Introduction (free preview)

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been a bit intimidated by the word Marketing. It feels like this huge monster and I’m not sure what’s the best way to start attacking it. I know I see other people “marketing” online and it feels smarmy, something I want to wipe off my hands.

So how do I promote my business and get new customers in the door without feeling overwhelmed or icky about it?

Good news! I’ve learned that marketing doesn’t have to be any of that. When you boil it down, marketing starts with simply creating awareness and interest.

That’s something I can do and it’s something you can do, too!

Think about it like this: Your potential customers can’t buy from you unless they know you’ve got something to sell. This is something that anybody can do if you break it down into its simplest form and that’s what we’ll do in this course.

This class will NOT make you an Online Marketer, a Social Media Guru, or give you any other fluffy, crap title. This course will help you understand the core principles of marketing you can use in your business regardless of the platforms you ultimately use in your marketing.

We’ll crack open the idea of marketing and look at its various components and then we’ll put it back together along with a marketing plan for your business. Sound good?

Before you enroll in this course…

If you’ve ever done journalism, you’re familiar with asking “who what when where why how” to get your story. You can use these same questions to help you find focus in your business.

  • Who is your customer and what problems do they have?
  • What is it you offer to solve their problems?
  • Where can you find your customer to connect with them?
  • Why are you uniquely qualified to offer them the best solution?
  • How will you connect your customer to your offering?

If you don’t already know the answers to these questions, you will struggle in this course. I don’t want you to struggle, so I’d highly encourage you to enroll in the Find Your Focus course prior to taking this course.

Can you answer those questions in your sleep? Then come along with me and let’s get started on your marketing journey.

Course content

This course is organized into individual lessons covering the key topics to help you understand the basics of marketing and how you can apply that knowledge in your freelance business.

I find that the best learning happens when information is presented in a variety of ways. To that end, the course is broken down into the following types of content:

Written Instruction – I like to read and scan, so you’ll find lots of written text with headers and bullets. This will allow you to scan pages and revisit things that you found important.

Videos – Some videos are from me and others are from quality resources around the web.

Downloads – Most lessons in this course require some follow-up action on your part. I’ve provided downloadable worksheets to help you stay on track and get the right things done.

Additional Resources – At the end of each lesson I’ll provide links to relevant articles and podcasts. These are designed to help you dig deeper into each topic or explore related topics.

External Tools – Throughout this course I’ll share some of my favorite business books and some tools that I use in my business. Some of these resources are free, some not. I also have an affiliate relationship with some of the tools I recommend. None of these tools are required for the completion of the course.

Ready? Let’s get to it!