You dread marketing. You rather go for a root canal.
You didn’t go to business school and nobody taught you the secrets everyone else seems to know. And it shows.
You’re in it for the freedom, the flexible schedule, being your own boss, and because you know you have something to offer that will help people.
And so far you suck at marketing. Maybe I should just go back to my day job, is a thought that comes every time you check your bank statement.
Your nightmares are filled with empty seats at your events and the desperation you feel when you open up your online cart and…crickets.
You did the email newsletters, the social media posts. You even boosted one on Facebook for the first time; targeted audience and everything. For a millisecond you felt proud for learning something new.
Even though you’re learning and doing everything you’ve been told to know and do your marketing strategies feel hopeless and you don’t have time to keep up with everything. Your eyes glaze over staring at your computer screen for hours trying to pull one more idea out of your already-overwhelmed brain.
And then you wake up in the dark ready to do it all over again the next day. Hiring someone else to do it isn’t in the cards for you yet. You’ve already busted your wad on B-School, The Product Launch Formula and if you’re in the woo crowd, The Lucky Bitch Money Bootcamp, and there’s nothing left.
Depression sets in and infects many of your days. Is this how it’s supposed to go? You wonder.
I lived this until I leveraged three important strategies that gave me the exposure and publicity I needed to finally get some overdue attention for my business.
In 2008 I didn’t realize that my door to door sales strategy was part of the answer. I built my physical therapy business one doctor’s office and relationship at a time, by showing up and talking to people.
But this online thing is different, I thought. I started learning all the technology and teaching myself about email servers, graphics programs, newsletters, copywriting, online course platforms and whatever else I needed to do to make my dream work.
And when nobody signed up for my new programs, workshops or offerings, I was crushed. I started drowning in the not-good-enough thing, even though I’d been able to build a six-figure business in the past.
I’m good at what I do, I thought, so what’s wrong with me? Why can’t I figure this out?
And then something clicked. One of my coaches helped me land a blog in MindBodyGreen, a much bigger site than I’d previously written for. And my email list started to shift from hundreds to thousands.
I started blogging like a maniac. An indie publisher found one and ended up releasing my next book as a result of that relationship. Whoa, I thought, I can do this!
I decided part of what I was missing was human interaction and signed up as a member for a local networking group. On Purpose Women not only welcomed me, but when I started speaking at meetings, my programs started filling up.
I was starting to get some bigger, different exposure. And it was working.
Then I saw an ad for The National Publicity Summit and thought, okay this might be my chance to take this all to another level. I was right. And while I was terrified typing in my credit card number on that form, something in me knew.
The thirty-plus podcast shows I’d book after that weekend, along with the spots in major online magazines started to give me momentum I hadn’t had before. I started writing my next book, continued blogging like a madwoman, signed up for every speaking spot I could get and smiled as my next two online programs sold out.
A Different Kind of Marketing
There’s a different kind of exposure you need to make your business hum this year. Marketing is still about relationships. How are you creating and nurturing those relationships in your own business?
While it’s fun to sit at your computer in your fuzzy pants and try to find all the people who’d be interested in you and your business, to get the exposure and publicity you need to take that business to the next level will require you getting your badass on.
I’m talking about writing your book, speaking on stages and guesting on podcasts.
I’m going to spell this out for you now, so you know where to focus your energy, what to invest in, and how to go about getting the publicity you need to take it all to the next level.
If you’re like me you’ve watched as everyone else seems to have the secrets but you. You think, why am I always missing the boat on every new idea?
God I get that. But divine timing, you know? Just trust it. It’s really the only thing to fall back on. Along with that positive, on-purpose badass awareness you’ve been practicing.
You got this.
You are good enough.
It’s all perfect timing.
And everything is working out for you. (Thanks Abraham)
Let’s get to work.
Write Your Book (or your blogs)
Blogging and book writing positions you as an expert. In most cases you have multiple books in you. Start writing down your ideas. Learn how to write a great blog. And if writing isn’t your thing then create some videos. Or hire a ghost writer. The idea is to get your content out of you and start getting known for it.
You’ll have to take your writing a step further if you want more exposure though. Guest blogging is one way to do that.
Your words on a bigger platform are a great combo for landing a larger audience. Make sure you have a strong call to action so that when they love what you write there’s somewhere for them to click and find out more.
Another way to take your writing to the next level of exposure is to help out an influencer. Quote them or share something they said or talk up their program. Include that in your piece and then ask for a share. Again, your words shared on a bigger platform is the key here!
When it comes to your book there has never been a better time to write it. Today you can self-publish your amazing message and start using that as a beefed-up business card at all your events.
It’s very cool to write “Author of…” at the end of your signature too!
