Learn from Lauren Hall-Stigerts' lessons in starting an independent marketing consultancy and marketing herself. Intended audience: beginning online services consultants and non-marketers. Presentation prepared within two hours for InfoCamp Seattle 2012, an unconference.

1. Confessions of a
Marketing Consultant
Lauren Hall-Stigerts’ lessons of
starting a one-woman services
business and marketing herself.
Level: Introductory
@Lstigerts
Lauren@marketinggal.com

2. I started my marketing career with
enterprise CRM software as a generalist.
@LStigerts

3. After picking up skillz, I worked at startup
software powerhouse SEOmoz as their
Marketing Communications Manager.
@LStigerts

4. I decided to jump feet -first into online marketing consulting. The
opportunity, challenge, and excitement of running my own business and
fostering lots of relationships excited me.
But it all started with the lessons I learned and
relationships I built while working in -house.
@LStigerts

5. Lesson 1:
Working in-house first
isn’t a requirement, but it
REALLY helps.
@LStigerts

6. Cyrus Shepard (of PlaceFull) and I
knew we had chemistry when we
worked together at SEOmoz.
@LStigerts

7. Cyrus pulled me in on his latest project at event
space rental PlaceFull. I worked on content
strategy and email marketing.
@LStigerts

8. Lesson 2:
Tell people you’re available.
Find friends and colleagues
who need help.
(This seems obvious, but it’s easy to forget when you’re busy doing everything.)
@LStigerts

9. Lesson 3:
Find a consulting mentor
who is where you’d like to
be (eventually).
My two mentors give me so much energy. They boost my confidence and speed
up my success with sage advice. One is my financial planner who gave me the first
big push to stick with consulting. My second mentor is a friend who created a
niche for himself in game design consulting. They both independently volunteered
to be my mentors – people like them are invaluable and critical to your success.
@LStigerts

10. I’ve done more new and sometimes terrifying things
since beginning my consulting than I have in my entire
life.
I’ve also grown more as a professional while being a consultant
than I have over longer periods in -house. If I’m not stretching
myself every day, then something is wrong.
@LStigerts

11. Lesson 4:
If you’re doing something
every week that terrifies
you, you’re doing something
right.
@LStigerts

12. My website looks decent. Personal branding? Check.
Description? Check. Email signup form? Check.
What ’s missing? Everything else. I’ve decided to hire a professional
designer to move this forward in a way that I can’t.
@LStigerts

13. Lesson 5:
Outsource the things
others can do better
than you can.
@LStigerts

14. Invest in a way to track your
clients, hours, projects, invoices, finances, a
nd expenses.
FreshBooks is worth every penny I pay for it.
I’ll be thanking myself come tax season.
@LStigerts

15. Lesson 6:
Take your business as
seriously as you do your
clients.
It’s easy to get caught up in what makes you money today. But you never know
what will happen, so don’t forget to take care of your own business for future
success. Treat yourself like a client.
@LStigerts

16. I use THINGS software to keep me focused – both on the
job and whatever I have going on in my life. It’s based on
the GETTING THINGS DONE approach to time
management.
It’s based on the GETTING THINGS DONE approach to
time management. Finding a trusted system that works
for you is key here.
@LStigerts

17. Lesson 7:
Find ways to recharge
your batteries.
@LStigerts

18. I’m extroverted, so working on my own can burn me out.
I recharge by getting out and working from different
locations. It also energizes my creativity.
@LStigerts

19. I also love working around others. I’ll visit local clients’
sites to touch base. (Double bonus: They know they’re
appreciated!)
If I’m not working
at a client site, I’ll
also drop in on
friends and
coworking spaces.
Here, I’m visiting
my BFF while she
works on her
teaching plans.
That’s her cat.
@LStigerts

20. Getting out to industry events is ESSENTIAL – I can touch
base with friends, network with new peeps, learn new
things, AND recharge my extrovert batteries! WIN!
Bonus points if you can name all of these really smart
SEO / UX / IA friends in the photo with me.
Answer (L to R): @ justinrb rig gs @ipullrank @jcolman
@LStigerts

21. I have lots of hobbies that fulfill other parts of my
personality outside of work, such as costuming at
conventions…
@LStigerts

22. … and playing
music.
It’s important to
me to keep my
hobby time
sacred – it feeds
back into my
work creativity
and energy.
@LStigerts

23. Lesson 8:
Keep your story simple.
Don’t be everything to everyone. Focus on your core strengths and build a
story on them.
People love stories. They remember them. They’ll remember you. And that’s
a good thing.
@LStigerts

24. Lesson 9:
Keep yourself visible.
@LStigerts

25. Find opportunities to share your expertise (for free). And
try to do it as frequently as time allows.
I’m participating in a Max Impact marketing hangout on
Google+ here. These are great because they’re recorded
and circulated.
@LStigerts

26. Facebook Page to practice my own content and social
media marketing. (And stay in contact with the people
who want to hear from me!)
@LStigerts

27. Twitter. A must for online content curators to strut their
stuff.
@LStigerts

28. - Email newsletters
- Blog posts
- Question and Answer sites
- … SPEAKING!
@LStigerts

29. Lesson 10:
Create serendipity.
I snagged this from Rand Fishkin.
It’s another way of saying “create you own luck.”
Do things for people who need help. Do it for free. Don’t expect anything in
return.
And watch the magic unfold.
@LStigerts

30. @LStigerts

31. Let’s be friends!
Lauren Hall-Stigerts
Marketing Consultant
@Lstigerts
Lauren@marketinggal.com
@LStigerts