Slow Marketing to Grow Fast in 2023

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The Slow Marketing Movement is the number one trend we see getting traction in 2023.

Like the Slow Food Movement that was birthed as a protest to the proliferation of fast food in Europe in the 1980's, the Slow Marketing Movement is poised to leave mass marketing in the dust in 2023.

Whether it's the fall out of the last pandemic where we relied on staying connected through mobile devices, or we're tired of robotic connections from people we don't know and who clearly don't know us–there's a revolt afoot against automated mass marketing.

The Slow Marketing Movement is to mass marketing like the Slow Food Movement is to fast food

As the Slow Food movement took root the 90’swith a focus on farm-to-table cooking and communities gathering around for shared home-cooked meals, the Slow Marketing Movement is the current antidote to mass marketing.

Slow marketing is about creating community and connection with your audience - gathering around the table and creating a conversation around shared desires and values.

And where Mass Marketing is about visibility and amassing a huge following, Slow Marketing is all about creating intimacy. You don’t need a huge social following or a gigantic email list.

Slow Marketing is all about creating intimacy. You don’t need a huge social following or a gigantic email list.

Anyone who is just starting in business can use slow marketing to achieve rapid results.

Slow Marketing is NOT not about complex email funnels with trip wires and upsells.

It’s not just about market segmentation and good customization in your CRM system (although that’s still important).

And it’s certainly not about developing an online course for passive income so you can make money in your sleep while you sit on a beach in Tulum. If only….

Slow marketing requires minimal technology, minimal marketing gadgets, but more of your time. You are trading your resources from pre-programmed messages to you showing up to say "hi" to your biggest fans and followers.?

Instead of focussing on broadcasting your message and pitching your services through automated message bots, you are listening, and extending invitations for your future clients to hang out with you.

Slow marketing is about wanting to get to know your future customers, to see, hear and understand them. To help them develop trust in themselves and their capabilites. For in developing trust in themselves, they are also able to trust in your ability to help them acheive their goals.

This year people are going to be more discerning about where they invest their money.

They want to be sure they will get a return on their effort as well as their investment. And that doesn’t mean some new whiz bam technology or message bot that is going to move the needle for you.

To connect with future clients you need to slow down. Listen. Make time in your calendar to reach out to those you have already attracted into your world.

It’s not about gaming the algorithms with video or long posts so that you get lots of reactions. It’s about creating engagement with the people you want to work with.

I don’t want you to like my videos (although it’s nice if you do), I want to get to know you and have a conversation. I want to see where you are at and share where I think you may need to focus.

I want to know you.

Let’s be super clear, I’m not suggesting you fill your calendar with coffee chats - I think that is a trap many beginners fall into and not a great use of your time.

But instead of focusing on being seen and heard and understood to develop trust with your audience, what would it be like if you focussed on seeing, hearing and understanding your future clients so that they can learn to trust themselves in making a decision to work with you?

Let’s turn the lens around on the “know, like & trust” factor and make our future clients feel seen, heard, acknowledged and understood.

This is what leads to trust, so that they can trust in their decision to choose to work with you.

The most common reason why someone who is a great fit for your services will fail to make the financial commitment to work with you is that they don’t trust themselves.

They don’t trust in the vision that you have for them. They don’t trust in their own capabilities to make it happen.

They don’t trust in the possibility you have painted for them. If they don’t trust themselves, it’s impossible for them to trust you.?

Your job in slow marketing is to help your future clients trust themselves. Full stop.

It’s not about pitching your services.

It’s not about showcasing your brilliance.

It’s not even about making offers, although making the right offer at the right time is essential for both of you – for your client to achieve their dreams and goals and for you to be financially secure and achieve your business goals.?

So how does slow marketing work in daily practice?

Slow marketing is about community.

Instead of speaking from a webinar stage where you are the expert on the other side of the screen, or on the other side of the livestream, invite your people into the room with you.

Ask them about themselves, what would be the best outcome for them in this time you have together?

And in return, you come from a place of service instead of selling.

You can be too attached to closing the deal. This is an energy that can be felt. It permeates the room like stinky cheese.

But, when you are coming from service, the feeling on the other side is GRATITUDE.

Your audience is saying “thank you so much, this was amazing, I got so much value from this conversation.”

And gratitude leads to RECIPROCITY. When you come from a place of service and focus on enabling your audience to be seen and heard there’s a natural desire to reciprocate and work with you in an exchange of value.

If you would give away so much great stuff for free, what would they get if they actually paid you? People who say yes to your offers are investing in themselves through the trust you have helped them build in their own ability to succeed.

They are not investing with you. They are investing in their future success.

There are many other aspects of slow marketing that I’ll be sharing with you in coming weeks.?

Slow Marketing is the number one focus we are adopting in the 6-Figure Accelerator this year.

The 6-Figure Accelerator is my year-long program for coaches and consultants who want consistent, reliable 6-figure revenue growth by doing fewer things, and being consistent with strategies that work. It’s all about your return on effort. Do less to make more.

Focus on bigger problems, and make a bigger impact.?

If you would like to implement Slow Marketing as part of your business strategy this year, join me for Reliable Revenue Secrets - and solve the mystery of predictable cash flow & make your 2023 revenue goals virtually guaranteed.

Debra Boulanger is the CEO of The Great Do-Over, founder of The Launch Lab for women entrepreneurs and host of the?Life After Corporate podcast.?She helps smart, accomplished women leaders make the leap from corporate leader to entrepreneur and replace the paycheck they left behind.??