Why Copying Their Marketing Structure Doesn’t Lead to Growth
You found a marketing strategy that's working beautifully for someone else. Their website layout, content calendar, social media approach. You can see the results they're getting, so you decide to copy their exact system.
Six months later, instead of the thriving business you expected, you're staring at what feels like smoldering embers. Lots of effort, minimal results, and you're wondering what you're doing wrong.
Here's the thing.
You're not doing anything wrong. You're just trying to build the wrong type of fire to ignite growth for your business.
If we haven’t met, I’m Mike Schuster, and I help corporate escapees who launched their own business build marketing approaches that work with their strengths instead of against them.
After 25 years in business and working with dozens of clients, I've learned that one of the biggest marketing mistakes isn't choosing the wrong tactics, it's trying to force your unique situation into someone else's structure.
Today, I want to share why copying their "proven system" keeps your marketing fire from igniting growth, and what to do instead.
Why their structure may not work for you
That "proven system" was designed for their unique combination of strengths, values, resources and business focus. And their combination was likely different than yours.
Think about it. You wouldn't build a fire the same way for every purpose.
A cooking fire needs steady, even heat. So, you build it low and contained with good airflow.
A bonfire for a big group celebration requires a completely different approach. Larger logs. A more dramatic, log-cabin structure designed to burn for hours and draw people from a distance.
A cozy campfire you can pull your chairs around for intimate conversation? That's built for warmth and ambiance. And arranged so people can sit close and connect.
The same is true for how you promote your business. Your structure or approach needs to match your specific purpose and goals.
The five elements of your fire structure
Every effective marketing campfire needs five structural elements. But how you arrange them depends entirely on your unique situation.
1. Your natural strengths. Some people are natural storytellers. Others excel at teaching. Some thrive striking up conversations with complete strangers while others energize large groups.
Your campfire structure should amplify what you're already good at. Now you may need to stretch yourself to adapt those strengths to new formats or channels, but you want it to all originate from your strengths.
2. Your available resources. Time. Money. Energy. Skills. All factor into your ideal structure. A structure that requires 20 hours of content creation a week won't work if you have 3 hours available. A structure built around paid advertising won't work if your budget is tight.
3. Your business vision. What type of business are you building? High ticket with fewer clients? Or lower ticket with more volume? Solo practice or something bigger? What impact do you want to have on your clients' lives? What type of lifestyle do you want your business to support?
Your structure needs to support where you're headed, not someone else's definition of success.
4. Your choice on where to focus your business. This is primarily about the type of business you want to build. Are you building one focused on meaning, impact and relationships (trusting the money will follow)? Or one focused primarily on transactions, optimization and conversions (and doing what it takes to hit the numbers)?
Since many of us left the corporate world because we got burned out by the relentless focus on transactions without regards to relationships or people, we're naturally drawn to focusing on relationships and trust.
Both approaches can make money. But they require completely different structures. And many marketing programs are designed for the transaction-focused approach, which is why they often feel wrong to us.
5. Where your people actually gather. This is about focusing on the channels where your specific audience already spends their time. Not where marketing gurus say you "should" be. Not where you think your audience should be. And not necessarily where you prefer to hang out and spend time.
It's about finding the overlap between where they are and where you can actually show up consistently.
Just like you wouldn't build a cooking fire when you need a bonfire, you shouldn't force your marketing into a structure designed for different goals or circumstances.
And, if you're like many people who left corporate, you definitely shouldn't try to build your business using marketing structures designed for transaction-focused "wildfires" that burn through relationships for quick conversions.
The permission this gives you
Understanding this removes a huge burden from your shoulders. You don't have to:
Be on every social media platform
Write daily blog posts if you're not a natural writer
Turn on the camera and create video content if you find it easier to write out your thoughts
Host webinars if you prefer one-on-one conversations
Follow the latest marketing trend if it doesn't fit your strengths
Instead, you get to focus on what actually works for you. If you find it easier to strike up conversations with strangers, lean into networking and direct outreach.
If you love to write but hate being in front of crowds, start with content creation not speaking engagements.
If you're gifted at teaching, focus on producing educational content and presentations rather than trying to show up at every networking event in town.
Your strengths are your guide to building the right structure.
Create your business’ marketing fire blueprint
Take 15 minutes to map out your unique combination:
List your top 3 natural strengths. What do people compliment you on? What feels easy and energizing? What types of activities cause you to lose track of time?
Identify your available resources. How much time can you realistically dedicate to promoting your business each week? What's your budget for tools or advertising?
Clarify your business vision. What type of business are you building? How big do you want or need it to be in this season? What impact do you want to have on your clients? What change do you want to bring to your industry, the market or the world?
Choose your business focus. Are you building a business focused on meaning and impact or primarily on transactions and conversions? For many who left corporate, this choice is probably already made. We want meaningful impact not a relentless focus on hitting specific sales targets.
Note where your ideal clients actually spend their time. And highlight the places where you can realistically show up consistently. Remember don't list where you think they should be. Note where they actually are.
This blueprint becomes your guide for building a marketing structure that feels natural instead of forced. And can be sustained instead of burning you out.
Ready to build your own marketing structure?
The beautiful thing about understanding your unique fire blueprint is that it eliminates the guilt and confusion around marketing.
You're not failing when someone else's "proven system" doesn't work for you. You're just building a different type of fire.
Sometimes the most powerful realization is that you don't need to build someone else's fire. You simply need to build yours well.
Ready to create a marketing strategy that feels natural and gets results? I help values-driven entrepreneurs clarify their message and simplify their approach so they can extend their reach and amplify their impact.
When you're ready to stop chasing the fires other people built and start building your own campfire, let's talk. Book a free 60-minute Now What? Clarity Session.