Solo-Biz Spotlight: Hot + Bothered About Marketing. You Too?
[Solo-biz Spotlight: Periodically on Life De-Constructed, I write about living huge as a solopreneur. It’s the good, the bad, the kicking ass, and the sometimes really ugly—along with everything in-between.]
Doubt sells.
Uncertainty sells.
Pain sells.
Fear sells.
Scarcity sells.
These are the messages I’ve been getting about marketing lately. And I have to tell you, I’m REALLY bothered about it.
I’ll be the first to admit, marketing is not my forte…or my passion. Sometimes it’s even a dirty word around here. But since I launched The Live Huge Factor, I’m immersed daily in the marketing aspect of business—it’s a work-in-progress, but my mindset is changing, and I like to always keep an eye peeled to learning more about this subject. Particularly to learn different perspectives, techniques, etc. from the talented marketing gurus and entrepreneurs out there who live and breathe this stuff.
As I’ve delved deeper into the world of marketing, however, I’ve disturbingly found that the messages and themes many of these so-called experts are [still] teaching come straight from the list above. Their M.O. is all about breeding fear, anxiety, and scarcity in the minds of our audiences and potential customers, so we can swoop in and be their hero—while they pay us for the privilege. (Not-so-coincidentally these same folks also use the same techniques on us biz owners to buy their brand of “expertise.”)
Here’s a prime example—the one that also happened to inspire this post. Yesterday I was looking through a how-to resource about marketing for the launch of a new online offering, authored by someone who calls themselves a business coach. As I was reading through the information, one of the steps punched me in the gut (and turned me off of their work forever). It was this—
Right there in black-and-white, encouraging us to specifically outline and make a plan for how we will “build scarcity and urgency” in the minds of whomever consumes our marketing.
Send messages of lack. Tell people they’re not enough. Insist there is something wrong with them that needs to be fixed. Make them “feel their pain.” Intentionally provoke their saboteurs & gremlins in effort to make a few bucks. Hold the creation of false urgency as a principled way of doing business.
No thanks.
That’s not the kind of business owner I’m interested in being. And I don’t believe for a minute that is the way you or I (or anyone) have to market our offerings and services in order to have a thriving, kick-ass business.
Here’s what I believe instead—
Authenticity sells.
Realness sells.
Heart + soul sells.
Love sells.
Abundance sells.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BTW, there are really great + inspired things going on out there in the marketing world too. I’ve come across a few marketing peeps who I think are doing amazing work and highly recommend to others—check them out here, here, here, and here if you’re curious.
What marketing mentors have you come across that you particularly love? Share some of your favorites below in the comments.
Live Huge-ism | #9 – Know What You’re Worth
Checked your price tag lately?
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Bless-olutions 2014.
And may 2014 also be filled with—
: soul-fire
: big leaps
: gratefulness
: abundant love
: deep connection
: adventure
: joy in all things
: centeredness
: laughter
: faith
: courage
And the unwavering conviction that you have both the grit + moxie needed to make IT happen in your life this year.
Ahh, yes.
Just Me.
When I first launched this blog, it was really important to me to be completely real about my life. (This is a blog about my own live huge journey after all.) Aaa-nnd, I need to admit something to you about that…I haven’t exactly been living up to my own expectations.
Not that I’ve been fake either. Every one of my posts has been genuine and straight from the heart. It’s just that over the past 1 ½ years since this blog launched, I’ve found that getting what is in my head and going on in my life out in words has been way more difficult than I ever thought it would be.
What I’ve learned about myself is that writing (in general), feeds my perfection gremlin. Blogging (specifically) feeds the gremlin who tries to “protect” me from being vulnerable. The fact is, I’ve been totally letting them run the show here at Life De-Constructed—allowing them to paralyze me to the point that I just haven’t written much at all.
So I’m calling myself on my own B.S. I’m tired of it, and it’s keeping me from everything I want to accomplish with this blog and the whole reason I started it in the first place:
To write about the realities of living huge from my own
perspective & experience.
To show you that living huge is a lifestyle—not a destination—and to let you know that you’re not alone on this journey. I’m right there in the muck of it with you.
Here’s what I’m declaring today. From now on, I’m giving myself permission to just be me. Which means—
Imperfect. Possibly nonsensical. Vulnerable (when I need to be). And utterly real.
We all have areas in our lives where we allow our fears & gremlins to keep us playing small. I just told you about one of mine, and I’d love it if you shared one of yours in the comments below. I’m all for insta-bonding, you know.
Life De-Constructed 