Does marketing feel like you’re pushing yourself out there hoping for a response?

Marketing can be pushy, and it can feel… yucky. But it can also be nurturing, and authentic. And actually – that’s whatyour marketing efforts are supposed to do. They are meant to help you build relationships and create a community through your business.

How the heck does marketing create community?

Marketing can be abused. And you see examples of that with the people who use marketing to manipulate, or play on the fears of your ego. 

But, at it’s core, marketing is meant to help your business build and nurture relationships. Marketing is the tool that helps people connect with you, identify with what your offering, and know that they belong in your business. Marketing is meant to help you create a community within the walls of your business.

Marketing is not selling.

Selling is the act of trying to convince someone to purchase something from you. And trying to convince someone to do something is never comfortable. 

Marketing on the other hand, if done from a nurturing place, is meant to help you and your business build and strengthen relationships with the people that need you. 

So what is needed to create a community through your marketing efforts?
 

1. You need a way to stay in touch and build relationships with people after they meet you. 

People may not be ready to purchase from you, or they may not fully understand how you can help them the first time they meet you. By having a way to stay in touch with them, you ensure that they will get to know you and fully understand what you do. 

When the time comes for them to need your service, they have no issue scheduling a session or purchasing from you. 

2. A good combination of active and passive marketing activities. Passive activities include things like advertising, and putting fliers up. If you don’t have active activities to balance these out, your efforts won’t be effective. 

Active activities include networking, and speaking – anything that gets you face-to-face with the community of people you’re trying to reach. 

3. Niche. I can’t say enough how important it is to be really, ultra clear about who it is you want to serve. The truth is, you really can’t serve everyone – even though I know you may want to try  

First, you don’t have the physical capacity to serve all 6 billion people on the planet. 

Second, not everyone is exactly right for your business. And if you try to serve those people – it expends a ton of energy trying to fit them into your business. 

Think about who you absolutely love serving, and focus on them. 

Marketing is actually not only fun, but if done right, in a nurturing, balanced way, your efforts can flow more easily allowing you to enjoy your business more, and allowing you to better serve in your business.

If you’re feeling frustrated with the way your marketing is going, check out my June 10 Teleclinic - Discover what’s missing from your marketing. See the details here.

Alright - I know this is going to be shocking to some people… especially if you’ve heard me talk about how Twitter just isn’t right for me… If you’ve heard my thoughts on this, you know - I go into this whole schpeel about how we don’t have to be part of every single social network out there, we can do what’s right for our business - we don’t have to give into the peer pressure… I think I even throw in something about too much of this stuff can be distracting - and how it can be like chasing bright shiny new objects all over the internet - yadda yadda yadda.

Well, this week, I finally decided that it was time to try Twitter. I’ve heard enough about it, I’ve seen enough reviews, articles, and  information on it that I finally decided to join the club.

So what was it that finally pushed me over the edge? Well, someone in The Business Oasis said something about it being fun. What?!? Fun?!? I’m missing FUN?!? That was it - that was the last straw. I immediately went over, set up my account and started following people. God forbid I’m missing a party!!

So anyway - I’m still finding my way around Twitter - but if you’re so inclined, I’d love to follow you and have you follow me… even though as of right now I haven’t posted any updates… I know - I’m a little slow on the uptake with this thing!

I’ll share my experience with it, and let ya know how it’s going… heck, I may even share it on Twitter LOL!! If you want to follow me - @jenngivler

I’m so excited to be posting the very first installment of my new blog series - Answering Your Questions. If you have a question, please do feel free to e-mail it to me. I’ll answer it right here on the blog.

For this first installment, we are addressing a question about niching.

Sylvia Asks:
“My name is Sylvia Hill, and I am The Queen of Las Vegas at http://www.sylviaslasvegassecrets.com     I’m having some trouble focusing on a specific interest group or niche for my business.  Since Las Vegas is a huge subject to cover, am not sure what to present myself as and who to present to.”

Ahhhh the niche question - this remains one of the more challenging things for us to choose as we strive toward building a thriving business. Some people feel very resistant to choosing a niche because it feels like you might be excluding people - or putting up a barrier that says “Nope, sorry, I can’t help you” when really, you feel like you can help anyone.

And there is truth to that. Truly - any business CAN help anyone. But, as Sylvia has eluded to, there comes a time when you realize that trying to serve everyone is quite difficult. Trying to reach and connect with everyone makes your marketing more difficult, and really, as a human, you don’t have time or mental and emotional capacity to serve absolutely everyone.

This is where niche comes in.  A niche makes your marketing efforts easier because you can create targeted advertising, and you can use language in your ads that really helps connect you to the people you want to serve.

