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.