how to get better at marketing

MARKETING! YES!!! Do we love it? Do we hate it? If you chose the latter, no one is blaming you. Marketing can feel daunting and confusing, but it’s a necessary part of business because it’s what keeps the clients and customers coming in hot. In this post, we’re going to have a friendly lil’ chat about how to get better at marketing AND the 6 cute lil’ excuses that are holding you back!

I’ll take this opportunity to remind you that having a personal brand doesn’t just mean you’re representing your business with your face – it means you’re representing your business as a person. And as an entrepreneur with a personal brand, you have a HUGE advantage when it comes to marketing: people want to connect with other people! So if you really want to get better at marketing, you’ve gotta be willing to get vulnerable. I know, ew, but humor me okay?

Vulnerability, though uncomfortable, is crucial in marketing because we have to be relatable to give our ideal clients an opportunity to connect with us. Consumers are smart these days! They can see through the bullshit. They know when they’re being fooled. They demand more humanity in business. It’s not enough to just be selling anymore – we have to be forming relationships. And relationships start with connection.

Vulnerability does NOT mean sharing every single mundane detail about your personal life, your problems, your relationships, your traumas, or your feelings.

Vulnerability can mean taking a stand on social issues. It can mean sharing a challenge you overcame. It can mean talking about mistakes you’ve made and what you learned from them. It can mean being honest about your attitude or your failed launches or your fears.

Now, I know what you’re gonna say. “Well Asia, I don’t want to get vulnerable in my marketing because–” and I’m gonna stop you RIGHT THERE because not only have I heard all of the excuses to not get vulnerable, I can (and will!) refute every damn one of them. Because you’re here to learn how to get better at marketing, and I’m here to give you a little kick in the ass so you can.

How to get better at marketing: avoid these 6 excuses!

1. You hate confrontation, you don’t want to make waves, and you want to be liked.

It totally sucks to hear this, but you absolutely cannot make everyone happy. It’s legitimately impossible. Instead, focus on making your community happy by sharing the knowledge and insights and wisdom they need to hear! Remember: an effective brand attracts the right people, but just as importantly it repels the wrong people.

For example: Are you nervous to invite discourse on America’s political system because you’re worried you’ll offend someone? If you are, ask yourself this: do you really want to do business with people who get offended by that kind of conversation?! Hell no, you don’t!

My point here is not that you should be sharing content that’s purposefully offensive. But you do have a responsibility to use your platform for good, and if people get offended as a byproduct of you speaking your truth? So be it.

You say: I don’t want to make waves. I say: SPLISH FUCKING SPLASH.

2. You think people aren’t interested in you personally if they’re following your business.

Well this is just flat out wrong. Remember what I said at the beginning of this post about personal brands being personal? People are naturally curious, and often straight up nosy. Your audience chose to be in your circle because they’re interested in what you’re selling, sure, but there are also thousands (millions?) of people who are selling the exact same thing you are. YOU are what sets you apart, so to get better at marketing figure out what makes you unique and start capitalizing on it!

3. You feel the need to turn every negative into a positive because there’s no space for negativity online.

Yeah, this one is tough. I absolutely believe in the power of positivity, but there’s also power in authenticity. And so does your community. I think the body neutrality movement is a great example of this – how empowering was it to start seeing stretch marks and rolls in our feeds instead of photoshopped perfection?! Seeing realness online is relatable, and remember what I said above? Being relatable invites your ideal clients to connect with you.

Also there’s a huge benefit to sharing your scars instead of your wounds; to reveal experiences after you’ve already processed them privately offline. Then you can come back strong with your newfound wisdom so your community can benefit from what you learned!

4. Sharing real life stuff can feel like pity-seeking or attention-whoring.

Deciding what to put online is all about your intention. Remember – everything you share to make your marketing better should be about your clients. Even when it’s about you, it still has to come back to your clients. So how can you take your real life struggles and flip the script to make it about them? How can you use your story to inspire or motivate or educate or entertain them? Always be aware of how your content will benefit your audience before you share it – that’s what offering value means.

5. You’re worried about what other people think (AKA: fear of judgment).

And the award for most relatable excuse on this post goes to… Excuse Number 5!

It does get easier with practice, but I don’t think the fear of being judged actually goes away. You just eventually realize that your message is more powerful than your fear, so you high five yourself and share it anyway.

And here’s a fun lil’ insider secret: People are never as concerned about what you’re doing as you are. People are really only concerned about themselves. 33% of people will love what you’re doing, 33% will hate it, and 33% simply won’t care. But the 1/3 that loves what you’re doing and benefits from your content is absolutely totally 100% worth your vulnerability.

6. You don’t want to come across as patronizing.

You want to share the wisdom you’ve gained in your life experiences, but you don’t want to seem like you’re trying to be better than everyone. I totally get that, but in entrepreneurship you have to be willing to step into your expertise.

At some point you have to say to yourself, “You know what? I’ve invested thousands of dollars into education, thousands of hours into practice, I know exactly what I’m doing, I give my clients consistently great results, and I am really fucking good at this.”

Remember, as wonderful as you are, your brand is not about you! If you really want to know how to get better at marketing, then remember even your expertise is not about you – it’s always about your audience. How can your knowledge, skills, experiences, and wisdom benefit them? And honestly, to not get vulnerable by sharing your knowledge, insights, perspectives, skills, wisdom, experiences, and creations is actually selfish. Because if you could help even one person by sharing… isn’t that be worth being brave?