10 Marketing Tips I Wish I’d Learned (when starting my business)

revised January 10th, 2024; adapted from an article originally published on the Accessible Yoga School website

One of the challenges of becoming an entrepreneur is that most of us aren’t given any training on business or marketing. Most of our education or credentialing processes prepare us to offer our work, but they don’t generally offer us much information about how to grow our work.

Here are 10 (somewhat accessible) ways to grow your business (online):

1. Get on Instagram.

   Even with all of its complications, Instagram is the number one place to be to connect with new clients and to network. Facebook is great for staying in touch with friends and family. Instagram is the platform where we more easily build relationships with people we don’t already know.
   

2. Create a content plan.
   This doesn’t have to be dramatic or involve a ton of time and labor. Maybe start with one post per week to keep it simple, and maybe eventually explore posting more frequently. Find a way to maintain some degree of consistency in how often you communicate with your audience. Consistency doesn’t have to mean constant.
   

3. Show your face.
   In order to build relationships with people, we need to share about who we are, which also includes sharing ourselves, our beliefs, our training history, our unique approach to our work—and our faces. You are the person behind the work you do in the world, and your audience will want to know who you are. (And also, remember: boundaries.)
   

4. Go beyond the services, offers, or outright promotion shares.
   Yes, your audience needs to know the where, when, what, and how you’re offering what you do—whether that’s a workshop, a regular class, a 1:1 service, etc., and we also want to get a sense of who you are. Tell us about what led you to the work you do, tell us about your WHY, share your values and help us learn about who you are beyond the work you offer. This will create more meaningful relationships with your audience (which will likely feel more authentic and less icky for you and them!).
   

5. Create a simple website.
   There are a plethora of user-friendly website creation platforms available. I always point clients towards Squarespace as I’ve found it’s the most intuitive for the most people. That said, find a way to create some sort of web presence beyond your social media account—your audience will want a place to learn more about you and your offerings. This will also help you grow your work over time as what you share evolves.
   

6. Start a newsletter list.
   Don’t overthink it. At some point in time, we all start from zero. Don’t let numbers intimidate you. Pick a platform (Flodesk is a great option and, real talk: that’s an affiliate link, it will give you 50% off your first year, and I really love this platform! Squarespace is also a great option!). Come up with a plan for newsletter communications that works with your schedule—maybe that’s once a month, or once a season; maybe it’s simply when you feel like it. Email marketing is proven to be very effective! Embrace that, don’t over-complicate it, and find your way in.
   

7. Stay consistent
   Consistency is one of the primary principles of an impactful digital strategy. Consistency is a matter of showing up on a regular basis to stay “front of mind” with your audience. Consistency will inform how much your audience remembers you when they need to find someone for a particular form of support. Consistency is key to ongoing growth. And remember this: consistency does not mean constant, and it not have to mean we give in to hustle and grind culture.
   

8. Network.
   Networking—like marketing, isn’t inherently a bad thing. It’s how we approach it that matters. Embrace the possibilities that can come from actually talking about the work you do in the world when you’re meeting new people. Remember that professional, business and continuing education trainings are all spaces for potential connections and collaborators.
   

9. Find your voice.
   Discovering and sharing our voice—and being visible in and of itself, is a practice that can bring up a lot for many of us, and especially for those of us who have been impacted by systems of power and oppression. It is not safe for every human to publicly speak their truth. Find what you feel called to share, explore your values and what lights you up; contribute to conversations that matter to you. (Highly recommend this on-demand webinar from Mai-kee Tsang on Sustainable Visibility for more on this topic.)
   

10. Don’t forget yourself.
    Practice rest. Forgiveness. Non-perfectionism. Non-urgency. Focus on relationships rather than transactions. Embrace the ups and downs, the cycles, the not-knowing (most of us don’t really know what we’re doing anyways, even if it looks otherwise!) and the learning process as you try on new strategies, systems, and techniques. Take care of yourself.