Turning your hobby into a business - your first five marketing steps
Updated 12-21-23
Plenty of advice is available about how to turn your hobby into a business. A quick Google search nets you thousands of pages around writing a business plan, finding financial resources, and how to “follow your dreams.”
That’s not terrible, and yet it’s also not terribly helpful. In fact, most people who start a new business start somewhere in the middle and find themselves scrambling a few months in, wondering how they missed something as simple as buying that website domain they now need or, even worse, dealing with unexpected tax issues.
I’m not an expert in setting up a new business. I started One Nine Design in 2017 and worked with my state business office to ensure I knew the correct paperwork to complete, the tax implications, and all the official numbers I needed. I recommend using your state’s resources in much the same way.
However, I am a marketing expert, and I know that understanding how to market your new business is equally important. After all, you’re probably not starting a new business without a financial goal or two in mind.
So, I aim to help you along your journey of turning your hobby into a business by giving you the first five marketing steps you need to take. Of course, this assumes you’ve already formed your business (or are seeking other resources to make that happen).
Be sure to stick around until the end of the post, where I provide links to several resources mentioned here to make it easier for you to find what you need.
First things first: Define your audience
Before making any big marketing decisions, you need to have a clear picture of your ideal customer. Who your customers are and their buying habits determine where you’ll find the most success in marketing.
For instance, if your ideal customer is moms of little kids and you’re not exploring Pinterest as a social media (and search engine) option, you’ll probably skip over a big part of your audience.
So, take time to define your ideal customer.
Who are they?
What frustrations do they face?
What problems are likely to resonate with them most?
What is the average age range?
Do they work?
Where do they spend time online and offline?
What do they enjoy doing?
What else are they buying? How much do they spend?
Having a few primary audiences is okay, but you can’t market to everyone or you’ll end up marketing to no one. Your potential customer needs to see that your product or service solves their problem and that you’re the best solution for them.
Once you know who you’re talking to in your marketing, the rest of the process will be much easier.
Need some help planning your blog posts? Grab my free Blogging Workbook and Checklist!
Your first five marketing steps to turn your hobby into a business
Step 1: Set up an email address dedicated to your business
Set up an email address dedicated to your business and separate it from what you use for personal emails. Gmail is free and a great option in case you want to convert to a professional email address in the future through Google Workspace.
Step 2: Reserve your preferred social media handle on all the social media sites
Reserve your preferred social media handle on all the social media sites, even if you’re not going to use them all yet (and I don’t recommend you do).
Step 3: Create a marketing budget.
Running a business is not free. You must expect some level of expense along the way. That doesn’t mean you must devote thousands of dollars from day one. However, lose the mindset that you’ll spend money when you make money. The good foundational pieces cost money.
Step 4: Write your brand statement and begin essential branding work
Your brand is everything that makes your business unique. It includes your logo, brand colors, messaging, typography, and general business vibe. It is 100% not necessary to invest thousands of dollars in building a brand from day one.
You could change your business model three months from now. You could decide to serve a different audience next week or discover that your audience is entirely different from what you initially thought and requires a different branding approach.
However, there are some branding elements you can create for free or very low cost.
I recommend starting with your messaging. You will need a description for every platform you sign up for, so go ahead and prepare your statement before going any further. A simple model to follow is this:
I (or company name) (verb + what you create or sell or how you help people) for (describe your audience), (phrase here about how what you do is different from other people).
EXAMPLE: The Nonprofit Template Shop offers nonprofits pre-made templates to help bridge the gap between having professionally-designed resources and limited resources.
If you want, you can begin experimenting with brand colors, logo ideas, and typography. There are plenty of free branding resources on Canva to help you with branding, including templates for mood boards to get you started.
When you’re ready to invest in professional services, seek a full-service branding agency or design professional with experience in branding work and offers more than a generic logo design, please. (Need recommendations? I’d love to put you in touch with great folks I work with!)
Step 5: Narrow where you’ll put your initial marketing efforts and investment.
