Turning a career into a business is an exciting endeavor. Before getting overwhelmed which how much you feel you need to do, try reframing it into an opportunity to craft the career you want to have, and the impact you want to make. The ‘you’ in your business can not be excluded from a marketing plan. Listen to your intuition, follow your excitement.
And, check out these steps:
Your Offer
Publish your services to a private document.
List out all the things you can do, and that you want to do. Make it into a menu of offerings.
- Name of the Service
- price (can be a range, a rate, or a flat-fee)
- What is included in the service
- Who the service is for (not everyone)
- Benefits of this service to the client
Exercise: list 10 people you could reach out to when your marketing is put together to either work with you, or who could be a referral source. This exercise takes marketing your business from an abstract idea, to a ‘happening really soon.’
This is the first part of marketing your business; because when you’re a service, your services are the product that you’re selling.
Business Name / Website / Brand Strategy
I’m going to glaze over this quickly because it is so nuanced for each individual business; but I will say that the beginning of creating a brand strategy is having a vision for the transformation you offer clients, what your life will be like as the owner of this business, and a deep connection and understanding of who will your clients.
During initial intake, we can explore these points together and come up with something you’re really excited about.
Getting Money
Set up a way to invoice, charge, or otherwise bill for your services.
You might be thinking; “that’s not marketing.” But before getting to the branding, website, and advertisements, you need a way to a way for potential clients to become clients, and that involves money.
Most industries have specific CRM (client relationship management) systems that are designed to handle the needs of a profession.
For example there is Jane App for health professionals that takes care of HIPPA regulations.
Or, CLIO for legal practices.
If you are just looking for a straight-forward invoicing system, check out quickbooks.
If clients pay per session (non-healthcare) consider Acuity Scheduling.
Basic Visuals
You’ll need a logo when you go on to the next step.
Professional images (headshots) are a must. It establishes a face to service, builds trust, and is the stamp of a professional.
When it comes to the logo, I recommend starting with something simple.
When simple brand imagery (logo, type, color, and images) are used consistently, it creates a polished and professional assumption of the business.
Basic Website
The most basic website answers the questions:
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- How will it help me (the client)?
- How do I get started?
Most service-based businesses have at least these four pages:
- Home
- About
- Services
- Contact
Establish a Presence Online
You do not need to be on social media to run a successful business. But, it can be a great way to make available what you offer to a larger audience.
Create business accounts- this is the modern day version of putting an ad in the phone book, but it’s searchable online.
Create a Google Business Listing business.google.com