Quick note from Bonnie: I love collaborating with other professionals in the online marketing and visibility space. This blog post is exactly that, I've invited a talented Marketing Coach to guest blog for you today, please meet Danielle Wintrip!
Mindset – Where I Started
I don't particularly enjoy taking photos, but I needed some for my side hustle. I didn’t have the budget for a professional photoshoot – cross-stitch businesses don’t rake in the dough – but I met Bonnie, and quickly learned she was much more than a photographer, she also offered photography guidance and training. I was excited to learn, but I didn't want to do the picture taking myself, I knew I had to, it was the financial reality. I mentally stressed about it , and made it into a mind drama when it didn't need to be.
Bonnie’s supportive guidance alleviated my stress by ultimately coaching me into a new mindset. My ability to learn new skills was not the problem. I originally stressed because I thought I wouldn't understand it and felt that I didn't want to. Bonnie guided me through my mental barriers around the idea of taking pictures. The methods she taught me helped me learn and adjust my thoughts about the task, which empowered me to feel capable and excited to take some pictures of my own, improving my mindset. How? Simple. She gave me four photography setup steps I use every time to get good, consistent results of the cross-stitch products. And she did so with clear communication and in a supportive way.
Common Unhelpful Marketing Mindsets
As a marketing professional and coach, when working with my clients, I've met many people with similar mental barriers to marketing as I had with photography. I've observed that these thoughts are commonly responsible for the dread many people have around marketing their business:
- I don't want to be annoying by sending emails.
- I don't want to be on TikTok.
- I don't know what to say.
- I will start when I have time.
- I'm not confident in my writing.
- I'm not good at small talk.
- Technology and social media are frustrating and hard to use.
- TMI! Too much information! Too much advice!
- Everyone has a solution, but I don’t know what problem I'm trying to solve.
- I don't have time to make a mistake, so I'll wait until my plan is perfect.
A Marketing Mindset Motivates
That's why the best marketing is what you DO, not what you don't. To get it done, you need a mindset that motivates you to follow through. A marketing coach can help you identify your hang-ups, your stress points, and gather insight into what is holding you back. They can also guide you to develop a marketing plan, write messages, and help support with your motivation to follow through.
What's a Marketing Coach?
Many of us are familiar with coaching – but let's review the differences between a coach, teacher, and consultant. A consultant researches, analyses, recommends a solution, and leaves you to implement it yourself. A teacher helps you learn what someone else has said you need to know. A coach guides you to discover what you want to achieve and what's getting in your way and gives you knowledge and tools to get where you want to be. With the support of a coach, it is more likely that you'll move from dreading something to doing it.
A marketing coach helps you uncover your marketing beliefs, thoughts, questions, and hang-ups and how they get in your way. As you work to get past them, you will learn how to make the most of what you know, like, and are good at and get honest about the action you are most likely to take. We can unearth new ideas, find what's important to you, and get you to act.
Marketing Mindset Exercise
Think of a thought you have about marketing. If you can't, choose one from the ten above, then ask yourself this set of questions.
- What if [the hang-up/activity] was easy?
- What if I knew how to do it?
- What if I knew what to say?
- What if I could change my thoughts about marketing?
- Where might I take my business?
What did you find out? Did it get you closer to taking action or deciding you don't need to take action? Leave questions or comments for us, please.
Again, the best marketing is what you do, not what you don't.
That's why the support and guidance of a Marketing Coach is so valuable. You can change your mindset around marketing, and when you do, you'll move from dreading it to doing it. Wouldn't that be a great feeling? Once you change your mindset about marketing, you'll be surprised by how much easier it becomes.
Get motivated to market your business with me, Danielle Wintrip. I'll guide you to uncover the marketing thoughts holding you back. We'll plot out marketing strategies that you will actually use. And I’ll guide you are you learn to write marketing messages for your business and develop a six-month plan of ideas for content. Sound interesting?
Click here to book a chat with me (Danielle) and let's explore!
