What's the one thing I can do to make sure my marketing sticks? I don't have a big budget or heaps of time - what do I do?

So you're looking at all the marketing options you have available, and your head is already buzzing - which platforms do I use? How much do I spend? How do I get results fast?

Well, I hate to break it to you - but unless you spend a bajillion dollars, it ain’t going to happen.

The truth is, marketing your business is a lot like going to the gym - you're not going to get results after one day, no matter how hard you train. The only way you'll get long-term improvement is by committing to do the work consistently.

Marketing needs to become more routine, less ad-hoc.

I’m going to walk you through the why-what-how of consistent content marketing for your small business - by the end of this blog post, you'll have the knowledge you need to grit your teeth, draw up a plan and commit to it - for the long haul. To help you out, I've included a free bonus checklist at the end, which is what I use to keep me on track with my clients and is now working its way into my own marketing.

First, let's drill down on the word consistent.

This is a great talk by a marketing expert I love - Simon Sinek - which I encourage you to watch after. Trust me, it’ll be a lightbulb moment for you.

But in a nutshell, the key point is this: we as consumers buy from service providers we know, like and trust. Think about the businesses you deal with regularly as a consumer - your favourite cafe, your doctor, your hairdresser or barber. Why do you do business with them?

It might have been price motivated initially, or perhaps convenient, but why are you still with them now? It’s because you now have a relationship with them - you know, like and trust them to do good things for you. But how do we create the invaluable relationships with people who aren’t customers yet?

The answer: through our marketing.

And this is where the content creation part comes in to play.

By creating content that provides knowledge, solves problems, answers questions, educates or entertains, we are serving with generosity whilst also giving them an insight into who we are as businesses. Our marketing might be funny, kind, supportive - however you come across through your content, what you’re consistently saying is ‘I’m here, I’m passionate, I’m knowledgeable and I’m here to help.”

Now, if someone says that once, well - that’s nice. But if you as a business are saying it every week through your marketing, it becomes hard to dismiss. Suddenly, you’re not just talking the talk, you’re very publicly walking the walk.

"That's all well and good - but what do I write about?"

Well my friend, this is where your Ideal Client Persona (ICP) comes into play.

An Ideal Client Persona is an exercise where we make some educated guesses about what a typical customer in your target market looks like in terms of:

• who they are

• where they work

• what their struggles are

• what their family situation may be

This then leads us to find opportunities for where we can pitch your business into their lives.

Many businesses are too scared to do this - they want to stick to the ‘everyone’s my target market’ philosophy. What they actually mean by this is: I’m willing to do business with anybody. This is very noble - not discriminating in who you are willing to serve is something to be proud of. But it’s not the same as creating tailored content that speaks to a particular person’s needs. Many businesses also shy away from this for fear that they might lose potential customers; they worry that their marketing message too specific.

Think of it in terms of car advertising: is someone looking to buy a Toyota Prius also potentially looking at a Ferrari? You know the answer to that - absolutely not!

We can safely assume that someone considering a Toyota Prius is looking for something safe, environmentally friendly and reliable. They may have a young family, university educated and generally are looking for something practical.

On the flipside, we can confidently assume that someone looking at a Ferrari is financially successful (or at least well off), potentially single, with a high disposable income and is looking for something fast, flashy and exciting that will turn heads as they drive past.

Now how do we all know this about these cars?

The answer: their marketing.

From where their ads are placed and what they contain, we clearly know whether they’re aimed at us, or someone else. If you’re not a Ferrari person, or a Prius person, these ads will have very little effect on you. But if you are someone similar to their Ideal Client Persona, these ads are very likely going to inspire you to move closer to a purchase.

This is the power of knowing your Ideal Client on a much deeper level - when you know what their family situation is, their goals and ambitions, their problems and frustrations - it allows you to create content that speaks to these parts of their lives and positions your business as the solution they’ve been searching for.

Lights, camera - action!

Now that you've created your content, what do you do with it?

There are a million different ways to market your business - this is where a lot of business owners get stuck in the ‘where to start’ phase.

I have a lifesaving system I've developed for my clients that I am currently building into a training program - watch this space for more!

But until then, you should check out this article - it covers all my favourite ways of promoting your content FOR FREE Y'ALL!

It includes:

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Google (SEO & My Business Platform)

• Email

• Website (don’t worry if you don’t have one - I have a neat trick you can use until you do!)

Now you might be thinking that this all seems like a sh*ttonne of work to do. But be sure to check out that blog post - here's the link again - as it's got a sweet work around that will make you create content in a way that is smarter, not harder.

And remember: no one who ever got long term results from going to the gym said it was a walk in the park! This is about making marketing part of your small business routine, whether that's weekly or monthly.

A FREE Checklist to get you started

To give you a head start in ticking your marketing off your to-do list every week/month, check out this FREE Monthly Marketing Checklist I use in my own business. You can grab your free copy here:

Wrapping Up

As you dive in to your new marketing-gym-program, keep in mind the big picture goals here:

Consistent content creation designed to answer questions & solve problems for our target market allows us to build relationships with potential clients - through our marketing, they come to know, like & trust us, which is the crucial first step towards doing business with us.

Until next time!