I've started noticing a trend.
Increasingly in the world of business, and especially among online entrepreneurs, coaches are touting get-rich-quick schemes to help you reach that all-hallowed 6-figures in 6 minutes flat.
I smell a rat.
Then, I read about the slow marketing movement, a concept started in Canada, and something clicked. Slow marketing is the anti-thesis of the hard sell, scarcity tactics which we often see employed by businesses hoping the clinch that next sale.
And whilst I fully acknowledge these tactics can, and do, work, sometimes they just don't feel right. As a creative entrepreneur, it's important to take a step back and consider what this super-speedy turbo powered online marketing juggernaut ACTUALLY means for you and your business. Are you ready? Truly?
Before you launch into your next marketing campaign, ask yourself these questions:
1.If you do this, will you still be able to offer the best service possible to your clients?
2.Are you offering real value for money, or selling to people who in all honest truth may not be ready for what you have to offer?
3.Are you ready and prepared for a potential leap in sales? Have you got the systems in place? Have you set out a disaster-plan, should something unimaginable go wrong?
4.Have you REALLY taken the time to build those meaningful relationships with your customers?
For me, question 4 is the key to slow marketing. It's about taking the time to listen to your tribe and produce the very best offerings out there. It's about slowly and steadily growing your following. In my experience, above all else, building a business takes time, and perseverance. Instead of panicking if we don't sell out in 2 hours, we need to slow down and savor the ride.
I'm a huge advocate of getting publicity for your business, whatever stage of the game you are at. And again the slow marketing concept works well in the PR world.
The best bits of coverage will be achieved if you take the time to build relationships with journalists, to listen to what they want, and to find out what their readers will be interested in. This is one of the fundamental lessons I teach in my online course, The Publicity Program It can take time, sometimes as long as 6 months, to get your first piece of coverage, but it will be oh-so worth it in the long run, and once you've set the solid foundations in place the process becomes easier and quicker.
Always tackle your marketing from a place of giving, rather than taking, and you'll be sure to succeed. Think 'How can I best serve my clients' not 'how can I get as much for myself as quickly as possible'.
So, if you're just starting out, and things aren't going quite as fast as you'd like, remember that old expression 'the best things come to those who wait'. And by those who wait, I mean your customers, not you. If you concentrate on producing the best offerings out there, and take the time to listen and build your audience, slowly but surely your business WILL grow.
What do you think about Slow Marketing? Is it something you'll be taking on board? Let us know in the comments below.