 This is part 3 of a 4-part series on how to become an astrologer. It’s easy to forget this part, but if you want this to be your job, astrology is a business. Most astrologers are like musicians, lost in the art and don’t want to concern themselves with the business side of things, but if you want this to work, you kinda have to. When you’re an astrologer, you’re working for yourself, and should approach this just like any other entrepreneur approaches their business. You need to be professional and act accordingly. If you want to be an astrologer, you need to be the kind of person who can work for themselves and not spend all day searching cat videos.
Being an astrologer, you quickly find that you have to deal with all sorts of things that have nothing to do with astrology. In the modern world, you need to have an internet presence, which first and foremost means a website and/or blog where people can find info on you, your services, and flesh you out for themselves. This requires some knowledge of how to build a website or blog, design, coding, SEO, analytics, etc. You don’t need to be a tech genius for any of that, especially these days, and can find lots of tutorials online. If you have the money, you can always hire someone else to do this for you, but chances are, you don’t. So there’s so trial and error involved, and learning as you go along with this tech stuff. Social networking has become an important part of any company, and it’s even more important when your job hinges on networking with people, which is the case for astrologers. I resisted social networking for a long time, loathe it with a passion, and do it begrudgingly, hating myself every moment I’m tweeting. But I suck it up. Most of you probably don’t hate social networking, so you won’t have the same issue I do with it. But you do need to remember that you’re selling yourself and your services. These accounts should NOT be treated the same way as personal social networking accounts. Behave professionally, keep it focused on astrology, and don’t post too much personal stuff (no drunk tweeting, no photos of your dog in a tutu, etc.). Use them as a way to find new clients, and showcase your skills. You can use a lot of the same kind of ideas and methods other business owners use to enhance their social networking presence. Some of you may want to consider starting an email list/newsletter. This can be a great way to find new clients, increase your audience, and again, showcase your skills. You can write astrological tidbits, offer exclusive deals on readings, give your consultation schedule, perform sample readings, and just help people get more comfortable with you (comfortable enough to get a reading from you). All of you have to work on getting your name out there. Social networking helps with this, but it can be slow. One of the best ways to get yourself out there is through writing. Find websites where you can submit guest articles and come up with ideas (they don’t even have to be astrology websites; if it’s for something else, find a way to write an article that ties astrology to their subject matter). You won’t be paid for this though, so it is free work. If you want to be paid for writing, peruse job boards or join job sites like odesk that offer paid writing work. I worked as a freelance horoscope writer for several years, and wrote daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly horoscopes for various websites, apps, and books. It’s a great way to gain more experience, make connections, and make some extra money while you’re building your business. Most major astrologers write horoscopes somewhere, so this is a skill you may want to consider developing (if that's a skill you'd like to work on, stay tuned in April). And of course, blog! You can create just a blog, or a website with a blog, and write posts regularly. It doesn’t have to be daily, but it does have to be often at first. Again, this is free, but you get full credit (and helps with searches), and if you monetize your website/blog with ads, then you get a little pay. If you’re a good enough writer, you can submit to smaller publishers book ideas you have, or you can create your own ebooks and sell them online. The former gets you a wider audience, but the latter gives you full creative control and control over your message. For a more-pay version, you can also ghostwrite astrology books (something else I did), which helps give you some experience and connections, and pays better. If you’re not so good with writing and prefer speaking or video, consider making YouTube videos or podcasts that you post on your website/blog. A web series could be a great way to introduce yourself to new potential clients. Be disciplined, and be ready to dedicate yourself. Like any entrepreneur, you’ll be working 24/7. Vacations? What’s that? Weekends? That’s just two more days for work. I used to hate those annoying phone people who are always working on their phones - then I became one! If this is going to be your job, your career, you have to be willing to put in the hours. Part 1: Study and Practice Part 2: Specialize Part 4: Ethics Comments are closed.
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