My son just got a new puppy - George. And it reminded me of the reward and sometimes unexpected sh*t that comes with starting a business.
As always, I am rooting for you!
xo, Heather
Hey there! This is Heather Campbell with a little pro marketing advice for entrepreneurs who want to build a business that makes them happy, makes them money, and brings their good work to the world. Okay, you gotta meet George. Oh my God, this little cutie patoots is the newest member of the Campbell clan. He is my son Gus's puppy. We call him Georgie, the Corgie, even though I know it's Georgie, the Corgi, but he is adorable and it is so neat to see my son love something as much as he loves George, it makes me excited for him to have kids. Of course, one day when he's in a beautiful, committed relationship with someone he loves and who loves him right back.
But having a puppy is so interesting. I have two dogs that are grown like I've had them for years and years and years. And having a puppy just reminds me of all the reward of having a puppy, which is the snuggles, having something cute, a purposeful way to be all that unconditional love you can give love and they give love right back. And you learn so much about yourself and that puppy and things that you really care about because sometimes puppies end up, chewing right through your favorite pair of sandals. And that leads me to the pain side of having a puppy, right? They're two things, they can ruin furniture, they poop exactly when and where you don't want them to.
So it is interesting that when we know going into getting a puppy, that there's gonna be this reward and also this pain, and we prepare ourselves for it. And you wouldn't get a puppy and just let them run wild in your house and have like a little feral puppy because your house would be a disaster. And you wouldn't have a good dog on the other side of it.
So here's the connection to branding and marketing. Branding and marketing work in the exact same way. You don't wanna let those go wild because I'll tell you something in the real marketing world, good marketing is never improvised, never, ever, ever, ever, ever.
And so you wanna have that same kind of preparation and attention and sort of spirit going into it, just like you would when you get a puppy, you know that they're gonna be highs and lows and you prepare for it. So here are three things that you can do that remind me of training a puppy that will also go very well be a perfect companion in your marketing program.
The first is intention, right? You must have intention when you're having a puppy, you gotta get prepared for it, you have to take it to the vet, you have to get toys, you have to get food, you have to get dishes, you have to get a little crate, you have to get a blanket, a dog bed, all these kinds of things you wanna have that same kind of intention in your marketing. And that doesn't mean buying things, but it does mean having a business goal. Number one because you have to have a business goal, you have to know where you want to go with your marketing to know where you want to go with your marketing.
And this allows you when you have business goals is to understand when something works, why it works. And if something doesn't work, you're able to let go of it a little bit quicker than if you don't really have a sense of why you're doing something, right? A goal like with the puppy, like I'm gonna take this puppy out for a walk, I'm gonna take it down to the dog park. Because you do not want that dog going to the bathroom in your brand-new apartment. That's my son's goal. And so he understands when he does those things, that there's a payoff on the other side. And when something works like I take the puppy for a walk, I take the puppy to the dog park, he understands that there's gonna be good stuff on the other side, too.
If he doesn't take the puppy for a walk, bad things happen, right? So marketing goals work in the exact same way. They set the pace, they help you show where you're going and measuring against your goals. So when something works, you understand why, and you're more likely to be able to repeat it. And if something doesn't work, you're able to throw it out of the mix and figure out how to course correct from there.
So, the beautiful thing too, about having goals is you set up, like, let's say just one of your goals is that you wanna build an Instagram following. One of the things I would highly recommend is doing some research and then doing a little bit of journaling and put the question. How do I get more Instagram followers? And then you'll start to get ideas and there's a first step, and a second step, and a third step. Just like with having a puppy, you don't go from potty training a puppy. You don't start with agility training. No, you start with the basics, and with marketing, you wanna do the same thing again, so you can understand my first step, my second step, my third step. So you know where to go and it is a beautiful controlled and it's a beautiful and controlled path that's full of progress, 'cause nothing feels better than progress.
Okay. So intention in puppies, intention in branding and marketing. Next step is consistency. This one is so paramountly important. I don't even know if paramountly is a word, but it is so important that you must have a consistent presence in your most valuable customer's lives in order for you to break through the clutter so they understand who you are, what you stand for, what your opinions are, how you create value, all that kind of good stuff, right? Like we want to make sure that we know that and you must have a consistent presence. And that means being consistent on social media, and sending out your emails on the same day and maybe doing Facebook lives on the same day and same time every week, because you allow people to engage with you, you build a relationship with people, and then when you're ready to sell something, they're much more in tune to what you're all about.
