Does your marketing feel like you took a huge plate of steaming marinara and just upped and threw it against the wall to see what sticks? If so, chances are you're missing the #1 ingredient you need if you have any hope of marketing success.
And no, it's not anchovies (although you should try that in your next batch of marinara...it's divine)...
It's intention.
Seriously. You have to know your goal and your long game – and your customers and your messaging – in this maddening but also awesome when you learn the steps dance called marketing. Otherwise, you're setting yourself up for some major marketing heartache – and a huge mess to clean off your wall.
Here are three shifts you can make right away to get an intention infusion into your business.
Shift #1:
For the love of peanut butter, stop posting on social media every damn day.
Step away from the churn and burn mentality of posting to social media every day and adopt a quality over quantity approach. Chances are, you're checking it off your list, but the quality of the content isn't that great.
Do this instead:
I guide my clients to post 10 - 12 times a month (totally doable!) with relevant content that is geared to the hopes and dreams of their most valuable customers. Then, we put a few ad dollars behind the posts to widen their reach and track engagement and action. This in turn, allows us to get even more dialed-in and strategic. And that's where the marketing mojo happens. In fact, download my free guide, How to Shine on Social to get a whole bunch of pro tips.
Shift #2:
Stop trying to attract everyone.
Hearing early entrepreneurs say, "I can help everyone!" makes me both want to hug them for their sincerity and slap them across their face to snap them out of their marketing naivete. Because when you cast too wide a net to build your audience, set yourself up for marketing burnout.
Do this instead:
As my friend and super successful entrepreneur Meghann says, "The riches are in the niches, bitches!" and she's right. Start with defining three of the most valuable customers you want to invite into your business. Then dig deep into their hopes, dreams, and aspirations – and how you're uniquely suited to help achieve their aspirations. That's called the transformation statement ad it's a choice strategy for engaging with the people you want to work with.
Shift #3:
Stop pretending it's going to be easy.
My hunch is that you're an expert in coaching or yoga or art or business or team-building (or whatever it is you do)...and marketing is new to you. And because we're so familiar with marketing we think it's going to be a slam dunk. But it's not. With anything new, there's going to be a learning curve and the discomfort of change. And it's going to be hard in the beginning.
Do this instead:
Find people who are really good at marketing and learn from them. Practice marketing...you'll get better at it, promise. Focus on your progress because you'll make a lot. Stay focused on the next 2 or 3 steps in your business that will help you generate engagement, traffic, and sales. Oh, read every book by Seth Godin.
Remember, Be tender with yourself as you bring your work to the world. Enjoy the ride. All of it. Because it's going to be amazing.
xo, Heather
