Marketing From the Heart

Does the thought of marketing your business create a knot in your stomach? Does it conjure up thoughts of pushy salespeople, hours of phone soliciting, or stacks of monthly mailings? Marketing doesn’t have to be a business owner’s nightmare; and you don’t need a college degree in that field to do it. Depending on the type of business, you don’t even need a set strategy. As a matter of fact you can make up the rules as you go along!

As business owners many of us cringe at the thought of promoting our business. After all, we are offering a particular product or service and that is where our strength lies. We are knowledgeable about what we offer, not about how to offer it. Trying to promote your business can be mentally and physically draining, not to mention time consuming. This is especially true if you are using a method that doesn’t seem natural. Yet, visibility and exposure is key to attracting customers and building a sound business foundation. Is there a way to market that is actually fun and enjoyable? I hear that question a lot and I can honestly say that there is if you market from the heart. When coaching my clients around the subject of marketing it doesn’t make sense to start talking strategy. They aren’t marketing majors and they are pretty shy about stepping out there to gain exposure. My clients know their product or service inside and out but they don’t know how to tell others about it. That’s why marketing from the heart resonates so well with them.

Marketing from the heart means that you break the stereotypical mold and do it your way! Forget all the “shoulds” you ever learned about marketing and do what comes naturally. If you are a people person how about setting up a booth at a trade show? You’ll meet people, network, and get to promote your business. Do you love to talk and educate people? Hold workshops, presentations, or classes and inform people about your latest product or service. This can be done at colleges, libraries, bookstores, or for professional groups.

I love to write and have been very successful using this method to market my coaching practice. Are you a natural born writer? Start writing articles about what you do and submit them to local magazines, newspapers, or online venues. This will get your name out there and will attract potential customers. If you enjoy helping people then volunteer your services or donate your product. People will get to know you and will tell others about your business. I am a certified personal trainer as well as a life coach. I spend one day a week volunteering my time to teach fitness classes to at-risk youth. As a result, the person in charge of the facility is now interested in hiring me to teach the staff.

During one of my recent book signings, the manager of the bookstore liked the way I interacted with the customers. He has invited me back at the end of the summer to host a group-coaching workshop. This will bring customers into his store and it will also allow me to promote my business. All I did during the book signing was chat about the book and answer questions. I was having fun and it was all very natural.

If you enjoy communicating via the Internet then post advertisements or announcements in ezines and on message boards. Have some fun sending online or local press releases to announce what you’re doing and what you’ve been involved in. By typing in key words on the Internet, you can locate web sites that will circulate your press releases for free. By sending press releases I landed five media interviews in local papers, four online interviews, and one radio interview. Again, this opened many doors for me and attracted potential clients.

This is all marketing from the heart. Doing what you love to attract customers, network, gain exposure, and build a strong business foundation. In addition, this will rarely cost you any money. Allow yourself to feel inspired by doing what comes naturally. If you are doing what you love and having fun at it, how can it be a chore? Make up your own rules, do what inspires you, and watch your business flourish!

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Monique has over 15 years of business experience in areas such as healthcare, corporate training, teaching, management, and IT project management. She has been a certified personal trainer for fourteen years, an executive and business coach for seven years, and has vast experience in the areas of wellness, fitness and nutrition, life coaching services, transition coaching and other professional services. You can find information about her Seven Dimensions of Wellness at her website, bodylifedynamics.com/.

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