This is part of a series called "The Entrepreneurs on Marketing," where I'm talking with entrepreneurs about their strategies for marketing and promoting their businesses.  In this interview, I caught up with Hillary Augustine Vandenbos of Excel-a.

Regarding your approach to marketing, push or pull?

I would say pull, and the reason is kind of a relationship-relationship-referral idea, this very core sense of me getting to know others and them getting to know me, and that's generally how I get clients.  It all comes back to my relationships and networking.  

What do you think about branding?

I think branding is very important because it puts me in a context of, "Where do I want this business to be in five years, and do I want it to be directly linked to me?"

How important do you think personality is when it comes to building and marketing your business?

I think of myself as an entrepreneur, so my personality is very attached to the heart of my business.

What are your top three ways to promote your business?

Essentially, what drives everything is the relationship piece, but my website and I would say Twitter, the social media piece, I'm using more and more.  Those are the two pieces that I rely on for now.  Part of where I want to go in this next year is the place of writing, actually being published, and participating in more of these types of interviews where I get my name out in certain circles.

One of the ways I promote, too, is gathering people together around a book or something that I think is culturally or socially relevant and that captures my heart.  That is a place where I get to know people.  Again, it's a relational core to it all.

Any final thoughts on marketing a business?

At some point, I know for me, I will employ some expertise in the area of marketing.  I am not, by nature, a great marketer.  I'm a great relationship-gatherer and networker, but as far as thinking strategically around marketing, that would be someone else or a company that I would hire to do that.

I think it's important that you can acknowledge that.  If it's something that you don't feel is your strongsuit, that's not a limitation.  You can find someone who can handle those things for you.