And niche is also good for helping you create a community-like feeling in your business. People really understand that they belong in your business because they can see that other people just like themselves are hanging out within the walls of your business.

Now, let’s talk about Sylvia’s specific question - how to choose a niche. I agree - in her business, Las Vegas has enormous potential as far as choosing a niche is concerned.

The first place to look is in you (you knew I was going to say that didn’t you?? ). Who is it that you absolutely LOVE to work with? Who are the people that just make your heart sing when you work with them? And what is it that you love helping people with? Sure, there’s a lot you can do in Vegas - but what is it that you just love to do for clients?

Next, look at your current client-base. Who are the majority of the people that are already attracted to your work? Can you see commonalities between your clients?

These questions will help get you started with the honing process. Once you’ve narrowed it down a bit, and have begun working with the people you love to serve, chances are good your niche will continue to evlove. My niche still evolves in my business to this day… I’m convinced I’ll never be done evolving…

Sylvia - if you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me, or post your comments here at the blog. Also - if any of you savvy readers have anything to add - please do share!

I was having dinner with a few colleagues last night and we got to talking about different ideas on getting the word out about our businesses. We started talking about all the great events that are taking place here locally - like the Grower’s Market, Swinging Summer Thursdays, the Turk’s Head Music Festival and the Restaurant Festival.

We were getting excited because these are going to be such good opportunities for us to get out in the community and meet new people. As you can see, these events aren’t typical networking events. These are community events and they will put us right in front of our potential clients. And the best part is, we can enjoy the events and have a great time, while energizing our business!

Here are three things to help you leverage the event.

1. Don’t make it about getting clients, make it about meeting new people. If you go to events with the expectation that you want to walk away with clients, that can put a lot of undue pressure on you. That pressure can make you pushy and edgy. The chances that you’ll sign a new client the first time they meet you are slim. Make it about having fun and just meeting new people.

Once you’ve met some new people, chances are good some of them will be potential clients and they’ll be interested in joining your newsletter list. Once they’re on your list, they can get to know you and may become clients down the road.

2.  Have an escape plan. My friend Lisa told me this tip. Think about how you might end a conversation with someone. There are always so many people to meet and there’s always so much to do at these events, it can be hard to break away from some conversations. Here are a couple of conversation breakers: “It’s been great talking to you, I see someone that has a question.” Or “I’m so glad we met, feel free to stop back and tell me how you’re enjoying the event!” Of course, remember to be sincere. Having a few phrases like this can help you easily end a conversation without feeling awkward or rude.

3.  Don’t wait too long to follow-up. When you make a great connection at an event, make sure you follow-up within a couple of days. If you let it go too long, you may just forget all together. I always have a small notepad with me and I make a to-do list during the event. I jot down who I want to touch base with and what I want to chat about. That way, I can focus on the event, and not worry about forgetting any details.

Community events are great opportunities to get your business in front of new people. Check your local area and see what you can get involved in!

**There are still spots available for my Thriving Business 1 on 1 Intensive Coaching Program. If it’s taking you longer than you thought it would to build a steady client flow in your business, this program may be just what you need. Check it out here.

I’m starting a new blog series where I’ll answer questions from readers about building a healing practice. If you have a question, if you’re facing a challenge, if you need help with something, submit your question and I’ll answer it right here on the blog.

When I answer your question, I’ll include your name, and a link to your web site or blog. If you’d like to remain anonymous, that’s fine too

Please e-mail your questions. When I receive your e-mail, I’ll respond to your question via e-mail and let you know when your question will appear on the blog.

I talk to people all the time about newsletters, and how they benefit a business.

Maybe you’ve kicked around the idea of starting a newsletter. It sounds like a great idea, lots of other businesses seem to do it, and it’s a great way to stay in front of your potential clients. But it also seems a little overwhelming, and really, what would you write anyway?

The other thing I hear practitioners worry about is, they feel they may be pestering people by sending them something on a regular basis.

As long as you don’t over-do your newsletter (meaning sending something excessively), the risk of pestering people is minimal.

If you have a way for them to “opt-in,” it’s their choice whether they sign up or not. Also, if you’re up front about how often you’ll be in touch, people will know what to expect when they sign up for your newsletter.

The truth is, people want that connection from you.

A newsletter serves more purpose than just being a vehicle for your upcoming workshops and services. A newsletter is the perfect way to help you make a strong, deep connection with your potential clients. By staying in front of your audience regularly, they get to know you, and they get to have a small sampling of how you work.

The people that say they want your newsletter are telling you that they want more of you – they want to hear from you regularly, because they’re interested in how you can serve them. And, they want to deepen the connection with you.

