Less marketing noise.More clarity, strategy, and action. Blog
Managing marketing and business when you’re away: an out-of-office checklist
Prioritizing rest and vacation might not seem like a productive use of time as a business owner, but time away from your desk can give you the opportunity to replenish your motivation, productivity, creativity, and energy. With a little preemptive planning, boundary setting, and delegating, it’s a lot easier to unplug and to enjoy your time away without guilt.
Here’s how to set yourself up for success.
3 ways to challenge "best practices" in your marketing
I love doing things my own way. It’s why I tend to push back on the Black Friday madness, encourage challenging the status quo in business (as long as it’s in good faith), and have spoken out about some of the most popular entrepreneurial book recommendations.
Just because a particular activity or approach is considered a “best practice” by many doesn’t mean it’s the best practice for your business. Let’s deconstruct some common marketing narratives and explore alternatives.
Choosing marketing tactics based on what works (even when you don't like it)
All too often I speak to clients about various tactics in marketing and they scrunch up their faces (giving me a clue that they're not on board) and then share their feelings about said tactic(s). Now, I'm not one to push anyone to do something they're really against doing. But, the objections I hear from clients are often about personal dislike of something, which is a whole different conversation.
While you can always make business and marketing decisions based on your personal thoughts and feelings, in doing so you are missing out on the opportunity to create a well-rounded marketing strategy. Here’s how to approach your marketing instead.
Your comments matter: Everything you do publicly is a representation of your brand, so be intentional!
How you show up online is a direct extension of your brand. This goes beyond what you’re posting on your business social media accounts, or on your company website and blog, and also encompasses any comments you decide to share online.
When you show up authentically and positively, engaging with other brands and content in appropriate ways, it can do wonders for your company's growth.
On the other hand, if you find yourself regularly commenting on posts without taking pause first to consider how those comments might be perceived by your audience, you might end up regretting those moments of keyboard courage.
The problem with techniques and templates that oversimplify your business
There are endless resources online for those looking to ‘up’ their marketing game: templates to hone in on your target audience, specific formulas you can follow to grow your social media account or increase your email list, and techniques for getting clear on where and how you should be showing up online, to name a few.
And, while there’s nothing wrong with the intention behind these resources, there are a few issues that tend to come up when business owners rely too heavily on them.
The long game of marketing and how to play it for sustainable business growth
It takes any business time to build a robust marketing program. It's not something that will happen in a day, a week, or even a year. This is particularly important to realize if you’re frustrated with the growth (or lack thereof) you’ve seen in your business so far. It’s understandable if you’re starting to wonder if your business will ever take off.
Is marketing the magic bullet that will save your business? It can be. The question is whether that momentum will come within the timeline you need or desire.
What kind of support can you get for marketing your small business? An introduction to outsourcing marketing
Oftentimes there is frustration or aversion when it comes to marketing because entrepreneurs have fallen into marketing because they want a business, not because they enjoy marketing or have marketing expertise. And while I love to help “accidental marketers” find joy in marketing by making it easier for them, I also know that sometimes the best thing to do for your business is to outsource the tasks that are draining your time and energy.
When you allow yourself to let go of some of these tasks, you can instead focus on the activities that are within your zone of genius; working more “on” the business, instead of “in” it. Here are a few of the most common options for outsourcing marketing work.
Where to allocate your marketing efforts: inbound vs outbound marketing
Your marketing strategy is the guide you use to build a plan that describes where you will allocate these resources to achieve your business and marketing goals: outlining your ideal content schedule, your brand messaging, and the specific marketing tactics you are going to use based on where your ideal audience is, where you like to spend time, and what previous data has indicated.
Your plan should also include a mix of inbound and outbound marketing, so let’s dive into the differences between the two so you can make informed decisions for your business.
Stop planning and start doing (or vice versa)
Are you planner? I am. At its best, planning is an incredible tool for gaining clarity on the next steps you need to take in your business. At its worst, it can lead to analysis paralysis, stunting your ability to take action.
On the other hand, you don't want to put something out into the world before it's ready to go. You need a minimum viable service (or product), and a plan to launch it to your ideal customers.
Sometimes a shortcut doesn’t seem like a shortcut
Advice and ideas come from so many people and places, with promises of great results. But the routes they want you to take can be so much longer and hurt your business by not working as expected.
In truth, strategic planning is a shortcut. It just doesn’t seem like one. It takes time and thinking and it can even be a difficult investment in your business.
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