About this episode.
Marketing has changed a lot over the years. Not only have we seen the introduction of a lot of new digital and social media platforms, what clients and our community want from us has evolved, the way they interact and engage with our brands has changed, what they expect today is different than it was only a couple of years ago.
In this episode I dive into 3 of the essential elements needed to to market your online business in 2021.
---
Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Business of Perfectionism. My name is Kristy and I am a Business Coach and Mentor helping creative entrepreneurs overcome perfectionism and build a business that that feels good for them.
What I really wanted to chat with you about today, is marketing your online business in 2021.
The way we market our businesses has really changed a lot over the years, obviously there have been so big disruptions to the way we do things such as the introduction of new social media and digital platforms, however some of the biggest changes also come from the fact that what people want from us is different, what they expect from us has changed, the way they want to connect with us and the way they consume content has really evolved.
And all of these changes have opened up so much more opportunity, particularly newer businesses or smaller businesses, for people who might not have a lot of money to invest in big fancy marketing campaigns or paid advertising right now, there is actually a lot we can do that really give us an edge and really help us to create and grow our businesses.
Now before I get started…. For those of you who strongly identify as introverts and perfectionists, I know some of you aren’t going to love what you hear today but I urge you to please listen on, and lets work out a way for you ro build some of the courage and confidence you need to step out of your comfort zone, and really start marketing your business.
The first thing I wanted to chat about, that I believe is almost essential for marketing your online business is video.
Yes, I know, for some of you this may seem really obvious, but I want to ask those of you who are sitting here right now and thinking ‘well yeah, I know’ are you actually using video to market your business? Are you using it strategically, effectively and consistently? Are you producing video frequently? How regularly are you showing up online, face to camera, or showing off new products, speaking about your offers and telling people how they can work with you?
Are you actually doing this a few times per week? Or do you kind of post a random video here and there to Instagram one a week or every few weeks when you remember or feel like you quote-unquote should.
I am 100% down with spontaneity, those quick in-the-moment recordings, sharing something fun or exciting and just popping in to say hi, maybe showing your face, your workspace, something fun you’re working on - however if we’re constantly relying on spontaneity and we’re not at times intentional with our video, are we just sharing all the fun stuff but never getting into the nitty gritty - not actually showing people what you do and what you can create, maybe people don’t even know how they can work with you, they could be waiting for you to tell them, waiting for an opportunity to basically slap them in the face and prompt them to take action.
One of the things I love about video, is that it’s one of the quickest ways to connect with your audience. It allows people to really quickly and easily get a bit of a feel for who you are, the way you think, your sense of humour - it’s really great for building that early connection.
And it really helps to humanise your brand.
Video is a great way for you to drive further brand awareness, if you’re using Instagram and you’ve embraced Reels - which, if you follow me you know I haven’t jumped on board yet, though I know I want to and will, I just need to prioritise it - reels are getting an unbelievable amount of reach right now.
But if you’re not ready for reels right now, that’s fine, start with a story that disappears 24 hours later, go live with someone else for just 10-15mins - I often find that going in with others to start is a great warm up and it helps you to build your confidence before you jump in alone.
Do what works for you for now, however if you’re not really creating video, if you’re holding back, take a look at what’s really stopping you from creating the video, is it really time, or is it something else? What blocks or limiting beliefs do you have that are stopping you? How can you overcome those and learn to embrace video?
When I first started doing video I hated it - I know I have spoke about this in a previous episode however I once filmed a 1 minute video 59 times, in total it took me around 3-4 hours and I was so deflated by the end, I hated it, I hated myself, I felt like I wasn’t cut out for it, like I was never going to be good at it…
Now, I barely rewatch what I record, if I stumble I keep going and really try to embrace the stuff up - I never used to, however I realised after watching so many other peoples videos that when they did it wouldn’t even bother me at all and I loved that it seemed less rehearsed and more natural - less like a newsreader and more like a human on the other side of the screen.
If video is something you think you’d love to do but you’re feeling like you don’t know what to do, what to post, what to say, think about the types of videos you love watching from the brands you follow. What catches your attention, who specifically has captured your attention and why, what sort of content has prompted you to take action and purchase from that brand.
And if you want to do some face to camera stories but you don’t think you have anything to say, remember this…. Communication is only 7% words, tonality is 38% and physiology is 55%.
The biggest factor, communication is 93% energy.
So what’s more important than the actual words you use, is the way you show up, the energy you bring, the way you say something.
You can have a really big impact with what you say, even if sometimes, you don’t say much.
People are busy, there is more content than ever before online right now, more instagram accounts, more platforms, there is so much content out there available to each of us - what we don’t want to do is just simply add to the noise, there is nothing wrong with keeping it short and sharp at times, getting to the point, adding value, bringing the fun and speaking from the heart.
Video is definitely a focus of mine for 2021 and I encourage you to really look at it and find a way you can begin to incorporate and embrace more video into your marketing strategy.
