How to get off the marketing hamster wheel
Do you ever feel like you’re on a hamster wheel trying to keep up with an ever-changing media landscape? As a solopreneur, keeping on top of trends and new platforms can be exhausting and overwhelming.
While there’s no shortage of how-to videos and swipe files to help you jump on trends quickly, there is little to no discussion around how to determine if these trends make sense for your business and marketing strategy.
Trends come and go, but strategy is forever
Yes, our marketing strategies should be flexible and fluid, adjusting as we gather more data to determine what is working and what’s definitely not. But jumping from trend to trend might actually hinder more than help us with our marketing – without clear ties back to our big picture business objectives and even the time to let something settle in to work, the energy you put into something new might not pay off.
While trends will come and go, a strategy developed with your unique goals, objectives, needs and preferences in mind will be the most effective way to market your business.
Here are three strategic questions you can use to determine if a social media trend or platform is right for your business.
#1: How is this going to serve my big picture business goals and objectives?
The foundation of an effective marketing strategy or plan are clearly defined business goals and objectives. How much money do you need to make and how much do you need to sell to hit that number? Do you need to attract a new audience or nurture your existing fans and followers to convert them to customers? Are you trying to grow, transition or maintain your business right now?
If you’re not clear on your big picture, start with this blog post before you jump into tactics! Otherwise marketing is going to be a lot harder than it already is.
Any time you are considering adding something new to your marketing mix, make sure that it clearly aligns with your business goals and objectives.
#2: Do I need to be doing something different in my marketing?
This is one that clients often get tripped up on. They think they should be doing something new or different, but what they are doing is already working pretty well. The best way to answer this question is to look at the data – where are your clients coming from? Is what you’re currently doing working? Are you meeting your revenue goals and targets?
If what you are currently doing is working well, you might not need to change anything or add something new to your strategy! The fastest and easiest way to simplify your marketing is to stay the course.
That said, it can be a really good time to experiment when your current strategy is effective. You might try out something new when you have nothing to lose. It’s easier to hold something lightly in the spirit of experimentation when we’re not desperate for something to work.
#3. Do I want to do this?
Although I put this last on the list, it’s probably the first question you should ask yourself. Because even more important than your business goals and objectives is yourself. As a service-based solopreneur, your business's most important asset is YOU! If you’re doing something that you don’t want to do, it will drain your energy and keep you from showing up in the places that really count – like for your clients.
If you have asked yourself these questions and you’ve got yesses across the board, then go forth and experiment! But if you answered even one no, then it might be time to take a pause before jumping into something new.
And these questions aren’t just for the new and now; keep them handy any time you’re considering adding something new to your marketing mix!
We live in a world that is constantly telling us that we need or have more in order to be successful, and this is true for a lot of traditional marketing advice. You don’t have to do everything and be everywhere. There is no one-size-fits all marketing strategy, and a simple plan that is aligned with your own interests and capacity, as well as your business objectives will be more effective than any trend!