If who are you to write a book, is what’s drowning out my pep talk right now, you might want to listen to this TEDx talk and get over your boring fears.
Even though the self publishing process is easier and less expensive than it’s ever been that doesn’t mean you should speed through or cut corners. You’ll need to hire a professional editor and probably a cover designer to make sure your book has a chance in the sea of books out there.
Good news is that many people do skimp on the process. So just by hiring an editor and making sure yours is well written and ready for public view, you’ll already be a few gigantic steps ahead of the rest.
The real work starts after your book is published. And marketing your book is a lifelong endeavor; a marathon, not a sprint. There are tons of great ways to market your books. Check out this blog for a few.
Bottom line for writing; your story matters. Express it. The message you still haven’t shared is exactly the message someone needs to hear to change or save their life. Be brave and write your story.
Market Your Message with Speaking
I’m going to let my friend, and TEDx speaker, Chrisa T.S. give you some brilliant wisdom about why you need to craft your signature talk, get over your stage fright, and get up at that microphone. Here is some of her wisdom:
Public speaking leads to wealth. It will help you build your network, foster relationships, get new business, and get job offers.
Is public speaking fear your biggest fear?
I hear you! You’re not alone. The average person ranks the fear of public speaking (also known as glossophobia) higher than the fear of death. The truth is, this fear could be hurting your professional and personal life.
You may have been there before.
You feel nervous, your palms sweat, your stomach ties itself into knots. You don’t want to do it. Speaking can help you promote ideas and move people to action. To do any of these things well requires a fair amount of standing in front of an audience and delivering a pitch, an idea, or a body of work. And sometimes the only thing that stands between you and your audience is fear.
Fear of public speaking is the most common of all phobias. It’s a form of performance anxiety in which a person becomes very concerned that they will look visibly anxious, maybe even have a panic while speaking. Over time, people try to protect themselves by either avoiding public speaking or by struggling against speech anxiety. In this way, people get tricked into making the fear of public speaking more chronic and disruptive. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
I wasn’t comfortable speaking in front of large audiences. Heavily aware of my thick Greek accent — I moved from Greece to Baltimore just a few years ago — I never believed I could be an effective speaker in America. But I’ve never walked away from a challenge, realizing early on that invisibility is a fate worse than failure.
We all will one day have to speak in public. Whether we are giving a formal presentation to an audience, pitching to a customer, or simply asking our boss for a promotion, speaking skills are essential to getting ahead in business and in life.
Communicating your ideas clearly and presenting them openly in public is an essential component of success across several domains of life. Being a good public speaker can help you advance your career, grow your business, and form strong collaborations.
Public speaking has allowed me to take my career to an entirely new level, granting access to people and places I never had before.
Think about if you can influence your customers and your potential customers, with your public speaking. What do you think that means to your bottom line? What do you think that means to the growth of your company?
Find more of Chrisa and The Chrisa Group strategy
Market Your Message as a Podcast Guest
My badass friend Donnie Boivin, the founder of Donnie’s Success Champions is a top-200 iTunes podcaster and knows exactly what kind of exposure podcast guesting will get you! Here are some of his wise words about why you need to start guesting on podcasts:
Let me drop a couple of stats on you: In 2018, there were 200,000 podcasts launched. In the same year, there were 4 million books written.
Now, think about a library. Think about how many libraries exist around the world. Add in Amazon. Between libraries, bookstores, Amazon, and other publishers, how many books do you think have been published worldwide? Billions? Maybe. Possibly even trillions.
Including those 200,000 podcasts launched in 2018, there are only a little more than 600,000 podcasts total. It’s still such a new market, and yet so heavily consumed! Listeners come back day after day to listen to their favorite podcasts, their favorite episodes in their favorite podcasts, and they are devouring this information.
Podcasts are the easiest low-hanging fruit you can get for your business. By appearing on podcasts as a guest expert for an interview, or as a guest co-host or panelist for an episode, you have the opportunity to market yourself and your business to that audience.Through podcasts, you can easily and readily tell your story.”
I have some great news for you – the three of us are getting together on September 5th to bring you an event you’ll not likely forget: Unleash Your Marketing Warrior! If the ideas in this blog are helping you feel inspired and you want to put everything in to aligned action, hesitate no more and click HERE for all the info about the event and early bird registration!
Laura Di Franco, MPT won’t let you settle for a mediocre life. Your health, wealth and joy are one Brave Healing book, workshop, or strategy session away. Let’s get your brave, badass words out in to the world this year! With almost three decades of expertise in holistic physical therapy, six published books and a third-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Laura’s energy and method are contagious and unlike anything you’re experienced. Check out her newest book, Brave Healing, a Guide for Your Journey, her badass programs and free Facebook group for healers. www.BraveHealer.com
