How to Create a Marketing Strategy for Your New Online Business
- kirstinbrenders
- Jun 29
- 7 min read
In June, Jess DeFeo, my marketing go-to, joined me and the other women inside the Your Freelance Future group coaching call. Every month, an expert speaks or I teach a business-building topic to my community of up-and-coming online service providers.
Jess is a Small Business Marketing Director and the Founder of JMD Creative Consulting. She came to the group to share her approach to marketing and give advice on how to market like a seasoned business owner, not a beginner.
Dive in to apply some of her advice to create a marketing strategy or your new online business.
YOUR MARKETING MINDSET
Everything begins and ends with your mindset, and marketing yourself and your business is no different. Jess began by emphasizing the importance of focusing on your marketing mindset. Her message was inspiring, straightforward, and helpful, and it made some of us take action that day!
Marketing HAS to be non-negotiable. It is not a ‘get to eventually’. It has to be consistent. It’s a long game. It has to start TODAY!
To reinforce the point, Jess correlated that your marketing mindset should be the same as your business mindset, and if you really think about it, they are one in the same. Your mindset for your business is in how you deliver your client work and how you manage your finances and operations. These are not aspects of your business that get pushed; they are essential, and Jess’s point is that your marketing is equally essential.
An “aha moment” was that you must show up repetitively. While I imagine you have heard this before, Jess’s framing of why this is important took a refreshing spin. When you show up again, and again, and again, it is social proof of YOU, it’s your messaging, and it’s building expertise, leadership, and trust.
Whether you know it or not, you are sending a message to your followers. It does not matter how many followers you have. You are a leader to those who follow you. Your actions speak louder than words, so being consistent sends a message of how you will show up when someone works with you. If you are not showing up consistently, a potential client or business partner may wonder - If you can’t show up for social media/email/blog consistently, how are you going to show up for me? Something to think about for sure!
“You can’t treat your marketing like a part-time job and expect full-time results.” -Jess DeFeo
Starting today, stop treating marketing like a side hustle. You have to change your mindset.
WHY IS MARKETING SO HARD?
Marketing is vulnerable. You are putting yourself out there in the world, and it is a vulnerable space. Especially when you are starting off in your business, offering something new, or pivoting, you can get stuck in analysis paralysis.
Everything in this stage feels timely and non-negotiable, and you may not know where to spend your time and energy.
She encouraged us to avoid the habit of "winging it," which can be exhausting and lead to a sense of impostor syndrome. Jess acknowledged that feeling uncertain is common in the early stages of entrepreneurship, but encouraged us to remember that we are not alone and can still attract clients without figuring everything out.
New business owners often lack formal marketing training. Jess recommends that we should not handle our marketing strategy completely on our own, unless it’s a core function of your business. Enlist a business friend or mentor, or find a community of business builders to act as your sounding board in the early stages.
However, she mentioned that before you outsource or get help with your marketing, you need to clarify the following, and it should be part of your marketing strategy.
Step One: Define Your Core Marketing Message
What is your offer? Who is it for? Why does it matter? What makes it different?
Step Two: Define your Lead Generation Process
You have to nurture your potential client before they become your client. Define these key topics:
When someone finds you and inquires about your services, what is the flow/experience they go through?
How are they nurtured, cared for, and seen?
What is the next step you want them to take?
Step Three: Create a Content Strategy
You should have a basic framework, know what platform you are focused on, and determine how often you show up.
MARKETING STRATEGY
Marketing is an art and a science. The Art part is that you have to put things out there and see how it lands. The Science part is the data that comes from your consistency.
It was reassuring to hear that marketing is not a short-term turnaround and that you won’t see results immediately. You have to keep going and be consistent. She suggested creating a 90-day marketing framework to work from and then analyzing your data to make informed decisions about your marketing strategy.
Here is a simple example of using data from my marketing: I recently sent out my bi-monthly newsletter. When analyzing the results, I was surprised to learn that the most clicked link was to a business tool I use. I took that data and created a social media post for my larger audience to share that tool and more, and it generated a lot of engagement!
Part of your strategy should also include setting boundaries and scheduling/time-blocking dedicated time for your marketing activities. Pick the top 1-3 things that will really move the needle forward and focus on those over the next 90 days.
Put in the reps and analyze your data.
You do not need a huge budget or a huge social following to create a great marketing strategy and to build a successful business. You do, however, need to know what your business is, who you are speaking to, and what you are trying to achieve.
Marketing will be easier when you figure out:
What are your goals this quarter and year(s)
What do you ultimately want to do?
Who are your clients?
What are their problem, their pain points, and how do you solve them?
Be obsessed with your client and speak directly to them!
MARKETING YOURSELF & YOUR BUSINESS
Alight, now let's dive into some great tips for marketing yourself and your business:
When to Create A Website
There are two Teams when it comes to having a website. Jess is Team, you are always and forever ready for a website. I am Team, just get started!
Jess stressed that while having a consistent presence on social media is essential for your social proof, it should not be relied on as the sole source of lead generation, as organic growth is a slow process. This is where having a website can help you, and it will help you build SEO sooner.
We both recommend a simple, one-page website at the start, as you can build upon it as you grow. When implementing a website, ensure it mirrors your strategy by speaking to what you do (services) and who you serve (pain points and how you solve them). The website needs to have clear calls to action to drive visitors to take the desired next steps. If you want to get started with an easy-to-use website, I personally use Wix.com.
Networking
“Networking is the best thing you can do for your business” - Jess DeFeo.
She & I emphasized the importance of building relationships through networking and referrals, which can be cost-effective ways to grow your business.
She recommends attending multiple events per month and having meaningful conversations with 2-3 people with the intent to build referral partners or future client trust. at each event.
There is no need to stress about designing a business card when you are just starting out. Use free, digital business card apps, like Hi.Hello or Blinq to link to your website and social media.
Your Elevator Pitch
When someone asks you what you do, you probably have started out by telling them your title and sharing the tactical things you do. But try to take a different approach to help you stand out.
For example, don’t lead with your title, as you may risk educating about what your title does rather than spending most of the conversation on them and not you.
It could start something like this…” You know those moments on Monday, when you have 90 things to do but no one to delegate to, this is where I can help!”...
Social Media Tips
Social media constantly evolves, and Jess discussed the importance of authentic marketing, the shift away from overly templated content, and the value of personal and relatable content in building connections with audiences.
She and I spoke about focusing on authenticity and not worry about being perfect or thinking about what is trendy.
Jess also suggested having separate personal and business-focused social media accounts. Your potential clients appreciate the occasional personal post so that you are showing up authentically; however, she recommends keeping it mostly business-focused on your business account.
Initially, you may attract friends, family, former/current colleagues, but my experience has been that some of those people will be your biggest cheerleaders. Remember, your marketing strategy is the long game.
In Summary
Ready to create a Marketing Strategy for Your New Online Business with support? Join a community of pivoters and builders inside Your Freelance Future. This is a mentorship experience that helps women step into an online business with a framework to help them start strong and land their first client. When you join Your Freelance Future, you get access to future guest experts, past classes, and my dedicated attention to help you build your freelance and online business. Book a free discovery call here, or DM me on Instagram.
Hello! If we haven't met yet, I'm Kirstin, a former corporate professional who has successfully transitioned into a small business owner. I teach women how to launch a freelance career and discover the joys on leading an online business.
Overwhelmed on how to get started? Don't do it by yourself! Discover how to start your online business with the right support!
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