
http://www.PoweredByWSI.com

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6. Creating blog content that serves our niche, which leads to generating opt-in subscribers into Mike’s (Toilet Paper Entrepreneur) list. After individuals join the list we sell tele-seminars to them.

Scott Bradley
http://networkingeffectively.com

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7. Networking and personal contact. By talking to people – regardless of how well I know them or have come into contact with them – and engaging them in a conversation about things that are important to them has often lead them to ask more about what I do and how it could work for them.

Roger DeWitt, PCC, CUCG
www.coachingnycinc.com

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8. My Michigan Entrepreneur TV show is my biggest strategy. This is not monetized, but I typically capture the first or second place in Google search for Michigan Entrepreneur. I’m currently moving everything to a blog format, so I hope to capture first place all the time — soon. If you want to make money, it is critical to get this high ranking on Google.

Strategy: Our online marketing for local businesses strategy is to post press releases for each and every guest after the show as well as for other newsworthy events related to the program. Press releases, in my opinion, are an important and vital part of getting the word out about the Michigan Entrepreneur. Benefits of using press releases are many, including the fact that we can post them on a number of free media sites. Not only are they a powerful vehicle for communicating newsworthy items, but also they provide links back to our site which helps with search engine rankings. Also, they can be repurposed into blog posts and can be printed and included in hard-copy media packages.

Tara Kachaturoff | Creator, Producer, and Host
http://www.MichiganEntrepreneurTV.com

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9. Social media has been a key component for our success. We are very active in it…blog hosting, group hosting, etc.

Lee Salz
http://BusinessExpertWebinars.com

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10. The marketing funnel – not one strategy – implementing 5-7 consistently (articles, blogging, local networking, newsletter, social networks and so forth).

Darshana Hawks
www.dreamsfulfilled-llc.com

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11. Offline marketing believe it or not! We actually book a lot of consulting work via speeches and panels Team Brazen is a part of. I think social media is a gateway to bigger and better things. Real world interactions with customers still matter.

Ryan Paugh
http://BrazenCareerist.com

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12. Reaching out to people using “hand-written” greeting cards (a font created using my handwriting) with SendOutCards. That was a very effective at closing business last year when my banking target market was still spending money. Although the strategy is not generating cashflow at the moment, I know based on verbal feedback that it is the right strategy to create relationships and generate cash flow when the economy turns.

Jeff Simpkins, Book Yourself Solid Certified Coach
Community Bank Consulting, Inc.
www.CommunityBankConsulting.com

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13. Building my network (growing my list). This allows me to build a relationship founded on trust with my subscribers. When it comes time to sell a product (membership, book, training CD, TeleSeminar, etc.) my subscribers trust me and are more likely to purchase from me.

How I build my list: Become “findable” via Google. My strategy for becoming findable is blogging.

Tom Heck
http://teachmeteamwork.com

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14. The single smartest marketing thing I did this year was to take the Become a Blogging Maniac Program. It’s that simple. It opened up the best way for me to market my book. Not just because I could bring attention to the book, but because it gave me the opportunity to expand upon various aspects of the book, and tell the success stories as people began to use the book. Your class got me blogging regularly, and got me up to speed incredibly quickly. I now blog on Fast Company and Huffington Post. The amazing think about Huff Post is that wherever my blog appears on the site, and it can be in numerous places, ads for my book also magically appear.

Gerald Sindell
www.thoughtleadersintl.com

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15. Proper site structure & SEO to make 120K with treadmill-world in 1.5 years & then sell for 220K + 1/4 payments for a yr

Jeff Knize
http://www.30daytwitterchallenge.com/

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16. #1 has been repeat business & referrals from existing clients. #2 has been seminars & public speaking.

Ian Brodie
http://www.ianbrodie.com/

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16. My best strategy was to self publish a book and a workbook – it floors me how it adds to one’s credibility – people will say, “you have a BOOK?” as if you are an amazing genius. It is quite simple and cost-effective to put some of your already-existing content into book or workbook form (or both) and self-publish through a platform like www.lulu.com. Now at every speaking opportunity, there are revenues – even if I’ve waived my speaking fee. I can also send to prospective new clients, or clients I have not heard from in a while. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I also had a photoshoot with a brilliant photographer so that everywhere I am in social media sites and on my books, a photo that finally, for probably the first time in many years, captures my “essence” and it has reconnected me to many, many people.

