Using Intuitive Marketing Tools to Create Viral Growth with Caitlin Durning, Founder of Meraki Media Management

Have you heard of Intuitive Marketing? It is a powerful marketing tool that can help you attract your ideal audience and increase your revenue. Caitlin Durning, Founder and Creative Director at Meraki Media Management, explains what Intuitive Marketing is and what benefits it can bring to your business. 

Tell us more about Meraki Media Management and what inspired you to start working in the field of marketing and launch your business.

I discovered the incredible potential of social media for making a positive impact. It all began when I volunteered to manage a struggling nonprofit's Instagram account, and within just 30 days, I turned their 18K followers into an astonishing 500K, raising over $75K for them. The success of this endeavour ignited a fire within me. I knew that my social media management ideologies needed to be shared with other business owners who wanted to make a difference. And so, I decided to start my own company, which I named "Meraki."

At Meraki, I focused on working with businesses that shared my passion for positively impacting their communities and helping people improve their lives. My clients initially came to me through word of mouth, but soon the demand for my services grew as more success stories spread. I took the time to mentor each of my clients, diving deep into understanding their missions and values. With this knowledge, I crafted unique social media strategies that resonated with their audience and showcased their authenticity.

As Meraki's reputation flourished, so did the success of the businesses and nonprofits I worked with. We formed a supportive community, united by our shared vision of making a difference in the world, one social media post at a time. Looking back, I'm humbled by the impact my journey has had on so many lives. It's a testament to the power of passion, creativity, and genuine care for others. As long as there are businesses committed to making the world a better place, I'll continue to use social media as a force for positive change.

What is Intuitive Marketing?

Intuitive marketing means establishing a connection with yourself first. By doing so, you encourage a genuine connection between yourself, your business, and its purpose. As a result, your business becomes more aligned with your authentic self. You are no longer following others' paths, but instead, you pave your own way towards success in a manner that resonates with who you truly are.

How has Intuitive Marketing helped your clients in building their audience and increasing their revenue?

There are many examples that I can share (you can read one of our case studies here. This is just one example of the impact of using intuitive marketing. A few of our clients have grown their revenue tenfold - getting out of jobs they hate, switching ways of getting clients, gaining confidence when selling, and stepping into their gifts. 

You took a brand from 14k Instagram followers to 500k followers in under a month through a marketing campaign that went viral. What are the key ingredients to creating viral growth on social media?

• Be yourself! People can tell immediately when you aren’t being you. 
• Focus on your clients' problems, emotions, feelings, hobbies, etc; most of the time if you resonate with a video or a trend your clients will as well.
• Focus on impact; people want to know and feel like they are a part of something! 
• Don’t get caught up in the numbers; allow the ebb and flow of data to impact your marketing decisions in the future but don’t let it affect your mental health.

What are the barriers that we need to overcome as entrepreneurs to more confidently involve our intuition when creating and implementing marketing strategies?

Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable; this career choice can be extremely uncomfortable. It has taken me 6 years to be able to master the impact that my business was having on my body. Be patient and kind to yourself; this decision is going to impact your entire world - it's an adjustment and it can’t be rushed. 

Letting go of the “shoulds” of marketing - you don't need to look like someone else or act like someone else to make it big. It's actually the complete opposite, when you look at successful people today they’re trailblazers, they are leading a path that no one has walked before. The more you trust yourself and the "downloads" you're receiving, the easier your path will be. Surrender to the journey - it is all a part of it.

Fall in love with yourself and the way you think - this is monumental for understanding your gifts, you're not bragging or coming off vain. You simply understand that your gifts can help others, that this is a beautiful thing, and that you deserve to share and offer your gifts to others who may be in need! 

You recently delivered a talk inside the Co-created Hub membership where you spoke about the intuitive marketing tools we can use to grow our audience and how we can apply them to our businesses. Can you give us an example of an intuitive marketing tool that has helped you grow your business?

When I was growing my business from a non-intuitive space, I was constantly acting out of scarcity. Every decision I made, every coach I hired, every conversation I had, I wasn't fully trusting in myself. I always had this thought - what if I am not enough? What if I can’t perform on my promises? - this stopped me from fully trusting in what I could offer. And, it also showed in my business through revenue, content creation, the clients I attracted, etc. I became so frustrated that I wanted to walk away, hence why so many businesses fail - 20% of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 45% during the first five years, and 65% during the first 10 years according to Investopedia. Businesses aren’t failing because they don’t understand strategy, they’re failing because they’re repealing clients. They are not in touch with their community or even themselves, so if we can’t trust ourselves, as founders, how can we expect others to? 

Where can our readers learn more about your work?

I am most active on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/meraki_media_management/.

I also have a podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/37TQoqTfeNCx4R3k3ZoDqY, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-end-in-mind-personal-development-for-entrepreneurs/id1550833764.

You can find me on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqC38tG8SDAqksO-dFsnymg.

And, of course - you can also connect with me in the Co-created Hub membership! 

Thank you so so much for this!