It’s easy to blame algorithms or the market for marketing that’s not making the impact that you want. And maybe that’s part of it, but there are probably other things going on too.
If you’ve ever struggled with hitting “publish” on something for any reason or you feel like you’ve been stuck in a marketing rut for too long, this week’s podcast episode is for you.
I’m sharing 7 things that might be holding you back in your marketing and what you can do to combat these. From perfectionism to inconsistent messaging to fear of visibility, I’m addressing all the things I’ve seen holding business owners back in recent months. The upside is that it’s possible to make changes and get on the right path.
Listen in to hear more.
Mentioned in This Episode Podcast
Transcript:
Welcome to episode 238 of The Content Experiment Podcast, a podcast for service-driven business owners who know that content is important but there’s so much more to marketing and business growth.
Here we talk about showing up for your audience in a way that they want to hear, in a way that’s sustainable for you. This might mean publishing a weekly podcast or blog, but it also means paying attention to your email list, leveraging other people’s audiences, building relationships, and getting over the limiting mindsets that often hit when we’re reaching for the next level in our business.
I’m Abby Herman, fractional marketing officer, content strategist and podcast manager for business owners who want to make their marketing feel easier and more streamlined so they can get back to serving their clients and making those sales. I’ll show you how OR do it for you, while you do business in a way that works for you–I can help by supporting you through building and implementing a content and marketing strategy, taking care of the podcast management for you, or giving you the tools and resources to take this on yourself.
You know you need to market yourself and your business consistently, but for some reason you just can’t bring yourself to do it. Maybe you get started and then fear hitting “publish.” Or maybe you hit publish a few times, and then you stop.
I think this is normal. And I also think that pushing forward and doing the thing, over time, can make it feel easier or less intimidating.
Today I want to talk about some of the things that are negatively impacting your marketing right now and why it might feel so hard to do.
The first, and probably most common thing holding you back in your marketing is perfectionism and fear or imperfection.
Let me tell you this: No matter what you publish online. No matter how long you take to do it or how careful you are or how much you check it and review it…it’s not going to be perfect. And even if you DO think it’s perfect today, next week or next year it’s not going to be perfect any longer because you’ll look at it in a different way or technology will change. And that’s okay.
Here are some ideas for getting past perfectionism so you can move forward:
Shift your mindset shift towards embracing imperfection as a part of the learning and growth process
Set realistic expectations and focus on progress rather than flawless outcomes
Ask for feedback and input from others to gain different perspectives and improve marketing efforts – a few times I’ve sent a podcast episode to trusted business friends to get their input before publishing. It helps!
Procrastination and Waiting to “Do the Thing”:
I work best with clients who are ready to take action, imperfect action. They’re ready to move forward with something, publish content, launch the podcast, whatever. And they acknowledge that it will change over time.
Waiting to do something until it’s perfected or it’s the perfect time means that it will never happen. Or you’ll delay action so long that the outcome is going to be completely different from what you envisioned. And not in a good way.
I’m sure you’ve heard the comment that there’s never a perfect time to…insert the thing here. Change jobs, have a baby, take a vacation, break up, plant a tree, whatever. And it’s true. The perfect time is right now.
Here are some ideas for overcoming procrastination and taking action in marketing
Break down marketing tasks into smaller, manageable steps
Set deadlines and creating accountability – I love doing coworking dates with people; announcing what we’re going to do and then doing on Zoom together. As I’m outlining this episode, I’m getting ready for a long travel stint. I have a list of things I need to do before I leave my home office and I’m checking in with a couple of non-business friends about my list daily. It feels good because they’re not tied to the results and yet I don’t want to let them down
Recognize the value of imperfect action and the benefits of learning from mistakes and iterations.
Fear of Being Visible and Self-Promotion:
This one is pretty huge. I recently published my 10-year anniversary episode and it was pretty vulnerable. I talked about how business hasn’t been great, even 10 years in. I re-recorded it twice because I was so afraid to put that out there, but I also knew it was something I wanted to talk about.
Being visible is hard. And I know my audience isn’t huge. That’s okay. But I also know that friends and family members outside of this online business space also listen and sometimes they think the things I talk about are weird or too vulnerable. It feels a little uncomfortable.
At the same time, I’ve had so many positive comments from listeners about how a particular episode has resonated with them. So I’ll keep showing up.
Here are some strategies to overcome visibility fears and step into a more confident marketing mindset
Do some inner work and try to understand that other people’s opinions of you are none of your business AND a negative comment about you is more about the person making the comment than it is about you
Focus on providing value to the target audience and shifting the mindset from self-promotion to helping and serving others
Gradually expand your comfort zones by taking small steps towards increased visibility, such as engaging in online communities or participating in speaking engagements
Lack of Planning and Strategy:
If you’re not planning out your marketing strategy, you are probably throwing spaghetti on the wall. Having a plan allows you to make strategic decisions about where you spend your time and money, and it also takes so much of the guesswork out of the day-to-day content creation. This takes out decision fatigue and, for me, it saves time because I’m not hemming and hawing at my computer in the mornings, wondering what I need to do that day or that week.
