Stop Posting and Praying: Why Search-Based Marketing Matters for Kingdom Business

Well, hello, classmates! Come on in and get comfortable because we're diving deep into one of those "unsexy" business topics that can actually transform your handmade business. I'm Dr. Tasia, your host from the Let's Get Unsexy podcast, and today I want to share something that changed my entire approach to reaching customers online.

Get the Freebie Pinterest Strategy → HERE.

From Sprint to Marathon: My 25K Burnout Story

Let me start with some real talk. In my four years as a full-time Christian entrepreneur, I learned the hard way that constantly sprinting in business will leave you gasping for air. Picture this: I was making $25,000 a month at the height of my revenue, trying to do everything at once. Etsy shop, Shopify website, crafting events, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok - you name it, I was doing it.

I was that solopreneur burning the candle at both ends, getting help here and there from family, but essentially running myself into the ground. Sound familiar?

Here's what I realized: I was so focused on what I call the "sexy" things - hitting revenue goals, counting orders, celebrating Instagram likes, analyzing ad performance - that I completely neglected the unsexy foundation that actually keeps a business sustainable.

My bookkeeping was falling behind. I was scared to do my taxes because I hadn't been setting aside money for quarterly payments (yes, as an S-corporation, this was a big problem). I didn't even feel like I had time for a 10-minute walk because I was so consumed with chasing those exciting metrics.

But here's the thing - it was the unsexy stuff that was going to crumble my business. The disorganization, the lack of systems, the inability to step away even for a day without everything falling apart. I needed a business that was sustainable, not one that required me to sprint like I was in a race that would never end.

Building on the Rock: The Biblical Foundation

As Christian entrepreneurs, we know that the Bible talks about building on a strong foundation. When the winds come and the rain beats upon the house, if it's not built on a strong foundation, it will fall. But if it's built on solid rock - our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - it will stand.

That's when I had to switch my mindset. I prayed, "Jesus, give me wisdom. Let me not get caught up in all the sexy things. Let me have balance." There's nothing wrong with setting revenue goals or sales targets, but I also needed to focus on the unsexy, sometimes tedious things that would make my faith-based business successful and sustainable.

The One Bite at a Time Revelation

Here's where God spoke to me in the most ordinary moment. I was sitting down to eat dinner after praying, and right before I took my first bite, I heard in my spirit: "One bite at a time."

It hit me like a lightning bolt. You don't gobble up an entire meal in one bite - you'd choke, it wouldn't be pretty, and it simply wouldn't work. We eat one bite at a time, and that's how we finish our food. The same principle applies to business.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. When we try to do everything at once in our handmade business, we get overwhelmed, we cave in under pressure, and tasks start falling by the wayside. We stop focusing on those unsexy foundational elements that make our business sustainable.

So I made a decision: I needed to do a few things well instead of a lot of things mediocre.

My "One Bite" Strategy: Five Focus Areas

Instead of being scattered across every platform and strategy, I chose five areas to focus on:

1. Pinterest (my primary traffic driver)
2. Instagram stories (for social proof and connection)
3. Email newsletter (even with just 150 people)
4. This podcast (the Let's Get Unsexy Christian business podcast)
5. Blog posts (prime real estate for keyword strategy)

Why these five? Because I learned that as a Christian entrepreneur running a handmade business, you need people who will be cheerleaders for you from the early stages. I remember when I first started making jewelry - looking back at those pictures, it's honestly surprising anyone bought anything! But I had one lady who ordered from me multiple times, and that encouragement was everything.

You need people who want to stay engaged with your business even when they're not ready to purchase, or when you don't have anything new to offer them. They still want to be part of your community - and that's where keywords come in.

Keywords: The Vehicle to Your Customers

Let me paint you a picture. Imagine you're planning a vacation to the Bahamas. There are only a few ways to get there - by plane or by cruise ship. But you need a vehicle of transportation to reach your destination. Without that vehicle, you ain't getting there.

