Hands down, one of the most crucial tasks of your business is marketing, but have you considered alternative strategies such as tutorials?

No matter what kind of business you run, you know that it is always important to spread the word because the more visitors to your website, the more potential sales. Likewise, the more people you have coming into your brick and mortar shop, the more potential customers.

But marketing is not always the most fun or interesting part of a business. And let’s face – it can be downright difficult at times, especially if you have thin skin. Think about it: you pitch to a magazine, web site, a magazine, or even a TV producer and then you never hear back. Immediately, your brain gets flooded with negative thoughts, “This sucks. Why doesn’t ____ like my product? What am I doing wrong? How do I fix this?”

Whether you are frustrated with the lack of responses to your press pitches, or you are simply tired of pitching your products and services over and over again in the same way, you can make things fun and your pitches more successful if you’re willing to think outside of the typical marketing box.

So, instead of pitching the same “this is my newest collection and here’s why your readers will love it” idea again and again, you need to branch out and try something new.

“Okay, okay. I hear you. But how the heck do I do that?”

Teaching through tutorials

Creating original tutorials, also known as how-to articles, that are in line with your business can get you big press coverage; and if you do it right, will also bring in highly targeted traffic (that means dollar signs and potential customers for your business). That’s your new marketing strategy!

You should be pitching tutorial ideas to those big sites, blogs, and magazines with large readerships to get your foot in the door. Editors are much more likely to welcome a pitch that can actually help their readers as opposed to one that just tells them about another product they should buy.

Why? People like to learn. Sure, they enjoy being entertained and notified of the coolest gadgets, but they also like to be educated (and I’m not just talking about a history lesson). Everyone has passions and interests outside of their work life, and let me tell you a little secret…

People spend BIG money on their hobbies and passions.

So, if you can share a little nugget with those people about something they are already interested in, via a tutorial, then you can drive more traffic to your website and bring potential customers through your doors.

The trick is creating a tutorial that is in line with your business

Here’s an example: If you have a dog walking business, you should be pitching articles about dog behavior. Approach your local news channel or newspaper with a tutorial like this: How to teach your dog any trick in ten minutes or less.

If you get a feature, people watching the local news (or reading the paper) that also own a dog will be interested. AND you’ll also be further interesting those pet owners who don’t have a lot of time on their hands (that’s the ten minutes or less part). This is exactly who you are trying to reach with a local dog walking business, so it’s perfect! Make sure the article or television feature includes information about how people can find you, and you’ll start hearing from local dog owners that are pressed for time and really need your services!

Final tip: Make sure that you get credit for your hard work via a link back to your biz, whether it’s a web feature or in print (and even for television). It’s pretty standard, but sometimes you have to ask. So, make sure you do because you want interested parties to be able to find you quickly and easily after they read what you have to say (or watch your segment on TV). If they like what they see, they’ll bookmark your site and keep you in mind the next time they want to buy. Or better yet, they might even buy something after their very first visit. Sometimes that’s all it takes.

Not sure how tutorial pitches can work for your business? Tell me a little about your biz in the comments, and I’ll think of a tutorial pitch just for you.

Creating original tutorials, also known as how-to articles, that are in line with your business can get you big press coverage and highly targeted traffic.