Last night I hosted another live installment of the #GLAMPIRECHAT, a monthly series where I share my tips, tricks and strategies for approaching online business! Last night the topic was marketing and I gave some really great information to really help clear the air around a topic that sometimes carries a negative connotation.

Marketing “becomes a dirty word” in the minds of many people who see advertising and marketing campaigns left and right and think of it as spam! However, the reality remains that promotion of your product, service or brand plays a crucial role in spreading awareness of it in the marketplace. You can have the greatest product or service in the market that people desperately need but unless you’re promoting it, no one will ever buy it!

It’s important that we first have an understanding of what marketing is and how it’s defined, so of course, I went to good old Google which tells us “Marketing is the way companies interact with consumers to create relationships that are beneficial to both parties. Businesses use marketing to identify their audience before advertising to them. Today, this is most visible through social media interactions and contests” (Mashable.com). Really marketing allows businesses to interact with their consumers on a very personal level and really build a sense of community around their brand! So, I tend to use marketing strategies that allow me to engage and build a community through my platforms and social media authentically.

So, how do I promote my products and services without feeling like stereotypical used car salesman on the internet? I use a strategy that authentically spreads awareness of my business, promotes my products like a friend who gives a recommendation to another friend, and is seamlessly integrated into all that I do.

My #1 Marketing Secret is Good Content!

Good content in my opinion is the best form of marketing you can possibly do for your business. Good content adds value to your community, it answers questions, it provides information and it gives you and your business fun, shareable media to put out into the world that your community will be able to promote for you! During the live chat last night we took a great question about how our content differs from our products, and I think that the fact that someone asked that question at all means that this strategy truly works! My products and services are completely separate from the content I create. As you may know from following me for some time, my primary business is my shop where I sell digital productivity products like planner inserts, journaling cards, wall art designs and also my Empire Building online business program. That is where my income comes from and as you may know I do make a full-time salary from my shop, which is wonderful. My content on the other hand can be found over on my blog, where I write three posts per week, over on YouTube where I make two videos a week, and on Instagram where I like to take pictures and share them at least once a day. All that content represents a significant amount of work I do, but it doesn’t make me any money directly, with the exception of YouTube which does pay out small amounts for ad revenue. Although I don’t make money directly from those efforts, my content represents a very important part of my business because it’s how I draw in and attract my audience who then in turn may purchase products from my shop. My content allows me to market my products without ever having to make a sales pitch or feel sleezy for trying to hard to promote my products because when you provide great content that people enjoy, it’s only natural that they will then be curious about the items you sell and feel confident making a purchase from you because they know you exhibit consistent quality.

Now, if you want to apply my methods to your own content creation, I have some great tips for you to help guide the creation of your own great content.  These are the three things that good content must do. They don’t have to do all three at once, but good content must do at least one of these.

• Inspire

When I aim to inspire, I let my photographs do the talking by taking beautiful desk shots that motivate my audience into productivity! My Instagram account really acts as my method for sharing my inspiration with my followers!

• Educate

When I create educational content, it normally comes in the form of long form blog posts and even YouTube videos that give solid and researched thoughts and information to my audience to help them learn, or gain perspective or knowledge on a specific topic.

• Entertain

When I create content to entertain, it normally comes in the form of videos for my YouTube channel. I like to use my YouTube to mix it up and give inspirational and educational content that aims to entertain.

It’s up to you how to apply these qualities to your own content and trust me, there are a variety of ways you can manipulate each of these into unique content, but hopefully seeing my examples will inspire you to find your own ways to create your great content! Now, have I primed your appetite for more marketing tips and tricks? If I did, you are in luck because if you missed the live show of the #GLAMPIRECHAT last night, you can watch the replay over on my YouTube channel right now! This was just one piece of the great content and information that I created for you all last night, so definitely check out the full video for more. Just a warning, I did chat for something like an hour and forty-five minutes, so you may want to get comfortable, get yourself something to drink and grab a pen and paper to take notes! Feel free to leave me a comment either here or on the video if you have additional questions. Although we did take live questions, I am sure we didn’t cover everything so let me know what I can help you with marketing wise! Also, if you love the #GLAMPIRECHAT but want to join us live, mark your calendar for Wednesday July 1^st at 9pm eastern because that is when the next chat is slated. Of course, make sure you are following me on social media because I always give notice of these videos especially on Instagram! Enjoy!

xoxo