This might be sounding like a lot of work - but I promise you, it’s really not all that bad. 

Your newsletter can be exactly what you want it to be – exactly what fits into your life, your schedule and your business.

Here are three essential things to include:

1. Include a personal touch – like the Note from Jenn above, adding something personal allows your subscribers to connect with you on a deeper level. They see things they may have in common with you aside from your business. They get to know the you outside of your office.

2. Provide something valuable – people love to have tid-bits of information that will help them in their lives. Give your readers handy tips, write articles, give recipes – whatever your potential clients think is valuable is fair game for your newsletter. Just remember to keep it simple so you don’t overwhelm them.

3. Tell us what ya got – make sure to include information about how you can serve your clients. Again, they’ve subscribed to your newsletter because they’re interested in how you can serve them. Definitely include information about your services and products.

Questions for discussion:

Do you have a newsletter? Why, or why not?

Do you have questions about newsletters? What are they? We’d love to help!

What is your biggest newsletter pet peeve?

There is so much technology out there for web sites. It can be confusing and overwhelming to know exactly what to include.

In your opinion, what are the really important pieces to a web site? What is absolutely necessary and what isn’t?

I am absolutely honored. I’ve been asked to be a guest on Katherine Reschke’s BlogTalk Radio Show tomorrow at Noon EST.

Katherine and I are going to be talking about mind-set traps. We’ll discuss what they are, how they effect you and how they may be sabotaging your efforts to build a thriving business.

Katherine is a phenominal person. She’s a coach who helps people figure out what their passion is. Then, she helps you build a business around it.

I know first-hand that her show is interactive, fun, and dynamic! Oh - and the best part is - you can CALL IN LIVE and speak with us. Ask us questions, offer a perspective - how cool is that? Do join us!

“The message for business people contemplating their place in cyberspace is simple and direct:  get linked or get lost.”  ~Vic Sussman and Kenan Pollack

Ok, so that’s a little bit harsher than I would present the topic! But, there is truth to this quote.

Where do a majority of your clients come from? In other words, where is it that people find you? Many holistic businesses that I speak with say that a majority of their clients come from word-of-mouth. Which, is a great thing! It means your current clients are talking about you, and they love the work you do for them.

So, really, what is all the fuss about web sites, and why do you need one if most of your clients come to you from word of mouth anyway?

Five years ago, when people asked me if they really needed a web site, I would tell them that it was completely up to them. That a web site wasn’t completely necessary.

Today, my answer is quite different. I always tell clients that a web site – an effective web site – is a must.

The truth is, we live in a world that is relying more and more on the internet. People use the internet, not only to find local services and businesses, but also to sort of window shop before they decide which service or business to visit.

I’ve done it myself. Just last week, I was looking for a yoga class. There are three schools in my immediate area, plus dozens of others in the surrounding area. I got online to check out the schools close-by. Two schools had web sites. I checked out both schools – and never even considered the school with no site. I found the school that resonated best with me, and I’ll be signing up for classes this week. And this is not a slam on the school with no site… it’s just that I found what I was looking for via the internet. Is the site-less school a good one? I have no doubt. But, I didn’t look into their school – and who knows who else they’ve missed because they’re missing a web site.

Don’t fret if you don’t yet have a web presence – this is not meant to be a scare-you-into-a-website sort of message. But, this is the reality that exists for businesses – including spiritually conscious businesses.

Luckily, it’s not difficult to set up a simple web site. You just need to know the key ingredients, and put a little time and effort into it. You don’t need all the bells and whistles – you just need something that connects with your potential clients.

This is not to say that you need to move your entire business to an online entity. It’s simply that having a web site will really help people find you, and it will help people connect with you in a whole new way.

The fact is, the internet is evolving, and is now a place where people go to window shop and find services. Having a web site can really help your potential clients find you, and it can help people connect with you.

What are your thoughts on having a web site? Do you have a site currently? If so, how is it doing to attract clients to you?

Next week, we’re going to talk about what the key ingredients are for an effective web site.

Hey everyone! I am privileged and honored to be the host of the March 29 edition of the Carnival of Healing. This will be my second time hosting and I’m really excited!

We are looking for submissions. Please feel free to submit your posts using the links below.

If you’ve never done a blog carnival, this is a great one to jump in with. Blog carnivals can help drive traffic to your blog - giving you exposure to 1,000’s of people. If you want more information about Blog Carnivals - if you’re not sure what it is or specifically how it can help your blog be seen, feel free to ask your questions in the comments section. I’m happy to help you out!

Check out the Carnival of Healing here:

Carnival of Healing Home Page
Carnival of Healing Archives
Carnival of Healing Submission Form
To volunteer to host future carnival