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Hi ,
I've been talking to my clients quite a bit lately about marketing, and how important it is to be visible and grow your audience.
ESPECIALLY in the early stages. In fact, as much as we as a community tend to HATE the M-word, we should expect marketing is about 80% of our jobs in this startup stage (and yes, that includes you if you're still struggling to have consistent income).
It's pretty simple, really. If folks don't know about our work, they can't buy from us.
And if folks don't buy from us, it's pretty unlikely our business will get off the ground and really start making the impact we want and the income we need.
The problem is that most of us get a bad taste in our mouth when we talk about marketing. We don't want to manipulate, or coerce, or participate in any number of sleazy marketing tactics we've been exposed to.
And even if we can get over that part, we tend to think we lack the skills or the funds to be able to market effectively.
Enter "myclelial marketing."
Mycelial marketing is not expensive buying facebook or instagram ads. It's not being pushy or trying to outcompete others to get the sale. It's not about who has the biggest budget or the best social media manager.
Instead, it's about tapping into the networks that you are already a part of AND connecting in with NEW networks, so that you can have the largest possible reach. So that you can help others by sending all the goodness you've been brewing up along those networks, AND receive all the goodness you deserve right back.
For those of us who are just starting out, or who have a shoestring budget, this kind of horizontal network-based marketing is often our greatest resource. But it's also the most hidden (just like the network of our fungal cousins).
It takes some digging, and rooting around, but the more you do it, the larger your audience will become and the more likely your business will succeed.
Here are some examples of the kind of mutually beneficial marketing I mean. Note that all of these cost exactly zero dollars (and can even be income-generating)
- asking a colleague to share your newest offer through their email list (either for an affiliate kickback, or offering returning the favor). Even if folks don't buy, you can still get them on YOUR email list and then nurture the relationship.
- talking with other business owners at conferences and giving them your card / following each other on IG / setting up a referral relationship with them
- sharing your expertise in facebook groups that have your ideal clients or customers as members
- offering to post a guest blog on someone else's platform
- reaching out to podcast hosts and offering to be a guest
- hosting a podcast and bring in other folks as guests (who will then share your podcast with their audience)
- selling and/or demo-ing your products in a retail store
- sending pitches to journalists who write stories relevant to your work
- giving current customers kickbacks if they refer to customers to you
- and so on.....
There are so many ways to tap into the social networks that already exist all around us, without having to throw a dime towards ad spend. And let's be honest, wouldn't you tend to trust a business more if it was recommended to you via a trusted source, versus another facebook ad that relied on data mining to find you?
Today I wanted to share with you two resources that I look at every day that can help you zip through the mycelial hypha and connect with other people's networks.
1) PodcastGuests.com
Every Monday, Andrew Alleman of PodcastGuests sends out a digest of podcast hosts looking for guests, as well as guests looking for podcasts. You can pay for a membership to be listed, or you can just be a lurker and reach out directly to the folks who feel most aligned with your work. This is a easy-to-access resource that can help you see beyond the podcasts you currently listen to (although you should definitely reach out to them, too!)
2) HARO (Help a Reporter Out)
This is a new-ish one to me, but it seems promising. Three times a day, HARO sends out a digest listing stories for which reporters are looking for expert sources. You can filter by topic so it's easier to sift through. And if you see something and think "oh dang, I know a lot about that!" you can reach out to them and possibly get featured in a publication (and get in front of all their readers!).
I love both of these examples since they represent a win-win for everyone involved: you get seen, the host/reporter gets material, and their audience gets to learn about and benefit from your loveliness. Maybe they even say "Heck yes, this is exactly the product/service I've been looking for!"
I'd love to know, , do you have any other examples of mycelial marketing that you've engaged in, or seen others doing? Any resources you'd like to share? If so, write back and let me know!
With the plants,
Stephanie
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