95% of the people I speak to are overwhelmed by the need for marketing their business and running it at the same time. Honestly, there are fleeting moments where I count myself among that number, which is odd because I am a marketing consultant.
No wonder!
Every time I open Facebook, I’m hit with a barrage of ads telling me that if I buy this or that course teaching me how to
master digital sales funnels, demand generation, YouTube advertising, or whatever-fill-in-the-blank-marketing method happens to be the latest trend, I will be able to grow a six-figure business that I can run while traveling for pleasure around the world.
It isn’t a wonder either that as small business owners we fall victims of the shiny object syndrome. Most of us do not
have unlimited time/budget to market our business. Hence we look for ways to shorten the time to market.
Result? You feel stuck like in a complicated yoga pose, wondering who made you do it and how to get out of it.
What you should do instead
To get out of the awkward yoga pose, you need to remember that you have to do the right things in the right order.
Set goals
The number one reason businesses owners get overwhelmed by marketing is because they lack clear goals. If you don’t know where you’re going, no road will get you there.
For marketing to deliver results, it needs to be in line with your business goals; after all, marketing is there to support your business growth.
When you set a measurable goal, let’s say, to boost sales by 10% before the year ends, or something along these lines, you can then decide which marketing strategies will work best for you.
Check your marketing basics
Most business owners talk about traffic. They say “I want to do Facebook ads or blogging or social media” and they are starting at the top of this, or starting at the third level. But if you don’t have the foundation, you have no business thinking about Facebook ads or Google or blogging. That’s why marketing doesn’t work.
Marketing your business is a bit like climbing a ladder. You need to start from the bottom.
In marketing, the first rung of the ladder is the foundation.
Ensure that you understand your customers’ frustrations and goals so you can create a unique product or service that renders you unique and your competitors obsolete, and have a clear message that resonates with your potential clients (no simple feat).
Work with the rule of one
Many of us struggle with marketing because we are doing too many things at once. We say, “I’m going to start a blog, I’m going to do two different Facebook campaigns, I’m going to do a webinar, and I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that” and what happens is you never get anything over the finish line, ending up more confused.
Settle for one ideal client profile, one promise you can deliver guaranteed and one solution. In that way, you will be making wise use of your resources instead of shooting in the air hoping to catch something, while paving the way to become the go-to-person for the problem you solve.
Focus on what you are good at
In our pursuit of growth, we want to try everything: every new tactic and every new platform – everything. But we can’t do everything. It is not sustainable in the long run.
Pay attention to your marketing style. If you do not enjoy writing or spending time on social media, basing your marketing strategy on tactics that rely heavily on blogging and posting will become unsustainable.
Focus instead on what you like and what you are good at. Forcing yourself to do something you don’t like, or that makes you feel uncomfortable or inauthentic only feeds the sense of overwhelming.
If you want marketing that feels easier and have consistent results book a call with me to see if Ican help you to gain clarity and confidence and a business you can enjoy again.