The second thing I wanted to speak about that I believe is essential for marketing your online business in 2021, is authenticity and vulnerability.
Authenticity and vulnerability are both such buzz words at the moment, they’ve been thrown around a lot in 2019 and 2020 - however I guess what I am really trying to say is just be yourself, allow people to see the real you, the person behind the brand.
This can be a really hard one for a lot of people - me included.
When i first started this business journey I got really caught up in thinking I had to be a certain way or speak a certain way to be successful, if I wanted the business that this other person had then I had to be more like them.
I don’t think i realised at the time and in some ways I think it was quite an unconscious thing, I didn’t really realise I was doing it, but I was always comparing my work to theirs - always coming out on bottom of course and it took me some time to really work out that the easiest way to do this, was to just be me.
The truth is, trying to be like someone else or ‘faking it until you make it’ is really freaking hard! It’s hard work, pretending to be someone or something you are not is exhausting.
Today, we love seeing the people behind the brand, people want to be able to relate to you on some level, it helps to make you human.
If you’re a service based business and when people sign up to work with you they actually sign up to work with you, they want to know who you are, if they’re going to be working directly with you, they want to make sure they like you, they want to know that the two of you will get along - so just being yourself will really go a long way here.
This doesn’t mean you have to share your entire life with people on social media (unless you want to and that works for your brand). You can keep it very professional, you don’t have to share much of your personal life at all, but if people can get a sense of who you are, what makes you tick, what you value and they can connect with that on some level, it really helps to build that like and trust which really also increases their chances of wanting to work with you.
And finally, one of the most important elements of marketing your business in 2021 and one of the elements that is really going to allow you to and help you build trust with your audience, is connection.
We hear terms like ‘know, like and trust’ a lot in the online business space and for a good reason, we are so much more willing to purchase from people we feel we know, like and trust.
For so many people, it can remove the barrier to purchase, I know in the past there have been people that I have followed, I’m watching their content, I’m relatively engaged, I know I’d love to work with them i’m just waiting for the right offer or the right time, and when it comes up that’s when I jump in.
The humans behind the vanity metrics, the follower count, the email list, they want to feel like more than just a number - they want to know you care, they want to feel like you want to work with them as much as they want to work with you.
What may seem like relatively small things, things like replying to their comments or DM’s and actually using their name, acknowledging them when they comment in your Facebook group, making sure they understand that you are here and you do care, it’s not just about the sale and getting to your next financial goal.
When they share your content, thank them, send them a DM with a personalised message (it doesn’t need to be long) acknowledge what they’ve done, snoop around on their profile, leave a comment, a few likes - be a real human and open up that dialogue.
No one likes to purchase from you or sign up to work with you only to feel like once the money transfers accounts they’ve been forgotten and now you’re out to make the next sale.
That ongoing relationship, that connection, that’s what’s going to make you stand out, it’s what’s going to keep those people coming back to you again and again.
Honestly, connecting with people eliminates part of the sales process, people are booking discovery calls already knowing they want to work with you, this is just the final step, they want to make sure when you chat that they feel that connection there in person, to make sure the chemistry is there - and in some instances you may find that people skip the discovery call process, they’re just hell yes people when it comes to working with you.
So think about what can you do to build and nurture that connection with these people in your audience.
How can you provide a level of service that exceeds their expectations? That allows you to stand out.
Think about the connections you feel you have with brands or people you’ve worked with, what was it, how have you built that, what did they do?
And a final reminder….
And with all of these things, they can take time.
Chances are your first video won’t be the best one you ever do, there’s a learning curve, embrace it, understand that people's expectations of you are rarely as high as the expectations you have of yourself.
Being vulnerable and opening up is hard - I struggle with it too. You would think it would be easy to just be yourself but that fear of judgement or thinking you need to sound or look smarter or worrying that whatever you’ve created is not good enough, is hard - it’s a huge mindset block that you need to overcome, and it can take time.
What’s more important than nailing it, getting it right everytime, making it perfect, is just giving it a shot, and sticking at it long enough until you become really good at it, or until it becomes easier and then it just becomes part of what you do.
Marketing your online business in 2021 doesn’t need to be complicated, I know some of these things will feel challenging especially in the beginning, however if you’re getting in and doing these things you will not only will it benefit your business, the growth you as a person will experience will also be huge, and the more you do these things the better you get, the better you get the more confident you will become and you’ll really begin to see some big shifts.
There is of course just so much more detail in all of these we could dive into and I would love to, however I will leave that for another day.
As always if there is anything you would like me to cover on this podcast please do get in touch, you can find me over on Instagram, it’s just @kristypask or head to my website kristypask.com and shoot me an email.
Thank you so much for joining me today,
I really hope you enjoyed todays episode and I look forward to chatting with you again soon.
Links and resources:
Learn more about my 12 week, 1:1 coaching program: The Holistic Marketing Method
Connect with me on Instagram: @kristypask
Book in a 1:1 single session with me here.