Some tips for creating a marketing plan and aligning it with business objectives
Define specific and measurable marketing goals that align with the overall business vision
Do some market research to identify target audience preferences, needs, and pain points – Have you downloaded my Ask Your Audience challenge to help you with this? It’s at thecontentexperiment.com/ask
Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy with a mix of pillar content, visibility measures, and audience journey, as well as a clear timeline for implementation and evaluation
Failure to Adapt to Changing Trends and Technologies:
If you missed episode 237 last week about using artificial intelligence, it’s one to go back to! And that’s just one example of technology and trends changing in this online space. If you’re not at least trying and testing new ways to market yourself, or just run your business in general, you’re definitely holding yourself back.
This online space changes daily and while it might be impossible to keep up with everything, you can absolutely hire strategists and implementors to help you with this. You don’t have to do it all and you don’t have to know how to use all the tools. And I don’t recommend jumping on every bandwagon (hello Clubhouse…also, I still refuse to use TikTok). Not every new tool or trend is for you. Pick and choose wisely based on your marketing strategy.
Here are some ways to stay informed and agile in the ever-evolving marketing landscape
Actively seek industry news, attend conferences, network with others, and participate in professional development opportunities
Monitor what others in your industry are doing to identify new opportunities and potential areas of improvement. I do this often and while I definitely don’t jump on the same tools and trends, it’s fun to see what the possibilities are
Test and experiment with new marketing channels and technologies to stay ahead of the curve. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing with ChatGPT recently, and I’ll have an episode in a few weeks to share the results of my research.
Inconsistent or Ineffective Messaging:
I had a conversation with someone about this just the other day. If you have five or fewer team members, I believe that your voice and messaging can and will shift over time. It might if you have a larger business too, but I think the smaller your business is the more likely your business is to be impacted by what’s going on with you personally. And that’s okay!
Where I think we need to be careful is that even if we’re making shifts, our overall values and tone should be apparent throughout our messaging. There’s a big difference between messaging and your marketing strategy, but they should still flow together.
Here are some tips for refining messaging and ensuring effective communication with customers
Develop a clear and compelling brand story that resonates with the target audience – I personally have never done the deep work on this, but I know what story I want to share and why it’s important to me and my audience. That’s what matters.
Take a step back from your content to ensure it’s consistent across all your marketing and content.
Seeking customer feedback and conducting market research to understand how the messaging is perceived and make necessary adjustments
Overreliance on a Single Marketing Channel:
Marketing is about being present and visible in multiple places, getting in front of new audiences, and being consistent wherever you show up. Relying on ONE platform – whether it’s a social media platform or only your podcast or blog or YouTube channel. One platform doesn’t work. We need to be nimble and out there in multiple places.
Make sure you’re engaging on social media, like actually commenting on posts and responding to comments on your posts, connecting with people in the direct messages, sharing other people’s content, pitching yourself to be on podcasts and summits, building relationships with others, checking in on your email sequences and open rates, and more. And the best part is that you can hire someone to help you with most of that!
Suggestions for exploring and integrating different marketing channels effectively
Conduct a channel audit to assess the performance and ROI of current marketing channels – actually look at the interaction you’re getting, but don’t necessarily focus on vanity metrics – it doesn’t matter what your email list size is or how many people follow you on Instagram; what does matter is what is actually happening on those channels
Identifying new channels that align with the target audience’s preferences and behavior. I didn’t plan to start a podcast, but in 2019 I did an audience survey and was overwhelmed by how many people wanted one. So I started it. And here I am 238 episodes and almost 4 years later.
Developing a multi-channel marketing strategy that leverages the strengths of each platform and maximizes reach and engagement
Let’s run through the 7 things that are negatively impacting your marketing right now.
perfectionism and fear or imperfection
Procrastination and Waiting to “Do the Thing”:
Fear of Being Visible and Self-Promotion:
Lack of Planning and Strategy:
Failure to Adapt to Changing Trends and Technologies:
Inconsistent or Ineffective Messaging:
Overreliance on a Single Marketing Channel:
I think the big commonality among all of these is this:
Put yourself out there in multiple places and be consistent in how you’re doing it. That doesn’t mean you have to be everywhere. That doesn’t mean you have to burn yourself out there by doing it. It just means do what you can and don’t disappear for weeks and months at a time.
And, of course, if you need help with any of this, that’s what I’m here for. Book a free 20-minute call with me at thecontentexperiment.com/chat
If you found value in what you learned here today, be sure to share it on social media. Take a screenshot of the episode on your phone and share it over on Instagram stories. Tag me at thecontentexperiment. Or head over to LinkedIn and connect with me. Be sure to tell me you found me on the podcast when you send the connection invite! The more you share this podcast with others, the more we can get it into the hands of more business owners, just like you, who need to hear the message that they are not alone.
