Keys to Consistency: How to get into a marketing rhythm to boost your business income
Let me ask you a question. How many of you NEVER missed a day sending your newsletter, posting daily social media, or publishing a blog post?
That’s what I thought… Guilty!
What’s funny is that deep down we know the importance of marketing our business consistently, but SO many entrepreneurs and business owners are an epic fail at delivering on that promise.
What keeps us from marketing consistently?
Why is inconsistent marketing so hurtful to our reputation?
How can we put a plan in place to make consistent marketing easy?
This article will provide answers to each of these questions and help you get on track with better consistency for your business marketing.
What’s Not Getting Done in Your Business – A Self Assessment
How many of these inbound marketing tasks are not being consistently done in your business?
- Daily social media posts
- Weekly blog articles
- Weekly or bi-monthly newsletters
- YouTube Videos
- Posting and participating in LinkedIn and Facebook groups
Or these other valuable marketing efforts that will build your brand recognition and boost your business?
- Networking and keeping in touch with connections
- Commenting on other blog posts
- Podcast and Webinar booking and promotion
- Following up with sales leads
If there are items you are not getting done, then you are leaving money on the table. Why is it we do that to ourselves?
The Big Lies We Tell Ourselves About Why We Don’t Market Consistently
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- I don’t know what to write about. True, staring at a blank computer screen is not inspiring. One way to avoid this is to create a marketing calendar. This is one central document that you can use to map out your promotions for the year and ensure your marketing messaging themes align with it.
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- I don’t know what my audience cares about. This is a lame excuse; there are clues all around you. For one you can survey your list and followers to find out their biggest challenges. Secondly you could do keyword research to find out the high-searched topics. Third, see what others in your field are blogging about. What topics caught your attention?
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- I’m too busy. True, it’s easy to be loaded up with client deadlines and appointments. I know this happens to me the most. There are a couple of ways that even busy business owners can market regularly. The first is to get a marketing assistant. If you don’t personally have the time or discipline to get a weekly eZine out for instance, an assistant can post the articles on your blog and preschedule them to go out in your email marketing program. The same is true for your social media. You can delegate some of your social media to a reputable resource who can curate content and preschedule it using a tool like Hootsuite.
- I am a terrible writer. No problem. If writing is not your thing, you can record short audios or videos instead. You can even record yourself talking out an article and have it transcribed. You can pull your articles from other materials you have written such as your book, workshops, and webinars. Finally, there are many talented writers that can take your concept and turn it into an article written with your voice.
Why Inconsistency Hurts Our Business So Much
It’s easy to think that if you miss a weekly email newsletter it’s no big deal. But when you publish a weekly newsletter, its making a promise to your readers.
When you miss that connection, it breaks your promise. Not only does that weaken your relationship with your list, but it can lead to mistrust.
When you communicate consistently with your readers it builds a trusting rapport and connection. They look forward to seeing your emails rolling into their inbox. Don’t let them down.
Plus, inconsistency can lead to your readers to forgetting about you.
They move onto the next most exciting ‘guru’ in their inbox who connects regularly with them. Then when 2 months later when you finally send out a newsletter, they delete it or mark it as SPAM thinking, “Who is this? I didn’t subscribe to this newsletter.”
How to Reform and Become a Consistent Marketer
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- Schedule time for your marketing. Book an ongoing weekly appointment for you to curate your social media, write articles, publish newsletters, create email blasts, and develop freebies for your list. It could be “My Business Monday”. Promise yourself to keep that time set aside for marketing your business.
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- Create an idea file. Whenever you come across emails, articles, and quotes that inspire you, save it to a folder in your email or make an Evernote list of “article ideas”. Use this as your source of inspiration when stuck on a topic to write about.
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- Develop an editorial calendar. This acts as a roadmap to keep you on track with topics, messages, and promotions. This way your marketing messaging is in perfect alignment with your promotional efforts.
- Get help. If your business is growing fast and you don’t have time to handle all the marketing yourself, congratulations! Even if you do have time to handle your own marketing, outsourcing it can free up time for you to spend on profit-generating activities. Plus, someone who specializes in social media, blogging, and copywriting etc. can often produce better results in less time.
Imagine how your business could grow if you were organized and consistent with your marketing. Make the commitment today to make marketing your business a top priority and watch your business grow!
And if you are looking for help in online marketing, we can help! Contact us today to discuss your needs and how we can help you get consistent with your marketing.
Are you guilty of not being consistent with your marketing efforts? Tell us why in the comments – do any of the above resonate with you or is it something else?
To your success,
Susan Friesen is the founder of eVision Media, a boutique web development and Digital Marketing firm of over 15 years that specializes in designing, building and marketing professional, unique websites for entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations.
