MavenBlog: Marketing Strategies

Have you ever noticed geese flying overhead, whether that be south for the winter, or back home in the spring?

In Canada where I live, this is a regular sight and a sure sign of the seasons passing.

From time to time, it’s easy to notice that there is a certain pattern to the flying geese.  Often, they fly in formation, in a shape that makes it easier to fly as a group than alone, something that conserves energy for the trip.

Online memberships, when built right, are built on the same philosophy, even though they consist of bits, bytes, pixels and websites and not beaks, feathers or wings.

Have you noticed that things are easier to do when you’re surrounded by like-minded people going for the same goal?

Training for a marathon seems less onerous when you run with a bunch of buddies.

A garage sale seems like too much bother until the neighbourhood holds one together.

And of course, goals become so much more achievable when there’s a coach in the picture.

An online membership usually consists of a private website available to a certain set of people with common interests and goals.

Much like a library, online memberships take on a certain form, often containing resources such as books, magazines, articles, and even audio and video materials.

Premium membersip sites will often integrate a personal touch by providing support from a real person, whether that be by email, help desk or at a discussion board.

At its most elaborate, membership websites can leak over into the offline world, and members who were previously cyber-buddies only meet face-to-face for the first time and the bonds get cemented.  These tend to be memberships that have the most longevity online…they achieve this by weaving in real meetings so the online connection takes on a new dimension.

Online memberships have certain significant characteristics:

A membership site gives your clients access to the information they need, when they want it, not just when you are available by telephone.

A membership site gives your clients access to each other, and the body of knowledge they represent, which can be enormous. The powerful connections that are made are very good fodder for a multidimensional coaching experience for your clients.

A membership site can be demanding to maintain, since new content and material need to be developed to ensure the membership is fresh and up to date.

With more than a million people in the world now identifying themselves with one of thousands of online groups, online memberships are modern ‘tribes’ that are filling the gaps being left by neighbourhoods and even church groups of old.

Andrea J. Lee coaches entrepreneurs and online business owners. As Thomas J. Leonard’s General Manager, she helped build and manage the largest network and trainer of personal and business coaches in the world. Now the CEO of Andrea J. Lee Group of Companies, she writes, speaks and consults on Marketing, Internet and Business systems. This is an excerpt from the her NEW BOOK - Multiple Streams of Coaching Income, http://www.multiplestreamsofcoachingincome.com

ttracting prosperity is part art, part science, and part grace. A prosperous business must not only accommodate but support life in all its complexity. A thriving business requires and provides resilience and continuity.How do you go about building a thriving career or prosperous business? Here are some of the things I’ve learned and that I credit with supporting my own process of attracting prosperity.

1. Recognize that life happens. There will be ups and downs in your personal life and ups and downs in business. When you can accept these ebbs and flows of attention, energy, and focus, you will better be able to adjust to changing conditions both in your heart and in your environment.

2. Cultivate systems, practices, and networks that provide continuity. For example, my newsletter, blog and websites are ongoing and reliable means of staying in touch with a meaningful network in good times and in bad.

3. Pay attention to transitions. When change is happening, it can be easy to get caught up in reactionary thoughts and feelings that can muddy your thinking and make complex situations chaotic. Learning to detach and observe your reactions, thoughts, and fears will help you keep a steadier course without being rigid.

4. Learn to notice when things are expanding and when they are contracting, and choose your strategies accordingly.

5. Learn to regard mistakes as stepping stones to mastery. Avoid wasting time in needless guilt and defensiveness. Seize the opportunity to correct your error and move on.

6. Listen to your clients and customers. Identify those who get the most benefit from working with you with the least effort on your part. This is not laziness. This is learning to operate from the sweet spot – that place in which you add the most value by working from your strengths.

7. Rigorously address personal issues that inhibit success. This could mean seeing a therapist, paying off old debts, or starting an exercise program.

8. Learn to listen. Listen for guidance from Spirit, from your heart, from your environment, from colleagues, from clients.

9. Raise your standards regularly both for your own performance and for the caliber of client or customer that you attract.

10. Periodically update and refocus your business plan, including income, expense, and investment plans. Keep it simple. Distill your plans into a sentence or two that summarizes your goals and strategies so that you always know where you are going.

In our own lives, we are in many respects both flower and gardener. If we are to attract prosperity, we must make wise choices, keeping the source of our well being in clear view. While we cannot control all of the conditions and challenges in and around our lives, we can keep our own brightness aligned with its source. When we do so, we attract prosperity, knowing our purpose and thriving in its pursuit.

Molly Gordon, MCC, is a leading figure in business coaching and personal growth coaching, writer, and a frequent presenter at live and virtual events worldwide. Join 12,000 readers of her Authentic Promotion® ezine, a comprehensive small business marketing resource helping you grow your strong business while you feed your soul, and receive a free 31-page guide on effective self promotion.