Here are a few helpful tips around establishing your platform/presence/credibility. Our Facilitator community is diverse and ranges from seasoned entrepreneurs who have been self-employed for a long time to women who are brand new to this game and still trying to get the nuts/bolts of marketing down.  I wanted to share a few things that are the minimum you’ll want to do to establish a strong online/off-line presence for your Personal Renewal Groups (or any work you do).  You’ll need:

• A solid email address (ideally your name@your url) and a solid phone line with a professional greeting that says “you’ve reached …” and states when you return calls.  (Check that spam folder daily!)
• A web site (ideally)-your first and last name.com is great and you can include other offerings under here; my 14 year-old son built this on Weebly for free.  Or if you have the resources, hire someone to build a site for you like Laura just did.   If you can’t do a web site right now, no worries, create a FB page for your groups like my friend Anita did here and create a page name and a vanity url like Personal Renewal Groups/Chicago with Mandy Levy.  Note: when you promote your PRGs on FB (key for our audience),  make sure and promote the event on your personal page as well as your company page. Take some time to understand FB-it will pay  off (also listen to our support call on Marketing in the Wild West).  Mari Smith, Amy Porterfield and Marie Forleo both have some free online videos on FB-just know the rules on FB change weekly!  One of the biggest mistakes women make is thinking everyone is seeing their posts and not understanding how FB works (and that only 5 people may have actually viewed this). Photos help a lot!
• A Facebook event page for your upcoming group/retreat and invite folks and comment/be active on this page. You can also add other admins and ask them to invite friends.
• A database of all the folks who have emailed you about your PRG; keep in touch with them, updating them on your plans and start dates (Mail Chimp is great and starts free). Also tell them to “tell their friends” about your upcoming group (with links, etc.). Really key-I used to easily fill groups years ago just through meticulous record keeping of all who said, “Let me know about your next group!”
• A system that supports you in getting back to new/potential members within 24 hours (ideally the same day). If you don’t get back to folks quickly, you use lose your credibility and they won’t feel safe with you. This also hurts the credibility of the program for everyone -especially with leads coming to you from the RTA site.
• A current, up-to-date listing on the RTA web site under the “find  a group” section-be sure to include your web site or FB page on here, too and a bit about yourself/your group.
• A rockin’ bio on your site(s) that has a current, high res, fantastic headshot of you (I recommend getting a new one done every year) and that shares from the heart why you’re leading the groups/why self-care is important to you/what your personal motivation is for practicing self-care and make sure and link back to the RTA site to give you instant credibility and demonstrate you’re affiliate with an int’l, highly-regarded program.  Check out Barb’s here. Our research in the last 14 years has shown women sign up for a group when they feel they “know” the Facilitator-they want to really get a sense for who you are.

The marketplace for women’s programs has become very crowded AND consumers are more distracted and overwhelmed than ever before.  But fortunately, we’ve been doing this work for a long time (the first PRG met in 2002) and we have deep, rich roots. More than ever, the time is now for your groups and for you to bring forth your gifts and let your light SHINE!