Last week I wrote about how humbling the editing process is… and I got through it. I finished editing the book! Though, truthfully, I only have half the introduction written… but everything else is done!
Now comes the truly humbling part… the marketing.
Most service-based micro businesses like ours, or yours, face the issues that we usually have way more fun creating and delivering, than we do promoting and marketing.
This leads to doing a lot less marketing than we should be doing, and getting stuck on cycles of more and more creating… with hopefully some delivering to clients as well.
It’s unfortunate, because when you pour that much love and care into something, it needs more boosting!
In general, folks like us tend to do a LOT of creating, and a leetle beet of marketing.
However, what’s really wanted is for each bit of creating, you want to do a WHOLE LOTTA marketing, making it visible, getting it into people’s hands.
We do this some, but in facing the book, and what is being asked for, I’m needing to, Heart of Business, is needing to step it up to a whole new level. Doing a book launch is not a sprint, it’s really a year-long marathon.
From the few months prior to the book being released, to 6-8 months afterward, there’s a lot of focus in getting it out there in front of new people.
A book is an extreme example of this, but anything you do could probably be helped by bringing this mindset to it.
When you create something, what is it you normally do to get the word out?
Now, if you were playing the game of getting your creation, your offer, your content, in front of twice as many, or five times as many, or even ten times as many people, what would it take?
I’ll tell you one thing that is really helpful, that most people skip: Asking folks you know to help spread the word.
I’m not talking about email or social media blasts, although that can certainly be part of it.
I mean approach individuals you know, and asking them to help spread the word, in very direct, and very clear ways.
“Hi Maria, I’m feeling vulnerable, but I want to ask for your help. I wrote this article for X people helping them with Y, and I want as many people as possible to see it. Would you be willing to share it with some warm words about how you know me?”
“Hi Fred, I’m feeling vulnerable. I have this course coming up in a few weeks, and it’s for X people, helping them with Y, and I want as many people as possible to know about it. I know you’re a trusted member of group Z, do you think it would work for you to share this course, with some warm words about me and how you know me, to that group?”
It does take vulnerability, and it can feel uncomfortable. If you’re vulnerable, and you let them know there’s no pressure, you just wanted to take a risk and ask, you don’t know what doors will open.
Of course, you can’t do this every time you create something, especially if you’re creating frequently. But for smaller creations, you can ask different people each time. And for big things, like a book, or a large program, you can ask everyone.
It’s the simple things, the actions that are based in love and in relationships, that are often the most impactful.
So that’s what’s up for me these next months, asking everyone I know, and folks I don’t, to help get the word out about my soon-to-be-released book.
And for you? How can you increase the ratio of making your offers and content visible, over the creating of them?
With love
Mark Silver, M.Div.
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.
p.s. Surrender, Sovereignty and Strategy September 19-22
There is a space that most heart-centered business people arrive at, sooner or later. That space where something more, bigger, deeper is ready to emerge.
At the same time, the business is often feeling stuck, hitting limits, a ceiling.
Because the first space needs most often a profound surrender to move through it, that surrender can often make the business owner think that the business needs to be burned and started from scratch.
That’s occasionally true, but it’s rare. More often, the deeper, bigger, next that is emerging from the heart is best supported by a business that is already thriving to some extent, and needs some strategic, heart-centered tweaking to become a vehicle for what’s emerging.
If this resonates with you at all, if you’re needing that combination of surrender, of claiming your power, of wise, informed strategy for your business, please join us.
Virtual Intensive: Surrender Sovereignty and Strategy
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