The real secret behind successful marketing is realizing that marketing is really about building relationships. As you promote yourself to potential clients you are really building their interest and their understanding of what you do and their trust in you in that you can help them with a solution to their problem.

Part of this relationship building experience is to increase your visibility so you get noticed and build your credibility, so that they view you as a specialist in a certain area. Many people call this being a "rock star" in your market. As a conscious entrepreneur, I know that most of you are more modest and rock star makes you cringe. I like to call it creating "Celebrity with Integrity." You are creating "celebrity exposure" in your small market and doing it with integrity and a real sense of connection.

Creating "Celebrity with Integrity" can be fun, and the great thing is that all your efforts build on one another. You are creating a tipping point where your attraction marketing actions build and attract in bigger and bigger measurements.

It can start out slowly and easily with a few small steps, such as sharing client stories and photos from a workshop you attended. The steps get bigger -- as you gain confidence, clarity and embrace your creativity. You'll start being featured in other people's newsletters, ezines and blogs. Then the energy of your "visibility & credibility" strategies gain momentum and you start to gain leaps in your results. Soon you are posting pictures with "famous people" in your market and successful clients.

Initially as you start, the first people who notice are your current clients. They always want to know what you are up to since they are already working with you. They like to know that they are working with a successful person. The second group of people who notice are your colleagues. You'll start receiving kudos, emails, posts of congratulations on Facebook and shining star messages.

Then you'll notice that there is an immediate layer of people around you who are potential clients. You haven't worked with them yet but they are noticing everything you do. They are paying attention. I call them the "flirts." They'll congratulate you on a speaking engagement or a recent award, and you can tell that they are taking note.

What starts out as a step-by-step strategy to build your list and gain visibility can quickly start tipping into a big wave of results including:

-Fans - Flirters or potential clients - Clients who want a small taste of what you have to offer (like a book or ezine) - Clients who are ready to invest

You'll also start receiving invitations for more opportunities to promote yourself by participating in:

-Products -Teleseminars - Events - Contributing articles - Contributing to collaborative books

It really is pretty fun - especially when it comes from your heart!

Many of us go through a period of frustration at the beginning. Something like, "I'm doing the marketing right, why isn't it working?!" I know this question well as I was there a couple of years ago. I felt I was the poster child for perfect internet marketing. Now, you can see the wave of momentum by how busy my inbox is!

Marketing is a process, not a one-time event. You don't put it out there and it's done. You are always tweaking your message. You are always getting clearer about your niche and your offering by listening to what works and what doesn't work. Then tweak again. More - "Rinse and Repeat." This means you keep marketing consistently.

What is your "Celebrity with Integrity" strategy for this week? What's one photo, testimonial, or client story you could share on your blog, ezine or Facebook to let your potential clients know that you are up to big things?