While helping one of my clients discover a marketing strategy that makes sense, I realised how powerful, soul-satisfying, and freeing is the process of finding something that resonates with one’s authentic self. And that’s especially true when people realise that they don’t have to sell their souls to market themselves or make a living as an entrepreneur.
Now, some may think I’m talking about achieving entrepreneurial nirvana, which may take ages, not so, my friend. Marketing doesn’t have to be the way every guru out there wants you to follow. It doesn’t have to have bells and whistles, involve complicated funnels, or buy insanely expensive online tools on monthly subscriptions if all that makes you uncomfortable or makes your head spin.
And you sure don’t have to spend 16 hours building and shamelessly promoting your Facebook or LinkedIn page when you know deep down you should be focusing on practising your craft and delighting your clients.
So, what gives? Nothing. Just a bit of self-awareness and understanding whom you want to serve. Suppose you were expecting something out of the ordinary or a secret sauce; sorry for disappointing you. There’s no secret sauce. There never was any. The gurus have made you believe there’s one, so they can sell their wares.
Understanding the audience you want to serve and clarifying who you are and what you’re trying to achieve is all you need to get started. Because it’s hard to communicate the value you can provide if you aren’t comfortable with how you’ve positioned yourself.
It is being comfortable in your skin in a super-power. It helps you stay focused on serving others who need someone like you in their lives instead of trying way too hard to impress people. And that’s such a relief when you hate schmoozing up to people!
Of course, I’m not suggesting shutting down your social media accounts or website. Far from it. All I ask is for you to be deliberate about who you want to serve and how can you offer value. Having clarity on those two aspects should cover 80% of your marketing challenges. Telling people about it by educating them or having lively conversations fills up the rest.
How you educate and converse with people can be as complicated or as simple as you would like. My suggestion is always to go with the simplest medium and build from there. Everything depends on what you’re comfortable with and how best you would like to maximise your time.
As I said, marketing is personal. It always has been and always will be.