That's exactly how I look at keywords for my faith-based business. Keywords are the vehicle that connects where I am now (with my business and products) to my destination (my customers and target audience). These are the terms that my customers are already searching for on whatever platform they're using.

Whether you're on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, or running a blog, they all operate on keywords. Even marketplaces like Etsy function like search engines - you put in your keywords, and products pop up.

The Christian Entrepreneur's Keyword Gold Mine

Here's the practical part that changed everything for me. As a Christian entrepreneur selling faith-based products, I needed to understand what my target audience was actually searching for. So I went to Pinterest (my chosen platform because it's a search engine, not just social media) and did something simple but powerful.

I typed "Christian" in the search bar, then added a space and went through the entire alphabet:

• Christian A...
• Christian B...
• Christian C...

And so on. Here's what I discovered:

Christian gift baskets - People are actively searching for this! So I wrote it down in my spreadsheet under Pinterest keywords.

Christian morning routines - Another active search term that I found by typing "Christian M."

Christian apparel, Christian Bible verses, Christian decor - all keywords that people were looking for.

This simple method opened up a world of opportunities for my handmade business.

Get the Freebie Pinterest Strategy → HERE.

From Keywords to Customer Stories: Real Results

Let me tell you about one of my first Pinterest customers that came from this keyword strategy. I had created a pin offering 20% off, and included keywords about custom Christian home decor.

A woman reached out who was recently divorced (or widowed - I can't remember exactly), and her youngest child was heading off to college. She told me this was finally her time to focus on herself. She wanted to downsize to a tiny house so she could travel more, and she wanted a wall hanging of John 3:16 for her new home.

At that time, I was making clay home decor items. I worked with her to create a simple white clay wall hanging with John 3:16. When I shipped it to her, she was so excited. This was at the very beginning stages of my business, and honestly, when I posted that pin, I hoped maybe someone would see it. I had no idea people would actually find it, use the coupon, and reach out for custom work.

That's the power of keywords for a Christian entrepreneur - they help the right people find you at the right time.

The Gift Basket Breakthrough

Here's where keyword research gets really exciting for handmade businesses. Remember that customer review I mentioned? One of my customers bought my marriage cross as part of a gift basket for her brother's wedding. Light bulbs went off!

I realized I could create an entire blog post around "Christian gift baskets" and feature different products I make. I could stage a photo shoot in my home with a basket, some of my products, and other complementary items. Then create Pinterest pins using that keyword, write blog posts, even create a Pinterest board dedicated to Christian gift basket ideas.

Whether you sell candles, planners, pajamas, or bed linens, there are so many things that could go in a gift basket - and people are actively searching for these ideas on Pinterest because they go there for inspiration and DIY projects.

More Keyword Goldmines I Discovered

As I continued researching, I found keywords that sparked all kinds of faith-based business ideas:

SVG free files - This one made my entrepreneur brain start spinning. People are searching for free SVG files, which I use in my laser cutting business. I could create a whole ecosystem: offer a free SVG to capture emails, then sell additional SVG files, maybe even create a course about using SVGs to grow your business, or write an ebook about how one SVG brought in significant revenue.

Laser cut decor, baptism decorations, cake toppers - All keywords that directly related to my handmade business capabilities.

Candle aesthetics - If you're a candle maker, people are searching for ways to style and use candles in their homes, workouts, even while cooking.

Planners and organizers - Perfect for those creating digital or physical planning products.

The Pinterest Advantage for Christian Entrepreneurs

Let me tell you why I chose Pinterest as my main platform for this Christian business podcast audience. Pinterest isn't social media - it's a search engine. People go there with the intention to buy something or find inspiration. They expect to click links that take them somewhere else.

Compare that to Instagram, where people don't go with buying intentions. Yes, you can put links in your bio, and Instagram Shop exists, but it's not the same. I've had people DM me saying "I love this product, how can I find it?" But not everyone is bold enough to reach out and ask.