And it makes the selling and bringing your offer to the market that much easier. Because at the end of the day, nobody likes that friend who shows up and then, you know, you have a beer and then you're just, they're like, "Oh, I don't have any money" or that person who shows up only when they need something, you don't ever wanna be like that in your business. You want it to be a natural progression of the relationship you have tended to, that you have spent time building, that you have spent time, putting yourself out there and I get it, it is tender, tender, tender work to do this, but that consistency is going to pay off in such a huge way especially when you bring your offer to the market. Just like you would train a puppy with consistency, getting up at the same time, taking them out for a walk right after they eat, taking them out, before you go to bed at night. Like you have a routine in other areas of your life and you want to make sure that you have that same kind of routine in your marketing again, to build that relationship with your most valuable customers so when you have time to make an offer, it is so much easier for them to buy what you're selling. And last but not least, we had intention, we had consistency and the last one with training a puppy that I think is so overlooked and the entrepreneurial world is reward, right? When a puppy does something right, you're like, "Good boy, George, good boy, George" when my dogs are on a walk and they do so great, they don't jump in a dog walking by I'm always like, "Oh, good Penny, good Hershel" those are my dogs. And you really wanna make sure that you acknowledge and reward good behavior right? Always, always, always.
That's such a key part of training a puppy they really will reach for that kind of recognition and positive feedback. And so again, this is tender work, bringing your work out into the world. It is, and I promise you, it was tender for me when I started too. And I do branding and marketing for a living. So, anyone who is bringing their work out to the world and is also learning branding and marketing at the same time, you are like getting two dual, MBA degrees at the same time. It is so impressive. I have mad props for you doing this because it doesn't take long to learn that branding and marketing is pretty.
It can be pretty intense and pretty challenging at times. So it's so important to reward yourself and acknowledge all the hard work that you do and all the barriers you have to bust through, just to get yourself to this point, to bring yourself out there, to let people know "This is who I am. This is how I create value and I'm open for business, wanna come and work for me?" Those are all really, really, really huge steps and so often in the entrepreneurial world, we look at our failures or we kick ourselves in the tush because we're like, "Oh, I wish I would've done this differently or better" instead of taking a moment to acknowledge the whole thing, all the work that we're doing, especially the good.
And even if you tried something and it doesn't work, the fact that you tried something and brought yourself out there is worthy of acknowledgment and worthy of reward. And it doesn't have to be that you have to go out and buy yourself like a fantastic piece of jewelry. Of course, if you want to, you can, but really it is taking a time and sort of debriefing after you do any sort of marketing task and just saying "Wow, how have I grown? What have I noticed? What kind of obstacles did I overcome?" And then you have, oh my gosh, that just goes such a long way. And 'cause it really bolsters you and helps you set up taller in your business and really creates that context for getting out there again, because it has shown you how much you've learned about yourself and your business and your customers, all those kinds of good things.
So remember just like you wouldn't let a puppy run loose in your house without any sort of training, you don't do that with your branding or marketing either. God, this headphone, it literally just keeps on popping out. So I apologize if that's been so distracting. So remember intention, make sure that you're prepared and that you have a business goal, consistency have a consistent presence, so people can get to know, you know what you're all about, know your opinion, know your value, know how you're different from the other guys out there. So when it comes time to buy, it's much easier for them to buy what you're selling.
And last but not least, please reward every step forward that you take in your business, because I know firsthand it is not easy work, but it is so worth it on the other side, just like you have a beautiful, well-trained dog. On the other side, you are gonna have a beautiful business with a foundation and context, clarity, and confidence to grow and grow and grow. This is just the beginning of a Beau and it's a beautiful beginning.
So hope that helped. Love George, if you have a puppy, pop it into the comments, I'd love to see your little puppies and please know that wherever you are in this beautiful, changing, ever-changing, sort of crazy, but also a beautiful world of ours that there's someone right here in Denver, Colorado and that is me, Heather Campbell, who is 100000% rooting for you.
Take care guys and in the spirit of consistency, I'll see you here next Thursday. Same time with some more marketing advice. Take care.
Bye-bye.
