March 14th, 2008
Dear Shama,
After years of working in the corporate world, I decided to strike out on my own. As a coach. I researched a lot of professions but this stood out for me. It just felt like my calling. I researched professional organizations and even got my certification from a well known coaching association. They did a good job going over the ethics and history of the coaching profession, but nada when it came to marketing. The advantage of being in the corporate world was that I never had to market myself. Clients came to us because of our big name. Now, I feel like I am drowning in a pool of coaches. How do I distinguish myself? Do I have a chance of making it in this field?
-Coach in Trouble in Dallas
Dear Coach in Trouble,
First things first. You do have a chance of making it. Even better, you are more likely to succeed because you are open to getting help when you need it. The question you are asking is a very important one, and one that I wish more coaches and professionals asked themselves. How do I distinguish myself in my field? Marketing works best when it is built on a solid platform. You can try every marketing strategy and tactic in the book without results if you don’t have a solid offering and niche. Your first task is to define who you want to work with and what problem you can help solve the BEST. A life coach cannot work successfully with everyone in the world. They are bound to have more success with certain types of clients and certain types of issues. Your job is to find that certain type of client and problem.
Second, offer them a solution that no one else is offering. A new or more updated solution to an old problem is what you are looking for here. For example, I was recently approached by two attorneys who want help marketing their law firm. I offered to come hold all our marketing sessions at their conference room. Is it a bit inconvenient for me? Yes. But does it make the service that much more valuable to the client? No doubt about it! By making one small tweak in the way I deliver my services, I had offered them something no one else had thought of offering them before.
Once you have clearly defined your niche and the problem you wish to help them with, we can talk about how to fill up your practice. But, first things first.
Best of Luck!
-Shama
Posted in Dear Shama Letters | 2 Comments »
December 20th, 2007
Dear Shama,
I am an event planner and love helping people create memorable events. I started my business with a lot of love for what I do, but now my passion is getting eroded. And it’s not because I don’t like to market! I do. I am enthusiastic about what I do and have no problems tooting my own horn. However, I just don’t get marketing. I should be a marketing pro by now, because I have read almost every book out there on the subject! Yet…I am not seeing any results in my business. What gives?
-Creative Planner in UK
Dear Creative Planner in UK,
I have a friend who watches every legal TV show known to man, but it doesn’t make her a lawyer. In order to be a good marketer, you have to do more than read books. You have to develop skills!
Buying books or taking classes won’t make you an expert marketer. Implementing those ideas you find in the books will put you on that path. There are a couple of key steps you need to follow here-
- Start with the basics-and get REAL good at it. You may be trying too many things to market your business without having all the fundamentals in place first. If you take just one marketing strategy and apply it thoroughly you will get better results than if you implemented a hundred haphazardly.
- Remember that it’s a process- Marketing is not just a means to an end, it is a constant process. There is bound to be trial and error, and all marketing strategies require patience and fine tuning.
- Take it one step at a time- If you love what you do, it will show. Take your marketing one step at a time, and fully implement each strategy before moving to the next. You are on the right path!
Best of Luck!
-Shama
Posted in Dear Shama Letters | No Comments »
November 26th, 2007
Dear Shama,
We are an IT company that works primarily with small and medium sized businesses in our local region. However, we would like to spread our wings now and reach more people. Our experts are fantastic. I mean-we know our stuff! However, marketing isn’t our thing. Imagine an office full of geeks (good looking ones), but geeks nonetheless. We are familiar with blogging-we reads lots of tech blogs. Now, we are considering if a business blog may be the way for us to go in order to expand our reach. And if so, how do we start? What do you think?
-IT Studs in Toronto
Dear IT Studs in Toronto,
The simple answer to your question is yes. Yes, you should start a business blog if you are trying to expand your reach. A business blog is a great way to 1) showcase your skills, and 2) to reach a broader audience.
For a beginner’s lesson in business blogging check out How to Create and Manage a Business Blog. As a technical person, you may have the inclination to "optimize" your blog with widgets galore. Resist this urge at first, and focus on writing truly solid content. How-to posts do well in the business blog world. You will need to reach out to fellow bloggers, and friends and family to get initial traffic on the website. Also, put your blog address on your business cards and in your email signatures. You will need all the traction you can get when starting out.
I also recommend getting a subscription to Word Tracker and optimizing your posts with keyword rich content. This will help drive organic search engine traffic to your blog, and it will will help Google index your pages faster. Last but not least, have patience. A business blog takes time to build and sustain, but the efforts are well worth it in the long run.
Best of Luck!
-Shama
Posted in Business Blogging, Dear Shama Letters, Marketing Tools for Your Service Business, Marketing Your Business | No Comments »
