How to make it easy for your perfect people to find you

There are 3 acts of marketing that really cheese me off:

1. Flimsy opt-ins. A one-pager that your junior dashed off in an hour is not worth my email address, thanks.

2. Freebies that aren’t free. One day I’ll tell you the tale of the ‘free’ course that I could only access if I shared the link on social.

3. Funnels. Cos it makes me think of this…

…a meat-grinder manned by a ‘70s Bond villain.

When I hear of marketing funnels, my brain shouts squeeze, squash, squish. shove, process, force.

(I dunno about you folks but those are NOT the words I want associated with my marketing!)

So, when the good people I learn from (Caroline Leon & Tad Hargrave) introduced me to the concept of the marketing pathway, I felt totally relieved and totally excited.

Y’mean instead of processing my audience down a funnel that gets tighter and tighter, I can invite them to skip or stroll down a path, stop and smell the roses and if they want, allow them to walk another way?

NOW THAT’S THE WAY I WANT TO DO MARKETING!

I’ll tell you more about marketing pathways in a mo. but first I want to address you Devils Advocate — yes you, I bet you’re thinking…..

“Funnel. Path. Whatever.

It’s just words eh? The result is the same isn’t it — it means the right people discovering you and wanting to work with you?

Yes, the results are the same. But the end does not justify the means.

If my people are coming to me having unconsciously been processed through a series of one-size-fits-all steps, how can I, in good conscience. teach them how to practice give-a-shit marketing?

I think you’ll find, Alanis Morrisette, that this is the definition of ironic.

Let me explain the notion of marketing pathways

Imagine your business is a wee cottage in the woods.

People don’t know you’re there, yet. Your job is to help them find you. So you start by cutting paths through the woods.

Chances are the first path you cut is social media.
This path is free, relatively easy to master and everyone’s there right?

But, this path can be pretty crowded, this path can be pretty time-sucky and let’s face it, it can be pretty one-sided.

So, how’s about cutting other paths to your front door? And maximising the chances of those stumbling around in the woods discovering one of your paths.

This fantastic illustration 😆 highlights how many different paths there are to your front door (and I’m sure there are a heck load more I’ve forgotten)

Advertising
Blogging or vlogging
Partnerships
PR
Email marketing
Networking
Writing for online publications
Referral marketing
Guest posting
Podcasts
Social Media
SEO

So folks. you can see, social media is not the only way people can find you. In fact, I’d argue that there are a lot more effective ways.

I’ve been spending some time mulling over my pathways for 2022 and I encourage you to do the same.

I plan to continue writing (I ❤️ writing) and sharing my thoughts with the world via:

1. My blog
2. Medium
3. My weekly newsletter
4. Social media
   I’m gonna focus on Instagram & LinkedIn — I enjoy them, my people are there, and I have built up a nice wee community)
5. Netconnecting
   (ie online networking — most of my clients in 2021 came from referrals via people I’ve met in online groups — so I know this path works for me)
6. SEO
   (I’ve totally neglected SEO this far — I put it in the too technical, too complicated box until I came across Love at First Search — this woman makes SEO make sense to me!!

Your turn. What are your marketing pathways gonna be in 2022?

To figure it out ask yourself these Qs;

1. Where do I enjoy spending my time? (on social, in networking groups, pitching to podcasts?)
2. What are the ways my people are currently finding me? (Or if you’re new to biz, ask how would I like them to find me?)
3. When they step on this path what is the next step I’d like them to take? (How can you deepen the relationship with them? Invite them to sign up to your mailing list, follow you on social, visit your blog, book a free call, download your freebie?)
4. How easy is it for them to find the next step? (If you want them to sign up for your email list are you including it as a call to action on social posts, is it in prominent places on your website or at the footer of your blogs?)

Once you have decided on your paths, try them for 3–6 months.
It takes at least 3 months to see any return from meaningful marketing activity — so be consistent with your activity…and patient.

I get it. Some of you think marketing is a chore, a drag, and a necessary evil.

And that social media is the least painful way of ‘doing marketing’

But don’t look at marketing it as a means to end, a way of selling your services or getting clients. View it as a way to teach, to support, to make sense of your ideas, to share cool/interesting stuff, or brighten someone’s day.

Yes, marketing is there to support your personal and business growth, but its real job is to make a positive impact in the world.

And you can’t do that via shoving people down a funnel.

My Tuesletter is full of marketing smarts, stuff to make you smile and some soulful growth strategies — for you and your biz! You can sign up here if ya want x