According to the World Bank, the economic cost of gender inequality globally amounts to USD 160.2 trillion. It is my mission to change these statistics and show women how to reach the success they deserve.

I'm a professional marketer. Helping women set up their business’ marketing is what I do. All day. Every day.

Women who deserve the success in business overwhelmingly seen by men. Women who want to market their business without being seen as masculine and pushy - but also without the 'fluff'. Smart women, who want to attract their ideal customer through the right marketing strategies.

Why marketing matters

Marketing matters because your business and what you do in it matters.

Without marketing, you can’t drive the growth that leads to business success. You can’t share your purpose with the world and help as many people as you can.

To grow a profitable business, you need a process in place to attract more of your ideal client.

To market your business successfully, there is not one single magic formula that applies across the board. Not one single cookie-cutter recipe to follow that works for every business.

How can there be? Every business is different. Every business’s clients are unique.  So, how can there be one single cookie-cutter formula to follow for everyone in business? There isn’t. Not if you want your marketing to be successful.

The secret of effective marketing

When I’m working with my clients, they usually come to me for help with marketing their business and finding new clients. Makes sense. That’s what I do.

In 9 cases out of 10, before we even get to work on their website or their content strategy, we go back to the beginning and work out the why, who, what and how before we embark on developing any sort of marketing action plan for them.

Here’s the thing about marketing your business: when you think of marketing, you probably think of social posts, ads, your website, and how to get your message ‘out there’.

The problem is most people skip the part where they work out exactly what that message is.

Marketing, at its best, is a conversation between you and your ideal client.

Marketing doesn't need to be a hard sell. It isn’t about shouting from the rooftops to try to get yourself heard. It shouldn’t ever feel sleazy or uncomfortable.

If you get your message right, you’ll never need to convince anyone to buy from you. They’ll know your product is what they need, and you’ll attract them to you.

Marketing isn’t something you switch on and then effortlessly achieve your goals overnight.

Marketing takes thought, time, energy and planning.
It can help you achieve your business goals, but it isn’t a magic bullet.

No amount of marketing in the world will help you if your product simply isn’t wanted by your target market.

If you rip people off, marketing is not going to save you.

If you do a shonky job of the service you offer, don’t waste time on marketing, take the time to do the service better.

Why you need a marketing roadmap

These are the most common messages I hear every day from business owners:

• “Marketing is too hard. I have no idea where to even start.”
• “My marketing doesn’t work.“
• “I keep wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work.”
• “I can’t attract my ideal client. I keep getting time-wasters.”
• “Social media is a waste of time. No one buys from me.”
• “I don’t need a niche, my products can help everyone!”
• “There are too many choices! Which marketing should I do?”

The answer to all of these is, you need a marketing plan.

Before any marketing can be successful, you need the right foundation.

There are things you need to know before you run off and ‘do your marketing’. Without this clarity, you’ll run the risk of being one of the many mediocre or bad marketers out there shouting random messages at anyone you come across and then wonder why they’re not listening.

Would you? When the random shouty person off their meds approaches you in the street with their ‘End is Nigh’ doomsday scenario, do you run out and buy non-perishable food because you think they’re right?

No, you’re most likely to completely ignore them and go on with your day. Even if they get in your face, you back away slowly and then go on with your day. Or you get them help if you can, then go on with your day. Any which way, you get on with you day and don’t take any notice of what was said.

Now if that was a friend, and she told you there was a cyclone coming, you’d have an entirely different reaction. Even if you thought she was joking, you’d still check the weather forecast for any cyclone warnings because “maybe”. And if they verified her story, you’d leap into action, stocking up on essentials, putting away objects that you have lying around your outdoor spaces, and taping up your windows to try to prevent breakage. You’d work out where you were going to ride out the cyclone (home or shelter) and you’d get yourself and your loved ones somewhere safe.

And you’d do all of that action and planning quickly and efficiently due to the impending potential doom. You’ve seen news coverage of cyclones devastating other parts of the world. Perhaps you’ve been through one before. Regardless, you can clearly picture what the outcome is if you don’t act, so you act to avoid the carnage.

Getting from where you are now to where you want to go

The same is true for marketing your business. You need to look at where you are now, where you want to go, and then put together the strategy and plans to get you there.

While there is no one-size-fits-all formula, there are some basics you need:

1. A clear picture of your ideal client before and after experiencing your product
2. Your business’ unique messaging that clearly states what problems you solve and for whom you solve them
3. A marketing roadmap (plan) to make sure you’re in the right place at the right time to have the conversation with your ideal client in a way that ensures you can meet your business goals.

At the end of the day, marketing isn’t a mysterious behemoth you need to scale or conquer. The best marketing is a conversation between you and your ideal client about how you can solve the problem they’re looking to solve.

Where do you want your marketing to take you?