Anyone who has ever started their own business understands how difficult it can be at times to take upon your back the responsibility of marketing, selling, and expanding the business.
When I started my own business and started working freelancing as a coach as well as a copywriter, one thing that frightened me the most was marketing. Was I doing it correctly? Who should I advertise to? What should I do? Do I need to do the process in person or via the internet? The internet has a myriad of concerns.
The paradox is that I have been in a position at a corporate level in which I was involved with branding and marketing and writing communications, which meant that I had the “expert knowledge gained in the corporate sector. I was just unsure of which way to use it for myself or the company I was running. This is one reason that I decided to specialize in helping small business owners to manage their marketing in ways that they feel comfortable and comfortable, as that was the biggest issue I faced. It was my goal to resolve this issue for myself and also to assist others who were also struggling.
Marketing can be difficult for those who aren’t naturally confident, outgoing people who can go out and easily win business.
I’m naturally introverted I’m naturally shy, so for me, it was an enormous task. I was shy, scared, and unsure of what to say, what to say or what to do, what to do, where to go, and even how to begin. Marketing seemed to be so away from my comfort zone. It was embarrassing, awkward, and felt like a huge risk.
After a couple of months of wailing and messing around, I finally decided to take action about it, in my own interest and also for the small-scale business owners I met who were also finding marketing to be complicated or uncomfortable. I decided to apply my knowledge from the corporate world and begin looking for ways to use it for small enterprises in a way that utilized my coaching abilities and allowed me to adapt the ‘official marketing rules to meet my requirements, as well as the needs of the others I worked with.
Marketing and brand building are, in essence, all about creating relationships. I realized that I’m pretty adept at establishing relationships one-on-one; however, I’m not as good at dealing with large crowds. So I decided to focus on my strengths and apply my skills to do marketing for me.
In this article, I’ll share the lessons I’ve learned and what is working for me, with the hope that it will work for you, too, regardless of whether you’re naturally confident or extrovert. What you need to do is find your passion for what you do and express confidence in your talents and knowledge, and then find people who will benefit from the products or services you offer. Do not think of it as selling, instead think about it being a way to help solve the problems of people, and that’s the first step toward building a comfort zone in marketing for yourself.
With that in mind, here are my top five strategies for making marketing simple and in a way that fits your style and makes sense for you.
1. Make things as simple as you can for yourself.
If you want to feel confident and confident, you must plan, prepare, and prepare. Be sure to know your target audience, and be certain of the purpose of your marketing (i.e., the things you do and why you do it, who you’re doing for, and how it will solve their issue or help them in any way) and what the goal of whatever you’re doing. Practice and practice until you’re sure of your work and feel at ease, and most of all, be kind to yourself. Don’t get yourself in a bind for not being naturally proficient at what you do. There are very few of us. You are the person you are. Accept this and make your own personal preferences.
Do not force yourself to do things you’re not willing to do, such as making cold calls or networking at large gatherings. There’s no sense in doing something you’re not a pro at or don’t feel comfortable doing as you’ll not perform it properly and be feeling awful afterward. Do yourself a favor and don’t take on the task.
2. Determine the areas
you excel at and use those strengths to your advantage so that you don’t give yourself a tough time with the things that you’re not great at and using your strengths. If you’re unsure of what you’re skilled at, begin by asking your family, friends, family, and your loyal customers. Consider things that you can do effortlessly and without effort. These are the stuff that seems similar to falling off a cliff, and yet others find them difficult. These natural talents and skills are those that we often underestimate (because we think they’re superficial), but they’re the most critical factor in your success.
If you’re skilled at writing and you’re satisfied with your work, and you’re looking for the most critical aspect of your marketing. Write newsletters, articles, blogs, and e-books in order to get in contact with your potential customers. If you’re an engineer, social networks and online marketing might be more your style. If you’re not sure about either, engage someone else to manage your marketing for you. It’s not a ploy to get away with it or a sign of failure, and it’s a sage choice to outsource to an expert so that you can concentrate on the things you excel at for your business.
3. Social media could be your best friend.
I was skeptical of it for a long time, but nowadays, content is the king, and should you wish for customers to find your company and quickly see that you are you’re an authority in the field and are, then you’ll need to be online and make use of social media. There are many online courses and tools out that can show you how to utilize tools such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest to connect with your customers. Many of them are free. Alternatively, you can have someone manage your social media for you. You can also use Facebook ads and Google AdWords to drive traffic to your site, and, as long as your content is well-written and well-designed – let your site take care of the work for you.
4 – Make use of video!
It’s not as terrifying as it appears, in fact. When I was first advised to make a video of a shorter length and upload it to YouTube, I was scared; however, I gave it an attempt and soon realized that being an introvert, YouTube is the perfect option for me. I’m in total control of the process, and I can make it until I’m sure and then go back to it in case I make a mistake and create the video as short or long as I like. Because we’re trying to build connections with our customers and customers, video is an excellent way to give your customers and customers the opportunity of getting to know you and getting to know you in a manner that feels secure for you.
The best part is the possibility of doing audio and webinars, in which you can either transmit your audio files of the content (somewhat instead of writing the content down, should you not feel confident about the writing) or, in webinars, you speak over the top of a PowerPoint-style presentation. It’s all done on your personal time and recorded to ensure that you are in complete control of the presentation, and you can repeat it until you’re satisfied and confident.
5 – The most efficient and effective
method in marketing is to request recommendations and referrals. There is nothing as effective in winning your customers over as a recommendation because they’re from a person you trust, and your potential customer can inquire from your satisfied customer various questions to determine if you’re the best person for them. Ask your happy and loyal customers who they know could be benefited from your services as well as your product. Then ask for a recommendation from you. What you do to thank them is your choice but be sure to show gratitude!
In those five suggestions are some ideas of marketing that can make you think, “yes indeed I could actually do this, and it’s not at all scary… ” If you could accomplish anything to assist you in building your business, it’s to encourage you to try it and take your breath, screw up your confidence, and attempt. Be sure to make it as secure in a manner that you can, and you should be gentle with yourself. The most important thing is to ensure you give yourself ample time to recuperate from the stress introverts are sensitive to and must allow our bodies and minds peace and silence to get grounded to regain our sense of security.
However, once you’ve found ways to market your business you’re confident in and feel confident about, confidence will increase, as will your company!
Contact me today for my personal assistance and support to help you grow and promote your company in ways you can enjoy and find simple.
