Many people are turned off by marketing because they see it as self-serving advertising aimed at taking money from people. I’ve seen loads of this type of shameless, self-promotion out there, and it’s a turn off. Of course, you wouldn’t want to be known as that type of self-promoter.
The conundrum is that, as an entrepreneur, you have to get your message out there in a big way and, as a coach, you want to live on purpose. You want to grab attention without being pushy, and make sincere promises to deliver that don’t violate your integrity. Without applying pressure, you want to inspire clients to take the action you know they need to take. And without using a gimmick, you want to appeal to a sense of urgency. You want to attract the attention of the people who need you and let them know that you’re the answer to their prayers. And you need to communicate full-out so that those people can find you! Otherwise, you’re a well-kept secret!
So how do you put it out there in a way that feels aligned with your values—where you feel genuine and filled with integrity?
Authentic Marketing
The answer is to market authentically, to learn how to communicate in a clear, sincere, and compelling way. Marketing shouldn’t be slinging sales talk at someone or getting on a soapbox. Authentic marketing is having a real conversation that speaks to someone’s needs. Its genesis is in uncovering your passion, finding its voice and allowing it to be heard. It’s a dialogue that flows from the inside out.
To uncover your passion, you need to reconnect to your vision—why you started your business in the first place. When you do that, you’ll clear the mental cobwebs and connect back to what has always been there but got mucked over by those voices that play in your head. Tapes like “I’m not a sales type. I don’t have the personality for it.” “I don’t want to be intrusive.” “I don’t like to talk about myself.” “I’m embarrassed that people might think I need money.”
People are attracted when you speak from your passion. When you are in touch with your gift, your energy shifts and a meaningful, natural conversation can open. You speak in ways that illumine opportunities; that make space for transformation. You share your belief in the person’s ability to change and invite that person to try on a new way of thinking and being. When your agenda is pure, others are attracted to your clear and obvious commitment to help them create change.
When you re-connect to your love of facilitating positive change for others, your marketing will be transformed because you have been transformed from salesperson into instrument of change.
You then become fearless about speaking about the solutions you bring forward. You find this space within you where marketing is no longer a drag. It’s exhilarating; in fact, it’s feels a lot like falling in love with your gift, again, and enrolling others in that feeling. Remember the first day of coach training? How in love you felt with this way of being in the world? What could be more powerful and satisfying?
To market authentically to those we want to serve means that we communicate and show up in ways that respect their sensibilities, speak to their intelligence, and honor their ability to discern for themselves what they will buy.
What does your messaging convey?
Does your heart and purpose shine through your words and way of being?
What will it take for you to shift your marketing messages from promotion to authentic contribution?