Find Your Marketing Zen

Welcome to The Solo Grind, your weekly coffee break with a fellow solo small business owner who knows that building a business is as much about mindset as it is about marketing. Today, we’re slowing things down a bit to find our marketing zen… that sweet spot between strategy and soul.

So grab a cup of coffee and let’s chat about creating a marketing approach that actually feels good.

I have been doing a lot of research lately on different ways to market my business. For years social media worked well for me, but as I shared a few weeks ago in my episode, When It Stops Feeling Fun… Is it time to Breakup? I am just not seeing a return on my time investment, and the noise out there has become deafening for me. 

So I have been doing what I always do when considering a big change. I have gathering data, researching other methods and diving deep, and this week, in the midst of the selling frenzy’s starting to take place now that the holidays are here, I thought I would share a bit of my research in the hopes you can move away from the noise and find your own Marketing Zen

Before we dive into soul searching for the path to marketing enlightenment, let me introduce myself. I am Teresa Schlup, the original caffeine creative, and I design branding essentials and standout websites for the solo small business owners. If that is something you are interested in, I would love to sit down over a cup of coffee and hear more about you, your business and your dreams for the future. Head on over to my website caffeinecreative.io to book a free coffee chat aka the consultation with me.

And thank you all for tuning in today. I love connecting with you in this way! 

Now let’s see if we can discover our marketing zen… 

And yes, I want to approach this from a zen place… a place of calm, relaxed awareness where my mind is free to make confident decisions for me. There are a lot of ways to categorize marketing approaches, but in my way of thinking marketing centers on two key areas… relationships and transactions. Relationship marketing, is exactly what it sounds like. Building relationships. 

Relationship Marketing… 

•  focuses on creating connections, satisfaction and retention 
•  It is a more organic and less intrusive way of marketing
•  Attracts potential customers looking for real and lasting solutions 
•  Centers around personalization and consistent value 
•  Fosters an emotional connection by understanding their needs 
•  Builds trust beyond the sell, and aims for a long term relationship

Relationship marketing isn’t about quick sales and money. It is about sustainable growth for long term success. The key is being the valuable resource your customers can count on, so they think of you first and willingly come back when they need you.   So how do you focus your efforts on relationship marketing? Let’s take a look at a few common methods.

Relationship Marketing methods: 

Customer service and experience 

For me this one is at the top of the list. The truth is that when you treat your customers really well, they remember that and it creates trust and loyalty. I often feel that a great deal of our success comes down to just how well we treat our clients. When we develop customer forward approaches to serving our customers and provide them with a memorable experience, we are setting ourselves up for the future. 

Social media marketing

While I have been struggling with social media lately, and recently decided to take a break from quite a few platforms, it definitely is a great place to develop new connections and personalize those connections through content and engagement. Social media has done a lot to help me build the business I have today and I have made some truly amazing connections through it. 

The great thing about social media is, despite what you may hear you don’t have to be in all the places to create connections. You can focus your time and attention on Facebook or Instagram, you could give more focus to LinkedIn, or dive into the world of TikTok. Or even explore Substack. They all have their benefits, the key is to discover where your people are spending their time.  

Email marketing

This has always been one of my favorite ways to market, because it just feels a bit more personal to me. When done well, email marketing nurtures relationships and creates a more intimate connection that will stand the test of time. It isn’t always immediate results, which is true for most relationship marketing tactics, but it is a great way to build your pipeline in the future. I have people who have been on my email list since my life coaching days, and quite a few follow me for years before reaching out. I don’t always know who these people are until they reach out to me, but I love that I have the ability to nurture this relationship and offer them value until they are ready to take action, or even just explore what that looks like.  

Content marketing

When we hear content marketing we often think, social media, which is a part of it, but there is so much more to content marketing than just reels and posts. Content marketing is developing valuable content your audience needs, such as blogs, video or audio content. This could be a podcast, your youtube channel and yes social media as well. 

Networking and hosting events

If your clientele are local then networking is one you really should think about.Nothing can quite replace the potential of face-to-face interactions. Getting out there and becoming a friendly face in the community is going to go a long way in building relationships with potential collaborators, referrals and customers. 

Partnerships and Collaborations 

Working with another professional on a common goal puts you on the center stage in front of their audience, and they are more likely to connect with you because they trust your partner, who also has the opportunity to be in front of your audience. 

Creating referral or loyalty programs. 

When you offer bonuses to those who refer you or come back, you are showing genuine appreciation, which helps build the like know and trust factor necessary for success. 

If you have spent any time with me at all, you know that relationship marketing is the approach I prefer. I love that I make real connections with my clients, and that many of those relationships have developed over years into genuine relationships built on trust, mutual respect and friendship. 

