How to Market Yourself (the Right Way)

How to market yourself the right way

To market yourself the right way, you have to realize something super important: there really is no right way — at least, not for everyone. There may be a right way for you, but it’s not going to be the same as your photographer friend, your realtor friend, or even your business partner. 

See, marketing is inherently a lot more personal than we all tend to make it, especially when you’re a solopreneur. When we lean into marketing that’s right for us, we lean into the possibility of a really successful business. But when we lean into marketing that’s one-size-fits-all, it limits us in more ways than one.

Here’s how to lean into the marketing that feels right for you:

Get clear on your 5 Ws

Often, people let their marketing fall short because they don’t know a few simple things: who, what, when, where, and why. Make sure your marketing is hitting the right spots by getting clear on each of these Ws, and think of them like this:

• Who are you marketing to? Who is your ideal client, what are they looking for, and what are their biggest pain points?
• What are you marketing? Are you trying for general brand awareness? Is there a specific service or offer you want to sell? Are you running a sale?
• When are you marketing? Are you focusing on certain key periods in your business, running evergreen campaigns, or rolling with it?
• Where are you marketing? Are you on certain social media platforms, trying out email, or running paid ads? Where do you want to spend the most time?
• Why are you marketing in the first place? Are you trying to grow your business from a sales standpoint? Are you looking for more leads? Do you simply want to increase awareness? Have a reason here.

Decide how you want to show up

The way I see it, marketing isn’t going to be nearly as effective as it could be if you don’t go where you’re happy — just like a lot of things in life, huh? So, when you’re starting to plan out your marketing strategy, stop thinking about showing up everywhere… and decide on the places you feel most aligned with instead. 

For instance, I don’t love social media — so that’s not a place I show up on super consistently. Instead, I’m super loyal to my email list and my blog library. You may be a social media gal, you may be an email marketing fiend, or you may be someone who loves to do in-person events. It doesn’t matter which one you love — just show up there first. 

Release the pressure

We live in a world of #bossbabe and #SheEO culture (ugh, ew), and while it’s done a lot of good things for small businesses, it’s also done bad ones, too — like leading a lot of us into believing that our businesses and our marketing strategies should be a hustle-culture-filled, always-perfect experience. 

I don’t know about you, but I hope I hear a resounding “heck NO” to all of that. ^^^

Life, my friends, is too short.

So, as you start dreaming up a marketing strategy you love, do yourself a favor and remember something really, really important: this is not life and death, it has no impact on your worth, and it has only as much power as you let it.

Put your best face forward

Now I miiiight be biased, but I think one of the best ways you can show up in your marketing is through personal branding photos that capture your essence, and there’s about a zillion reasons (a lot of which I’ve talked tons about on my blog and website). However, here’s the most important — personal branding photos give you the chance to show your authentic self and put your best face forward as an entrepreneur. 

And, guess what? That matters more than you know. People want to feel connected to the entrepreneurs they’re working with, they want to see a personal side to the story, and they want to work with you for you.