Thousands of people on a daily basis use the Internet to find free information related to nutrition consulting. You can meet that need for information while advertising your own business. Here's how to have an online presence:
Build an Informational Website
You website has to be a resource for people searching for nutrition information. If you can use it to build a community, you'll do even better in converting readers to customers. If you make a website just about you and your business, you'll lose interest from readers surfing the Internet for help.
Another way to quench the thirst for information is to provide a free report on a hot topic in nutrition consulting. People will download your report and have your contact information (contained in the report) handy in case they need to retain your services. They'll also have it on their computer as a reference, which will keep you in their minds when a future need for your services comes up.
Be a Guest Blogger
There are many health related blogs that are doing extremely well on the Internet, with millions of readers per month. Rather that start your own blog from scratch, you might consider blogging for one of the more popular sites. The benefit to you for blogging is that you establish yourself as an expert in the field, and when someone needs one-on-one advice from a nutrition consultant, they'll go to you. The benefit to the blog or website owners is that you provide professional and quality content, which engages their readers, keeps them ranking high in the search engines, and therefore they can generate more advertising dollars. It can be a win-win situation.
You'll have to weigh the pros and cons for only accepting paid blog jobs, or writing blog posts for free. It depends on the visibility of the blog, as well as the actual return in dollars.
Utilize Press Releases
These are great ways to generate publicity online for your nutrition consulting business. Your job is to stay on top of health related news and trends that affect your clients. When a news item or current event comes up, take the time to write a press release with your comments. Keep it to one page, and don't forget to include your contact information. Submit it online for free using BestSyndication, or you can use a paid site such as PRWeb, which will disseminate your release in thousands of outlets on the Internet. You should also submit it online to local and national television news organizations.
Use Podcasts
Another great way to use the Internet to advertise your nutrition consulting business is through podcasts. You can start your own, or appear as a guest on already established podcasts. People who are too busy to ready your materials or your website may be willing to download your podcast or interviews to listen to at their convenience. You don't want to appear to be doing nothing but selling yourself on a podcast interview. Instead, provide information just as you would if writing a blog post or other written material. This will help your audience (or someone else's) get to know you and trust you, which can lead to more business.
It takes time to establish a nutrition consulting business, but you can help jump start it by using the Internet from day one. If you treat your business as an information product and find creative ways to get it out online, you'll be well on your way to meeting your sales goals.
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Daphne Mallory, Esq. is the co-owner of Mallory Writing Services and has written more than 100 articles helping home based business owners and entrepreneurs start and market their business. You can learn more about her here.
