A permission slip to market your own way
And just a few more days to sign up for Grow ✨
The doors to Grow are open until the end of this week, and this cohort is limited to 10 spaces—I’d love one of them to be yours 💌
When I work with small business owners, freelancers and creatives I often hold off on discussing marketing until we have the foundations of the business in place (this is, by the way, also what we do in Grow, where the first workshop is about your business foundations, before we move on to translating that into marketing foundations).
When we get to marketing, my clients often feel sceptical when I tell that they can market according to their own rules.
They wonder whether they will be doing the right thing. They wonder whether their right people will even find them. They wonder whether leaving certain platforms and creating your own rules is only for large businesses—not for them.
Marketing in a way that is all you can feel scary. You might worry whether you can really trust your instincts (yes, you can). You might have been told to follow the strategies suggested by the business bros and marketing gurus, and feel like you can’t create your own rules (you can).
These are very valid feelings. You might never have marketed before, so how can you just decide to do it your own way?
Even if you’re brand new in business, you will have a lifetime of being marketing to behind you. You already know what feels good to you and what doesn’t. You know the kinds of being sold to that make you feel ick, and the kinds of marketing and sharing that make you feel a connection to a brand or company. And in Grow, I’m by your side to translate all of that into a strategy and choice of channels.
This is my permission slip for you today. You can market in a way that is all you. In a way that feels good.
You don’t have to be on all the channels. You don’t have to join the popular ones. You don’t have to stay with a channel that doesn’t work for you.
You don’t have to market on social media. You don’t have to join Substack. You don’t have to “show up” all the time.
Your newsletters don’t have to be written. They can be drawn. They can be videos. They can be mini-podcasts or voice notes.
You don’t have to turn everything you do into content. You don’t have to share about your private life. And, you don’t have to be anyone but yourself.
You don’t have to force yourself into anyone else’s rules, blueprint or mould.
The biggest reasons why marketing burns people out is because they are trying to follow someone else’s rules.
How I support you to create your own rules in Grow:
We start with your values: what are your business values, and how do these translate into how you do business?
We select marketing platforms based on your strengths and joys. What do you enjoy doing, what are you good at? Do you enjoy writing, or are you more visual? Do you like long-form or short form content?
We build your marketing around your life, your needs, your humanness. What is your capacity for marketing? Do you enjoy platforms and channels that are quick-paced, or would you rather choose channels that are more evergreen? What frequency of marketing is sustainable for you?
We make a plan for scaling down your marketing if you need to.
This means that, at the end of Grow, the way that you choose to market will be different from all the other participants in the programme. It will be different from mine. And that’s the beauty and magic of the programme: I provide the framework, questions and support, and you create the strategy that is all you.
At the end of Grow…
you’ll feel confident and intentional about your marketing;
you will have created solid and sustainable marketing foundationsfor your business;
you will have stopped relying (solely) on social media for your marketing;
you will have developed a sustainable and effective marketing strategy that builds on your strengths and joys;
you’ll have developed a marketing strategy that is slow, gentle and effective–and that works even if you have to take a step back because of your health or other demands;
you’ll be marketing your business in a way that is all you, and that brings in new clients and customers.
What people just like you love about my work
To say that Astrid is supportive is an understatement. She helped me work through many things in my mindset and my business, and I could tell that she genuinely wanted to help me. My meetings with Astrid felt like meetings with a friend, and I appreciate her valuable insight. I 10/10 recommend her as a business mentor! - Bri Dunavan, business mentor and marketing strategist about working with me 1:1
I loved the spaciousness and the pace of the programme. I found clarity around my mission and what I value and what I want my business to stand for and offer. And knowing that I can do it at my own pace and on my own terms.— Silvia Poldaru, coach about Grow
I’m devouring your small business newsletter magic course and excited to begin implementing all that I’ve learned and discovered. — Oriana LaVilla, career coach and social change consultant about Small business newsletter magic
📌 Discover all six modules of Grow and how I’ll offer you support tailored to your business throughout
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Thank you for letting me share this with you, and supporting my business—the doors to Grow are open for another few days, until March 14th. The programme starts on March 15th. 💌
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