But this doesn’t mean that I think relationship marketing is the only way to go or that transactional marketing is dodgy or shiesty at the least. There are actually quite a few ways that relationships marketing can be dodgy. Check out my episode The Darkside of Marketing and you will see what I mean. 

Transactional marketing is a really smart move for some businesses, and quite a few will use marketing approaches from both. Let’s take a closer look at transactional marketing. 

Transactional Marketing… 

•  focuses on getting people what they need quickly and efficiently 
•  It's straightforward and doesn't waste anyone's time 
•  Attracts customers who know what they want and are ready to buy 
•  Centers around being clear about what you're offering and why it's worth it 
•  Meets people right where they are with a solution to their immediate problem 
•  Builds confidence by making the buying process simple and hassle-free

Transactional marketing is all about selling quickly for business growth. The key is providing quality products and services that are easily obtainable, so customers feel confident about buying from you. They may or may not come back but if they love what they buy they will tell their friends. 

When I think of transactional Marketing I think of e-commerce. Businesses who have physical products to sell, like Lucky Critter, a business located here in the heart of South Dakota who makes pet safe aquarium inserts for fish, reptiles and hermit crabs. They offer high quality products, so unless their customers expand their pets living accommodations, they won’t be back, which means they need to focus on more sales first.  

Transactional Marketing Methods: 

Discounts and Promotions 

Offering an introductory discount in exchange for their email address, or having a special promotion is a great way to bring awareness to what you offer. Just make sure that you build your discount into your pricing well so you are short changing yourself. 

Upselling, cross-selling or bundling 

Your entry level offer may be what gets a potential customer's attention, but what they really need or desire could be something else. Showing the other opportunities you have through upsells, cross-selling and bundling, is a great way to bring attention to your higher paying products and services. 

Just make sure it is easy to say, no thanks in case the entry level offer is all they are willing to commit to at the moment. The plus side to this, is that when your entry level offer is really great they are much more likely to come back for more in the future. 

Broad based advertising 

This is your traditional marketing approach. This could be online ads through Google or social media, or something in print such as magazines or even billboards. You would also look for opportunities to be on radio or television. This approach is focused on reaching as many people as possible, with the goal of getting your name out there so when someone needs your product or service you are at the top of mind. 

And don’t discount this idea just because you have a small budget. I have seen quite a few of my friends achieve some great success focusing their efforts on the local market, and while print costs money, guest appearances on local radio stations and television are often free. 

Cold Calling or Outreach 

This is what it sounds like. Reach out to potential customers who haven't expressed interest yet. This could be through emails, LinkedIn messages, or actual phone calls. I’ll admit this is my least favorite method of marketing, but I have seen it work well for some, and when done with respect and a little class can be a great way to build your reputation and brand awareness. 

The key is to not be pushy or salesy. Instead focus on the value you can offer and lead with how you can help solve a problem they have, not just what you're selling. And be prepared for a lot of "no thanks" before you get a yes.

Point of Sale Strategies 

These are the tactics that happen right when someone is about to buy or checking out. Think of the candy bars at the grocery store checkout, or the "customers also bought" suggestions on Amazon. It's all about catching people when they're already in buying mode and offering them something small and relevant that's easy to add on. The trick is keeping it simple and truly useful. Nobody likes feeling ambushed at checkout.

Post-Purchase Strategies 

This is what happens after someone buys from you. Follow-up emails asking how they like their purchase, requesting a review, offering tips on how to use what they bought, or suggesting complementary products. It's a smart way to keep the relationship going and turn one-time buyers into repeat customers. Plus, it shows you care about their experience beyond just making the sale. Just don't bombard them with emails. Nobody wants 10 emails a day after they buy something.

Special Events 

As a life coach I often used special events to build brand awareness and connect with new potential clients. These events would be in collaboration with others sometimes, and sometimes just on my own. They would often be an introduction into my services for a smaller investment, and often focused on building community. It was a great way to connect and build my business. 

This works best when you offer something of real value and not just fluff to get people in the door. You also want to make sure that the event has a return on your investment of time and money, because it is going to take both to put that event together. 

One word of caution here… these events can attract bargain hunters who may not become loyal customers, so use them strategically.

Time for a deep dive into discovering your marketing zen

At the start of this episode I promised to help you discover which approach is the best for you. And I have a little self assessment to help you with your deep dive into discovery. 

There is no one size fits all, and you may find that a combination is the best fit for you. 

So to do our assessment you may want to grab a pen and paper, and these questions will be listed in my detailed show notes on my website as well as in substack. 

Let’s focus on you first! Your likes, strengths, and availability…