Lori Richardson
http://scoremoresales.com

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17. Fishing with a Net and not a pole.
As a speaker I’ve spent a lot of time building one on one relationships, which is great and I still do it. But since I started finding out where the main decision makers get together (i.e. their associations) and keynoting there to get my message in front of a large audience have a seen major results.

For example, just one talk I did landed me $20,000 in new business and I immediately so the power of fishing with a net and not a pole. Now a large majority of my time is spent on finding where my clients are gathered together in one room and finding a way to present in front of them. Making this relevant for your readers will obviously be finding
a way for them to get their product/service in front of their target audience (but not as an advertisement, I don’t find those as effective, for example buying advertising space in a trade journal isn’t nearly as effective as keynoting at that trade journals’ regional conference)

Arel Moodie “America’s Top Young Speaker”
www.arelmoodie.com

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18. I think the marketing strategy that has generated the most referrals (and therefore the most money) has been to use the Internet. By developing my website and now my blogsite at www.passion101.com/blog, and focusing on the niche of couples services and products, potential clients get a feel for who I am prior to calling or meeting with me. Many will subscribe to my Passion 101 Newsletter for a few months, get a feel for my philosophy and then contact me for in-person or phone/Internet sessions. Having a blog really supports this concept and I’m really excited with everything I’m learning in your class. Just this week I received two couples referrals from the Internet, which in the past would seem like a really crazy way to generate business.

Dr. Adam Sheck
http://Passion101.com/blog

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19. The marketing strategy I used that made me the most money was doing JV telecalls that addressed submitted challenges (on productivity around technology and product creation) that didn’t have a pitch at the end, but an invitation to a strategy session to folks who wanted to dig deeper and if I sensed a fit would offer a big ticket offer to work with me (I didn’t make an offer to everyone, but I did strategize with everyone who signed up for a strategy session).

Carol Dickson-Carr
Productivity Coach
http://ManagingPersonalResources.com

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20. By providing superior customer service and training to support (new and existing) EPIC clients in the use of assessments and/or promoting a few people and products that I truly believe in.

Alicia Smith
http://discninja.com

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21. The marketing strategy that earned me most in the last year remains the follow up and checking upon clients. Dropping a line by e-mail is good but the ultimate remains phoning up people, building relations, checking upon them, broadening conversation, finding out their needs, matching these needs with a solution and of course asking for the sale. Nothing actually works better than asking for the sale. However, it implies having built relationships. Final note: it doesn’t necessarily involves a long time frame. You can build a relation in 10 or 15 minutes sometimes but it’s got to be based on trust and you have to be relaxed to let your best come out. Humor especially is a winner that only comes with relaxation. So have fun!

Alice Bismut
www.alicebismut.com

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22. I’d have to say the most successful marketing strategy I’ve used over the past year has been a play on an old management style – Marketing by Walking Around. Whenever I have been in a business or social setting where there is a crowd (conference, someone else’s or one of my own events, etc.) I have made time to get out and speak with as many people face-to-face and find out how I can serve them. Sometimes this service has simply been connecting them with someone else who can help them solve an issue, other times it’s been a direct service opportunity. In either and other cases, those connections remember the conversation and contacted me and/or referred me out later if they had no immediate need.

This has worked so well in some cases that I have arrived at some events and run into people actually looking for me when they had heard I was going to be in attendance. In this world of electronic social networking, there’s still incredible benefit in the face-to-face connection where people truly get a sense of who you are and how you can help them or someone they know.

Chuck Hawks,
www.dreamsfulfilled-llc.com

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23. Teaching the Become a Blogging Maniac course, blogging every day and meeting new people through Twitter. I have attracted 170 new clients into the training arm of my business and have added 479 people to my network, which is pretty solid considering all that is going on in the world right now. Right behind this strategy is public speaking…if you want to make more money with blogging…blog every day!. If you want to make more money with public speaking…speak a LOT!

Bea Fields
http://beafields.com

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24. Collaboration and word of mouth – which I guess are the old fashioned terms for social networking and joint ventures.

Delivering over-the-top customer service makes it easy for people to tell others about you – in fact they almost can’t help themselves. And collaborating with innovative, interesting people with high integrity makes me look that much more innovative and interesting, as well.

Those are the “outer” marketing activities. Just as important is the inner shift I have made – which is to be completely, authentically, and outrageously me. No holding back, and no hiding. I think I have finally gotten the meaning behind a phrase I’ve used for years: “To be someone you are not is to waste the person you are.”

Nina East
PersonalGrowthPrincess.com.