Conversation with Shanté Cofield
If you’re feeling like your marketing isn’t working, this message is for you.
Dr. Shanté Cofield (aka: The Movement Maestro) shares lots of truth bombs on this, and if you follow her advice, you will make progress in your business.
As you will hear in our conversation today, she wishes to leave you with this message: Be relentless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.
How incredible is that?! It's such a powerful message, and you’re going to hear even more nuggets of wisdom throughout this conversation.
We talk about tough stuff about being an entrepreneur, how and why to take action if you’re not feeling “ready”, and of course, Instagram.
Get ready to laugh and be inspired!
Don't overthink your yoga marketing
"I think the best compliment you can get ever get from someone is that when they meet you in real life and say 'You're just like you are on instagram!" That's what it should be." - Shanté Cofield
Instagram is a place that you can be real and make genuine connections. If it doesn't feel that way to you, you could be following the wrong people or not showing up as yourself.
When it comes to creating marketing content, we tend to get in our heads a lot. A lot of times we overthink or overcomplicate what we want to say.
The concern for a lot of people just getting started with Instagram (or creating content in general) is "What does the audience want to hear?" But if you're sitting there wondering "What do they want? What will they like?" then you will never get started.
Start off with what YOU want and what YOU like, because you will never be able to guess what everyone wants. And you'll also never be able to please everyone, so you have to let that go.
When you're just starting out, ask yourself:
What has helped me? What do I enjoy?
What do I believe in? What are my values? What do I want to be putting out there?
What do I want to be saying? And then go from there.
**This was also a podcast episode (episode #112). Use the player below if you'd prefer to listen to this message.
How to speak your truth with confidence
"Confidence is a byproduct of action. You just have to get started. You probably won't ever feel ready. Be scared, but do it anyway. Do it scared. Do it nervous." - Shanté Cofield
Think back to when you taught your first yoga class ever. I bet you weren't super confident right off the bat. But you taught anyway. You took the action. And now, years later, you probably feel a lot more confident in your teaching skills.
Marketing your yoga business can be looked at in the same way. Take small baby steps, and as you take action, your confidence will grow!
"Confidence is very much a learned skill, but I think it's something that can be an in-born trait where some people have more of it and some people have to work a bit harder to cultivate it, just like anything else." - Shanté Cofield
Believing in yourself and hearing encouragement from others is important. But you need to generate hard evidence that you CAN actually do the thing. This is what taking action will provide for you. "Movement demonstrates possibility." - Shanté Cofield
Take that first step, whatever that looks like for you.
Avoid the comparison trap in your yoga business
You're going to compare yourself, so your choice then becomes - either keep comparing yourself or put something into place.
If you know you are someone that tends to compare yourself:
Acknowledge that it's happening.
Dissect it. Why do you do this? Is it something from the past? Whatever it is, dissect it.
Take action! Don't try to change the way you are, but instead mitigate the circumstances that you put yourself into. If you know that you tend to compare yourself, but you know you need to be on Instagram for your business, then you need to put boundaries and barriers in place. You can unfollow or mute.
"People seek to change themselves too much rather than changing their surroundings or changing their circumstances." - Shanté Cofield
It's really that simple. You think it has to be complicated, but it's not.
"When it comes to many common problems that people face, they want really complex solutions because it gives them a reason not to do it." - Shanté Cofield
How to share your message in your yoga business
When you're writing a post, what message are you trying to get across? Consider the following:
How is this going to be interpreted?
Is what I think the primary message is here going to be delivered?
Do I trust myself in the comments section? (Understand that there is always a possibility that someone will say something conflicting in response - are you going to be okay with that?)
Shanté has a recent podcast (episode #316) where she addressed a question: "How can I maximize the impact of my message while minimizing the number of words I use?" In other words, how do you get to the point and not be so wordy with things?
Largely with this, it's just practice. Take time and edit the post if you need to. Think about it before you post but don’t overthink.
And this all comes back down to the basics, or "Yoga Marketing 101."
The whole goal in marketing your business is to create these "business bedrocks" that people associate with you. For example, the things that you stand for and the things your "brand" is known for. Sometimes people get overwhelmed at thinking of how much they have to create and how much they have to say. But really, all you have to do is pick a few things and say them a lot in different ways. Say them over and over again.
