When I first became a self-employed spiritual counselor there wasn’t a lot of marketing help for people who sold service-based offerings. The best advice I could find came from a successful small business owner who told me to go to networking events.

Ugh. Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike networking?

Unfortunately, I didn’t know what else to do so I started researching networking events. Not surprisingly, I didn’t find a single gathering that inspired me.

Fortunately, I’ve discovered that there is a way to create meaningful marketing strategies that are a colorful reflection of your natural talents. If you are a coach, counselor, celebrant, healer, or anyone in the service profession you may struggle with finding something that feels comfortable and lets you maintain your integrity. I know how this feels!

Whether you’re just starting out, and even if you’re a veteran, if you are going to market your own work you need to find strategies that use your greatest talents. If you are an introvert, for instance, chances are good that going to networking events will drain you of any desire you have to be self-employed. You need to find something that inspires you and causes you to want to do more!

Know Your Natural Talents

Creating a marketing plan that is based on what you love to do will help you find time to do it.

Are you an introvert who loves to connect with people one-on-one, or an extrovert who loves to be the center of attention? Write a paragraph explaining your personal style and how you like to interact with people.

Do you like to write? Speak in front of people? Teach? Share photos on Facebook and inspiring quotes on Twitter? Make a list of everything you like to do, even if it seems unrelated to marketing.

How much time can you spend on a computer? 5 minutes? An hour? All day?

Who do you know who might benefit from your work? Who do you know who might know people who will benefit from your work? Make a list of these people.

Once you explore this information, there are a variety of ways you can put it to good use.

Enjoy Being Social?

If you are social and extroverted, go to networking events, get to know people online through Facebook and Twitter. Add value to their lives and occasionally mention a blog entry you’ve posted. Keep connected and share meaningful insights. People will start to value your 2 cents worth and recognize your name.

Love to Write?

If you’re introverted and like to write, or even if you’re extroverted, send weekly ezines (electronic magazines) to your mailing list. Offer helpful essays about your topic (sign up for mine to get an idea of what they’re like). Have a blog. Post articles to sites like Divine Caroline and SelfGrowth.com with links back go your website.

Have free, downloadable e-books about a topic that will interest you and your clients. You can post them on your website for easy download.

Are You a Heartfelt Public Speaker?

Find places in your community that host lunch-hour talks. If you belong to a spiritual community (church, synagogue, mosque, temple, etc.) see if you can host a free evening class. It’s a great way to spread the word about what you do. Have business cards ready to hand out.

Another thing you can do if you love speaking is to create instructional or inspirational audio and video files and post them to YouTube.

Live to Teach?

Even if you’re an introvert and fear public speaking, offering a teleseminar can be an easy way to give value to your community. Get comfortable with the experience by inviting a few friends to listen in. When you’re ready to “graduate” invite others to join you.

Consistency is Key

The key to marketing is being consistent and providing value to your potential clients. There are many ways to create marketing plans that will work for your personal style. Find one you can explore and see what happens.

There isn’t a golden marketing formula that works for everyone. You need to explore and experiment until you find the perfect fit for your lifestyle and personality.

If you need help in this area, email me amy@amybrucker.com to set up a free 30-minute session and together we can explore the possibilities.