Here's the beautiful thing about Pinterest for handmade businesses: content has staying power. I had someone pin something I posted five years ago - in 2020 - and they just discovered it, liked it, and added it to their board. That means what I create today might not show results immediately, but it could bring customers years from now.

This is different from TikTok or Instagram where content needs constant engagement to stay visible. Those platforms are great for community building, but I needed traffic to my website. And the foundation of our business is simple: you need traffic to get sales, sales to get revenue, revenue to reinvest and grow.

The Patience Factor: Microwave vs. Marathon Mindset

Here's some hard truth I learned the expensive way. In the past, I've created blog posts, gotten frustrated when I didn't see immediate results, and deleted everything. I'd think, "Let me scratch all this and start from zero."

Big mistake.

A month ago, when I was analyzing my website analytics, I discovered that Google had become my biggest traffic driver - even bigger than Pinterest! And when I looked at which pages were bringing in traffic, they were blog posts I had written and published just a month or two earlier.

But because I didn't see results as quickly as I wanted, I had deleted similar content in the past. When I realized this, I honestly thought to myself, "Tayshia, how could you be so shortsighted?"

The truth is, results aren't immediate in the faith-based business world. It's a process that takes time. My disappointment often came from expecting "microwave success" - wanting to put something in and have it come out done immediately.

But it doesn't work that way. Algorithms need time to understand if your business is legitimate. Customers need time to find you. Sometimes what we're doing today won't show results for 30, 60, or 90 days.

That's why I now commit to testing any strategy for at least two months before evaluating what's working and what needs adjustment.

Your Action Plan: Getting Unsexy with Keywords

Here's what I want you to do after reading this post:

1. Choose your platform - Whether it's Pinterest, Google, YouTube, or wherever your ideal Christian customers hang out.
2. Create a spreadsheet with columns for different keyword categories. Mine has columns for: Business, Devotional, Pinterest Keywords, Lifestyle, Mindset, and Home Decor.
3. Start with your main product category - If you sell candles, type "candle" and then "candle A," "candle B," etc., to see what comes up.
4. Collect 10-20 keywords minimum - Write them all down, even if they don't seem "pretty." Remember, it's what customers are actually searching for.
5. Create a usage plan - Add another column to your spreadsheet for how you can use each keyword (blog post, Pinterest pin, product description, etc.).
6. Test consistently for 60-90 days - This is crucial. Don't give up after a few weeks.

The Traffic Foundation

Remember, everything starts with having a good product and getting traffic. Even if you're not sure what products to create, playing with keywords can show you what people are searching for and give you faith-based business ideas you hadn't considered.

I had someone reach out saying they weren't getting enough traffic to their Shopify website, so they were thinking of switching to Squarespace. I had to tell them - it doesn't matter if you're on Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify. You're not going to get more traffic just by switching platforms.

You need to use search engines to drive traffic. You need to use social media strategically. But keywords are the driver that makes it all work.

Final Thoughts: Embracing the Unsexy

Sometimes in business, it really is about the unsexy things. Keywords aren't going to get a lot of "oohs" and "ahs," but they're definitely needed to be the heartbeat of your Christian entrepreneur journey.

Every so often, take time to evaluate: Are the keywords I'm using still working? Are there new keywords I haven't thought about? Are there ways I can use these keywords that I'm not currently exploring?

As Christian entrepreneurs running handmade businesses, we often have incredible products made with heart, soul, and good intentions. We want to ship out items we're genuinely proud of to customers who will love them. But we have to do the legwork to reach those customers - they won't just magically find us.

Keywords are part of that essential legwork. They're not the only piece of the equation, but they're a very important piece.

So be blessed, do the unsexy work, and remember - this is a marathon, not a sprint. Take it one bite at a time, build on the solid foundation of Christ, and trust that the work you're doing today will bear fruit in due season.