Last week I drove down to Canberra to host a Next Chapter Salon Dinner. I started holding these dinners in Sydney during the second half of last year and when I was asked to bring the conversation down to Canberra, I jumped at the chance.
These events are a revival of the French literary and philosophical movements of the 17th and 18th centuries, which were typically women-led, a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host. My simple twist is to introduce a business and personal development topic (often book-inspired) as a starting point for a lively conversation over good food in a warm atmosphere with a diverse group of wonderful businesswomen.
I was sure that I was not alone in craving a deeper form of interaction beyond social media, large audience events and classic networking. The fact that we quickly full up the dinners each time shows that the desire to pause and make space to genuinely connect is very much alive.
What are the three components?
The Next Chapter Salon Dinners are a great example of what I call an “Aligned Marketing Strategy”. These are marketing activities with three core components.
- They align with the core of your business model
- They align with your values, personal style and preferences
- They reflect the experience people will have with you they are your clients.
I have an intimate business model, a low volume and high retention structure with a service suite that provides deep access to me within small group settings and at Retreats, typically over an extended period of time (my Business Masterminds) as well as one-off strategy sessions and small group business retreats.
The women I work with usually have established, service-based businesses they want to take to a new level, or in a new direction. Thus, an attraction marketing strategy that provides an experience where we can connect, share opinions and have a robust discussion where we are exposed to each other’s values and ideas provides a pretty good indication as to whether or not we’re a good fit. We spend a lot of time together and my clients often stay for 2, 3 and even 4 years, so it’s vital that we like each other!
I also absolutely love facilitating and participating in great conversations and I also love great food, so this is a perfectly aligned strategy for me. The roundtable discussion, active listening, exchanging and building on each other’s ideas that is the core of these dinners is also closely aligned to what happens in a Mastermind meeting, as is the depth of honesty, openness and vulnerability that we enjoy at both events.
It’s safe to say if you enjoy a Next Chapter Salon Dinner, it’s likely you’d thrive in a Mastermind environment and if you resonate with the insights I share, it’s likely that you’ll enjoy working with me. Thus – a perfectly aligned offline marketing strategy for me. No disconnect at all.
This is not the only form of marketing I do for my business. It’s a “Marketing Megaphone” (primary activity) that falls under the Umbrella Strategy of Personal Connection, as do the following “Support Acts“:
- attending networking events
- working at my local co-working space every couple of weeks
- delivering keynotes and workshops
- ZOOM catchups
This is just one STRATEGY, each tactic that falls underneath it is clearly aligned with my personal style, giving everyone I meet a clear taste of who I am, how I show up, what I stand for and my areas of expertise and passion. This provides ample opportunity for you to resonate with me and my style, or not. Either reaction is perfect, as it’s not up to me to convince and convert, only to communicate openly so I attract aligned clients that I can help grow, to me.
Pause for a moment, and ask yourself:
- Does an offline strategy such as this offer an appealing marketing opportunity?
- Would it align with your business model?
- Would it provide your prospects with a genuine experience of what it’s like to work with you?
If you give yourself a hearty yes to each question, start planning and take action!
Online Marketing Strategies
I’ve also developed a series of online marketing tactics under the umbrella strategy of Secondary Connection, where I’m not able to facilitate face to face in the real world conversations, but can still build strong rapport, and be of high service.
The Marketing Megaphone in this strategy is my Your Next Chapter Podcast. The intimacy of the medium (I’m actually in your ear, in your car, in your bathroom, out with you on a walk etc) combined with the personal nature of the conversations I have with my guests aligns once again with my values of connection and sharing wisdom and my client experience of being deeply heard.
My Support Acts under this Umbrella Strategy include:
- Webinars (via ZOOM so I can be seen and converse with attendees)
- Facebook Live Videos, then uploaded to Linked In
- E-Guides – my Business Recalibration and Business Breakthrough Guides (my people tend to be big readers and I have a Next Chapter Hub Resource Centre packed with resources for reading and implementing right across the spectrum of personal and business development that I provide my clients with access to, so this tactic aligns with their future experience too)
Once again, each of these provides a personal connection, one level down from face to face, and gives viewers, listeners and readers insight into who I am, how I show up, what I stand for, my areas of expertise and passion and an inkling of what it will be like to work with me.
Pause for a moment, and ask yourself:
- What primary online strategy do you use?
- Does it align with your business model and the experience your clients will have when they choose to work with you?
- Does it feel appealing to you, aligning with your style and the things you like to do?
If you give yourself a hearty yes to each question, start planning and take action!
Spread yourself thickly
The main message I want to share with you is the wisdom of developing marketing actions that align with both your personal style and preferences (as you’re far more likely to actually consistently implement them then!) and with the experience your clients will have when they choose to work with you (as they’ll likely feel more connected to you and satisfied with the pre and post-purchase experience).
Don’t spread yourself thinly across too many actions. Instead, choose with care and spread yourself liberally across the mediums that feel good to you.
This business caper is meant to be enjoyable. Your choices can make it more so.
If you’d like to have my head and heart wrapped around your business in an intense burst of focus on your own business models and marketing strategies, you can book a VIP Strategy and Mentoring day with me here.
Wholeheartedly,