You cannot (or should not) try to do it all from day one. Where you decide to put your marketing dollars depends on the product or service you sell and your audience. Here are a few examples to get you thinking:
If you’re planning to sell handcrafted products – an Etsy Shop for online selling and a YouTube Channel for social media content may be an excellent place to start.
If you’re starting a coaching business - a one-page website to describe your credentials, process, and book appointments might be all you need to start.
If you’re planning to sell products in person but not online – invest in professional business cards or small cards to give out and at least one social media site.
If you’re offering a new service, but it needs some explanation or background – start with a blog and one social media site. Blogging is one of the best ways to get found online via search engine optimization and helps your audience understand what you’re offering and why they need it.
But wait. Do I need a website first?
No. You don’t NEED a website to market your new business. (I know, I know, I’m a terrible salesperson for a website designer.) But here’s the truth – sometimes, a website is better suited for someone further down the marketing journey.
For one, it’s typically a significant financial investment. And it requires that you have a lot of information about your new business - information that someone just starting out might not have.
Here are a few “full website” alternatives to consider:
A landing page might work just fine. This one-page website shows who you are, what you do, and what problems you solve. It offers authority and credibility to your business and gives people a place to verify that you are who you say you are.
Or, you can start with a personal blog and build an audience. However, you must have a content strategy in place. A business blog is not an online diary. Do some brainstorming about the kind of content you want to publish, the schedule you can stick to, and the goals you want to accomplish from each post.
A few other reminders before you start selling
If you’re selling a product or service, outline the process for how someone will buy from you before you start marketing.
How will you accept payments?
How does someone place an order with you?
How does your new client book an appointment for service?
Do you have policies in place regarding refunds or exchanges?
Do you understand your local and state tax laws around what you need to charge, document, and retain for records?
Do you have the proper contracts in place to protect your personal finances and that of your business? If not, start with The Contract Shop – they have amazing templates crafted by lawyers that help you cover all your bases!
Resources to help you get started
Perhaps you’re saying this all sounds great, but you still don’t know where to start. Here are some resources to guide you.
Email, Documents, and Files
I recommend setting up a Gmail account for your new business to take advantage of Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Sheets.
To begin, you’ll go to: https://accounts.google.com/ and click Create Account .
Once you have a Gmail account, you’ll have access to all the applications to keep files secure (and stored in the cloud), so you can work from anywhere!
Use Google Sheets for your marketing budget - a simple setup for anticipated income and expenses will get you started.
Social media platforms
It’s wise to reserve your business name on all social media platforms you might use, even if you don’t plan to use them immediately. Here are some top platforms to reserve and links to reference when setting up your business accounts.
How to create a Facebook Page for your business
How to create an Instagram Account for your business
How to create a TikTok account for your business
How to create a YouTube Channel for your business
How to create a Pinterest account for your business
Selling Business to Business? How to create a LinkedIn account
Create a landing page
There are endless possibilities for creating a landing page, but I recommend using Squarespace. A Squarespace website is affordable, offers plenty of room for growth, and is exceptionally user-friendly. It requires zero coding knowledge, and they provide enough pre-made templates that just about anyone can navigate the process to find something they love.
To create a Squarespace account, start here: www.squarespace.com and follow the menu prompts at the top right-hand corner of the screen.
Remember that you’ll also need to set up a domain name. Again, I recommend doing that directly with Squarespace so you can keep all of your digital marketing in one account.
Starting a personal blog
You can certainly use Squarespace to start a personal blog, and that’s my go-to recommendation if you have the financial resources. (less than $200/annually).
If you’re looking for a nearly free option, you can create a blog with WordPress. While I don’t typically recommend their product for websites for MY audience, the blog feature is hard to beat at the lowest pricing tier ($4/month).
You might also find my Blogging Workbook helpful as you plan content for your blog!
Final thoughts on turning your hobby into a business
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything that goes into turning this passion of yours into a thriving business. Keep in mind that it doesn’t happen overnight and that spending the time now to get your foundational pieces in place will net more significant returns later.
It’s tempting to throw yourself in the deep end and figure it all out as you go, and that’s definitely an option for some people. However, taking a more thoughtful approach and easing in with an intentional strategy will likely help sustain your new business and set you up for long-term success.
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