It takes so much time for it to really sink in with your audience. It takes so much exposure to actually trust the message. "You have to be ready to internalize that message. You have to actually need that message." - Shanté Cofield
People may not be ready right away. But when they are ready, yours is the name they will remember.
If you feel like a broken record, then you're doing it right.
Marketing takes time!
Trust the process, but know it’s going to take time.
"The journey is the destination. The process is the point. Yes, it going to take a long time. Buckle up." - Shanté Cofield
If you want something different, you have to go and get it. If you have a goal, you need to do whatever it takes to achieve that. Know that it's going to take time - and you need to be okay with that. This is what you signed up for - it’s worth it!
If you need to hear an actual number, 18 months of consistently marketing is a great starting point. You'll see some kind of traction by then.
Gaining more time comes from putting in more work.
"We all want passive revenue, but for me, the dream is to work when I want, on what I want, with who I want." - Shanté Cofield
"You attract what you are, not what you want. Show up as yourself, lead with your values, and build a community around that." - Shanté Cofield
If you show up how you are, then you'll end up attracting more of that. And then those people tell other people.
We often look for an excuse to stop. Instead of worrying how many times to post, or should it be a long caption or short caption, or does my face have to be in the image, these tiny things - just take action. Don’t find reasons not to do it.
"When you stop yourself from being in the weeds and you just take action, you get so much clarity." - Shanté Cofield
The answer to every question is YOU NEED ACTION. Perfect doesn't exist. Just start.
"You can't look to optimize the results before you build the habit. First, build the habit. Then we can look to refine things." - Shanté Cofield
"Be relentless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire."
Our society is scared of obsession. There is this fear around how we will be perceived and thinking we'll waste our time. But on the other side of that is - what if this thing is what I truly love, and I just let it consume me and light me up? There is nothing wrong with that, but there will be consequences. Know that putting your whole self into a new passion will cause something else to fall to the wayside.
"But there is something so magical and magnetizing about somebody who has gone all in on something. People want to be around them be around that energy." - Shanté Cofield
Let yourself get obsessed and be okay with that. Be absolutely relentless in what sets your soul on fire.
Your next step
Your next step is to take action with something that you’ve been saying you were going to do in your business.
If you have been saying “I will create an IG reel” then do it. Today. Not tomorrow. Today.
If you’ve been saying “I will host that workshop soon” then pick a date today. Today my friend. You don’t have to have everything figured out but pick a date.
If you’ve been saying “I want to share this with my audience but I’m scared” then write it out and pick out just one sentence of whatever you want to share and share that message today on instagram. Today. Not tomorrow but today.
And if you share something on instagram, tag Shanté (@themovementmaestro) and I (@amandamckinneyyoga) - we will support you! We will cheer you on and let you know you’re doing great.
This is how much we believe in taking action. Because action leads to confidence and progress. You have to take action in order to make progress.
Until next time, give yourself permission to take imperfect action and grace along the way.
"You attract what you are, not what you want. Show up as yourself, lead with your values, and build a community around that." -- Shanté Cofield
About Dr. C. Shanté Cofield
PT, DPT, OCS, CF-L1
Physical therapist turned entrepreneur, Dr. Shanté Cofield, aka The Movement Maestro, is the founder of The Movement Maestro LLC, a social-media based company that provides both online and in-person education for movement professionals around the world. With her continued success in the online world, Shanté’s professional pursuits now center around providing business coaching, with a focus on brand strategy and community development in the ever-growing digital marketplace.
Shanté is a proud SoCal resident, drives a hypergreen Jeep Wrangler, and wishes to leave you with this message: Be relentless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.
Shanté's Links
Website - www.themovementmaestro.com
Instagram - www.instagram.com/themovementmaestro
Looking for support and guidance in your yoga business?
In Thrive, my monthly membership for yoga teachers, you get social media and email templates, monthly Q&A calls, advanced trainings, business check-ins, a private community, and more. Thrive is a membership that can support you on every part of your yoga business journey - from the very beginning all the way to advanced challenges!
