Martina Hughes, Owner, Tantric Blossoming

Do you know you have a worthwhile message? But you’re not reaching the people who need to hear it?

Until Martina Hughes worked with KatieMac Publicity, she had that problem.

As the founder of Tantric Blossoming, she had a high profile in a niche market. But to achieve her goals she needed to reach a mainstream audience.

Martina is on a mission to create spaces where men and women can enjoy deeper connections.

That mission gives Martina’s work broader appeal.

Reaching a wider audience was the focus of Martina’s work with KatieMac Publicity. Martina had to learn business blogging skills, overcome her limiting beliefs, and share her opinions.

Why Her Business was Invisible to a Mainstream Audience

While Tantra offers many benefits to a mainstream market, a common myth is that it is only relevant to a certain kind of person.

Martina explains, 'We live in times where there is a significant disconnection from the self. People are, on the one hand, self-absorbed. But on the other hand, they still don't know themselves very well.'

Tantric Blossoming offers workshops, one-on-one coaching sessions, and retreats; in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Cairns.

The first challenge Martina faced in broadening her audience was an external one. People have misconceptions about Tantra – what it is and who it’s for.

'A lot of people write Tantra off as being something that's too hippie or spiritual or only for certain people.'

Martina had to show how Tantra applies to anyone craving deeper connections.

Another obstacle that kept Martina from blogging was internal. She lacked confidence in expressing her views.

'One of the things that has been an issue for me in the past is being comfortable with having an “authority voice”. It's like there's an inner doubting voice in me that says, "Who am I to have an opinion?"'

Related to that belief was another one about what it meant to be a humanitarian leader.

Martina felt like she had to be open-minded about everything. That she couldn’t have an opinion about anything. As a result, 'I almost felt like I dumbed myself down a little bit.'

Choose a Guide with a Record of Results

Martina began working with Katie in an unconventional way.

Katie was a student of Tantric Blossoming before Martina became a client of KatieMac Publicity.

While Katie was a Tantric Blossoming student, KatieMac Publicity, underwent a transformation.

Katie realised the traditional publicity model – send out press releases and follow up like crazy – no longer got results.

Instead, through blogging, business leaders could become the authoritative, provocative voice in their industries.

Martina watched as Katie blogged KatieMac Publicity to a new business model.

These blogging skills are what Katie teaches clients in the Partnered Professional Publicity Program.

Before Martina started blogging, she’d wanted to write. To develop her writing skills. To craft a stronger voice. To have someone hold her accountable for publishing quality content.

Katie’s success with KatieMac Publicity showed Martina she’d found the mentor she needed.

‘Whenever I look at the possibility of a new business coach, it needs to be someone who has success in attracting more business than me. I knew Katie knew how to do things I didn't know how to do.'

A Quick Change: From Stifling Her Opinions to Sharing Her Views

From the time Martina became a KatieMac Publicity client, Katie guided Martina's writing.

Katie challenged Martina to write things in a different way. She asked her to approach topics from a fresh angle.

'Working with Katie, she gave me lots of permission and lots of encouragement to have opinions… to have strong ideas… to speak authoritatively. Knowing it might be confronting – for myself and for my readers.'

Within a fortnight of signing up for the Professional Partnered Publicity Program, Martina published her first blog.

An early step involved identifying Martina’s ideal clients.

'A higher quality client is somebody who is committed to the deeper transformation,’ says Martina. ‘And who can also afford to commit to the deeper transformation.'

With that ideal client in mind, Katie helped Martina find topics that would appeal to them.

Previously, Martina had discarded her corporate background. Katie told her to embrace her past.

The result: One of Martina’s first posts, 'Don't Quit Your Day Job'.

The story behind the post came from when Martina was thinking of leaving corporate life to start Tantric Blossoming.

Then, Martina worked as a financial controller in London. Climbing the corporate ladder. Her employer advised her not to quit her day job.

In the post, Martina talks about how her job was great. But no matter how good it was, it wasn’t fulfilling for her.

Another early post was called, 'Wall Street Powered by Sex'. Martina wrote about the ways greed is linked to the oppression of sexual energy.

The corporate background Martina had discarded became the bridge to reaching a broader audience. 'I think those blogs encouraged people to take deeper steps with me.'

What Martina had to say was relevant to people who wanted to improve their relationships – regardless of what they had thought about or known about Tantra beforehand.

Core Program Grows 31.25% As It Reaches the Right Market

It took five months from when Martina started regularly publishing to the time she began seeing growth in her business.

How is that growth measured?

One measure is increased bookings for Tantric Blossoming's events.

Another metric is the increase in referrals.

But one area stands out for Martina above the others. The number of enrollments in the Tantric practitioner training.

Before working through the Professional Partnered Publicity Program, Martina expected to get 16 students enrolled in her Tantric training.

She was delighted when 21 students enrolled.

She credits this increase to the blogs she published.

'It felt like a benefit I hadn't really factored in when I signed up for the program with Katie’, Martina says.

Fast Results as Martina Hughes Finds Her Voice

Martina’s goals in hiring Katie were threefold. 1) To increase her visibility in the mainstream community. 2) To be a leader on social issues. 3) To develop an authoritative voice.

She achieved all three. One of them happened fast.

'Having a different voice was pretty much immediate,’ Martina says. ‘A stronger voice… an ability to speak authoritatively on social topics… to be an authority within the industry and the market. And to have the confidence and courage to do that.'

Martina knew she had a message worth sharing. Her work with KatieMac Publicity helped her get what she had to say in front of the right audience.