Being a thought leader and subject matter expert is one thing. But effectively marketing yourself as such to help grow your training business is another. Just the mere thought of it can be downright overwhelming.
Which is why we want to make it easier for you. Marketing yourself online isn’t rocket science. Though there is a bit of a science to it.
The first thing you need is to have a clear marketing objective.
Marketing objectives are your brand’s defined goals. They outline the intentions of the marketing efforts and provide clear direction for you to follow. Your marketing objective for your online presence at first should be simple. Your main focus should be building awareness online. Letting others know that you exist and what you and your training bring to the table. That’s it. Just focus on allowing others to get to know you. Remember, people do business with people they know, like and trust.
So your main objective is to create a space for this to happen.
Once you’ve set your objectives then you want to create a marketing strategy.
Marketing online with no clear strategy is like aiming for a target while blindfolded. You might hit a thing or two but you definitely won’t hit your target.
Simply put, a marketing strategy is your overall game plan for reaching people and turning them into customers of the training that you have to offer. In this case, social media is going to be a huge part of your strategy. But only you know exactly which sites will best help you achieve your goal.
For example, a part of your strategy could simply be to use Linkedin to generate leads. That’s the game plan.
Now that we have a strategy figured out we move on to marketing tactics.
What tactics are going to be a part of your overall strategy?
Marketing tactics are the strategic actions that direct the promotion of your online training to achieve your specific marketing goals.
So in the example of using Linkedin as a part of your online marketing strategy, a tactic could be Linkedin Ads. You could use the ads to drive people to your website to learn more about your expertise and the training you provide. Make sense? Or you could use Linkedin as a place to publish content to showcase your expertise and help others to learn more about you and your online course offerings. That would be in direct alignment with your initial marketing objective – which in our example is to create an online presence. Make sense?
Again, this stuff isn’t rocket science even though there is a method to the madness. Best advice is to Keep It Simple & Sweet.
Better known as K.I.S.S. Don’t over complicate it.
- Set your objectives
- Identify your strategy
- Decide on your tactics
Last but not least, measure your efforts. It’s easy to measure your initial efforts. After you’ve put the wheels in motion, either your online presence and community is growing or it’s not. (And hopefully, you’ve begun to sell a few courses as well!) It’s that simple. If it’s working, keep it up. If not, don’t be discouraged. Go back to the drawing board until you figure out what works best for you and your audience. You’ve got this! People are successfully marketing their expertise every day, and if you apply what you learn here, you will be one of them.
Pro tip: Focus on 1 or 2 social media sites at a time. Don’t try to be a “Jack/Jill of all trades” while mastering none. It’s okay to start small, master what you need to know and then expand. If not, you’ll be all over the place and won’t see positive results. So again, start small. And be patient with yourself. Allow yourself time to learn how to effectively navigate these waters.
Apply what you learn here and before you know it, you’ll be smooth sailing.