How I keep my business booked out (aka marketing)
I’m just back from what I’m calling The Empty Nester Distraction Tour with my dear friend Vanessa.
We spent 10 days seeing and eating all the things in London and Copenhagen. It was as dreamy as you’d expect. So. Many. Pastries.
As you can imagine, reentry has been a little rough. I gave myself a pretty light week, but I could barely swing the bare minimum I was expecting of myself. For example, I’m sending this out a day late.
I spent a good part of today just sitting around upset that I didn’t have any pastries.
Such a spoiled brat, I know!
The best part about the trip was that I didn’t need to bring any work or even think about it while I was gone.
This is because I work in sprints and don’t have any ongoing projects.
I was also able to fully relax because I knew I was coming back to already-scheduled projects and I’m booked out through the end of the year.
So how do I keep my business booked out?
I wish I could say it’s all because of my fantastic website (which I really do love and it absolutely does help). But even I can admit that the best website in the world isn’t enough because you still need people to know that website exists.
The truth is that keeping my calendar full takes more than vision boarding or manifesting. It takes marketing.
Don’t be scared! You might already be doing more marketing than you think.
I start every project with a 90-minute discovery interview called a Branding Roadmap. One of the questions I ask:
→ “Do you have a marketing plan?”
Most people answer, “Nope!”
But once we start talking, it often turns out they’re already doing marketing without realizing it.
I think a lot of people assume “marketing” has to mean complicated funnels, paid ads, or social media content they don’t want to make.
But marketing a service-based business can be simple, straightforward, and all about building relationships. And for me, that’s a lot more enjoyable than figuring out a complicated funnel.
Here’s what keeps my pipeline full and pipeline-ing:
1 | In-person and virtual networking. I’ve gotten super intentional about the events I’ll attend. I need to be sure my target clients are going to be there and that there’s actually a way for me to interact with them directly. Otherwise I pass.
2 | Connection calls (aka coffee chats). These days, I’m mostly having coffee chats with women I already know. Staying in touch and hearing what everyone’s working on helps us spot opportunities to support each other and make introductions. I still meet new people, but I’m more intentional about which connections I pursue.
3 | Posting regularly on LinkedIn. This has also changed for me recently. I was posting 3x/week for over a year and I didn’t mind that when LinkedIn was a more fun place to hang out. Now AI slop has mostly driven me off the platform, but I still get work there, so I’ll pop in about once a week. And I’m still calling that “regularly.”
4 | This here weekly email newsletter. An email newsletter is a long game, but it’s a good game. Many people have told me they decided to work with me because of my newsletter. It took me a long time and nudging by many people to start, but I’m so glad I did. And the hardest part is definitely getting started.
––
Basically, here’s what works for me: I focus on showing up, building relationships, and consistent messaging.
I’m always clear about what I do, who I serve, and what problem I solve. That messaging is repeated everywhere I show up: in conversations, on LinkedIn, and here in my emails.
That kind of consistency builds trust. And trust keeps the calendar full.
And thank goodness — no TikTok dancing is required.
Goodies Just For You
WHAT I’M THINKING ABOUT: This is old news now, but I was really moved by the end of Sandra Bullock’s interview on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast. As they’re wrapping, Poehler confesses she was hoping they could be friends but didn’t want to have too high expectations for that. What followed really made me emotional. I love when women can be real and vulnerable with each other like that. It was also a sweet and funny example of how difficult it can be for women to receive compliments.
WHAT I’M MAKING: It feels appropriate to share Alison Roman’s dip that she shares for “when you aren’t going to Europe.” She calls it “The Dip” and it is DELICIOUS and looks so much fancier than the effort it takes. I promise you will impress and thrill all your friends if you serve this at your next dinner party.
WHO I’M ADMIRING: I can’t talk about relationship marketing and getting booked out without singing the praises of Sarah Noel Block. Sarah is THE expert in relationship marketing. A big part of why I’m booked out through the end of the year is my work with her. The first step in getting a piece of her genius is The Booked Out Blueprint. Check her out!
