I recently published an online survey, asking Generation X Entrepreneurs about the biggest pain points in their business right now. I wasn’t really surprised to see that the general topic of Marketing came up often; however, I was somewhat surprised by the specifics, and I am going to address them here today.
#1 – I struggle to market my business – but I do not want to market on social media.
Marketing comes in all shapes and sizes, and while YES everyone is pretty much focusing on the powers of social media to attract your niche market, there are so many possibilities out there!
- Direct mail marketing. This was once what social media is today. It is rarely used now…but how often do you get something in your mailbox besides a bill or junk mail flyer? How nice would it feel to get a personalized note (which can still be automated/mass-produced) in the mail? A card at a time other than the holidays? I have used SendOutCards for many years and I love them for cards, postcards, and gifts…I can upload a list or go one at a time, completely customizable with my images, brand colors, etc…
- Live networking – it’s coming back! Many BNI groups as well as Chambers of Commerce have gone back to live meetings. See what is available in your area!
- Jay Conrad Levinson – has written many books in the Guerrilla Marketing series and you are sure to find some gold there, both for online and offline marketing.
- Make sure your website has been properly SEO’d (optimized for search engines), have your physical address verified by Google, and make sure that your Google My Business listing is kept updated, has great photos, and tells enough about you to get potential clients or customers to choose you instead of the next listing. Have you Googled your business lately? Are your reviews 4-star and above? If not…this is an important place to get to work!
#2 – Marketing tasks take so much time and I should be delegating them instead of doing them myself.
It is very true, that marketing involves a lot of repetitive tasks that are often better outsourced and not on your to-do list. But before you can outsource it – you have to document it. Your marketing needs to be in your voice, your brand’s voice…and while the actual “doing” can be done by an employee or contractor, the “brand voice” has got to come from you. What does this mean?
- Have a brand standards sheet – this should include your typography, colors, logos – how and where, and when all are to be used. Include your brand’s core values, mission, goals, pillars, etc… This will be a guide to whomever you delegate to.
- You need to know what you want the marketing to accomplish. Are you striving for visibility, sales, grow your list, etc…each marketing piece must have a clear and direct purpose.
- Once you have the above, you can provide your delegate of choice with a task to prepare your marketing calendar, submit assets to you for approval, and then either schedule or direct publish.
#3 – Finding time to market my business – while still creating programs and being “the brand”.
- As my business coach would say…”It’s either time or money.” Which will you choose to invest in your business? If it’s time, then great – time blocking is your friend, map out some dedicated time on your calendar and just focus on that. If it’s not on your calendar, chances are it won’t get done. If it’s money – then refer to #2 above and follow that…
- Marketing doesn’t have to take a ton of time, and it shouldn’t all be one-note. Pick your weeks! Traditional marketing is making a huge comeback. A great way to balance this and do it in a time-efficient manner is: Week 1 – write a long-form blog post. Have 2 slightly different versions of the same article and use it for your blog as well as your email or LinkedIn newsletter. Pull golden nuggets from that content and create a few quick graphics for social media…you can create just a couple and make them go further by alternating colors, swapping images, etc…minimal design time, and maximum return. Schedule these nuggets throughout your social media channels. (you could do all of this in 1-2 hours). Week 2 – create a traditional marketing piece…refer to the first item in #1 above, but there are many others…and you don’t have to break the bank or send it to your whole list every time. Week 3 – do a high-touch week with past clients, request referrals, look for power partners, co-marketing opportunities, etc…. Week 4 – Create a video that teaches either about your products, how to do something, etc…that video (this could also be a podcast, webinar, etc…use your imagination) can then be transcribed into another newsletter/blog post – broken up into more social media posts with a lead magnet to build your email list, etc…
- Please note that all of the items listed above could, and possibly SHOULD be delegated so that you can focus on revenue-generating activities.
I hope this helps someone out there today…it helped me honestly. I need to keep reminding myself to get out there and be seen. Marketing is important. Just because your business is referral-based now, does not mean that you do not need to effectively market and drive leads to your business constantly in order to stay in business, and to stay relevant in the market.
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