Many business owners I talk with struggle with one or more of these three questions when it comes to marketing. What should I say? Where should I focus my time, energy and money? What should I do next?
Those questions often show up together. When your message is fuzzy, it's hard to pick the right activities. When you're unsure about your activities, it's hard to tell what's working. So a lot of good people stay busy with marketing and still feel stuck.
A plan that fits on a sticky note can help with all three. It comes from three simple steps, each one helping to answer those questions.
Orient your strategy
Every good strategy is pointed somewhere. Start with the people you serve best. Then get clear on the problems you're best at solving (and the products or services you offer to solve them). And add the outcome you're best at helping these people reach.
Then look at your side of things. What does success look like for you, in your business and your life? How much time, energy and money do you have to work with? Your values belong here too. They act as guardrails, sort of like a fire ring around a campfire, keeping everything that follows in the right place.
These answers shape your message. They help you know what to say to ignite interest and stand out. They also act as the foundation for the rest of your strategy. When this step is clear, every decision after it gets easier.
Work from your strengths
This is where you decide where to focus. Start by choosing the channels and activities that fit how you naturally like to show up. The ones you can genuinely get excited about doing.
A natural connector might lean on networking events and coffee meetings. Someone who loves to teach might host workshops or webinars. A writer might build a blog or newsletter. When the activity fits you, it's a lot easier to keep doing it.
Then give each activity a job. A few that will make it easy for people to know about you. Others to make it easy for people to trust you. And some to make it easy for people to say "yes" and start working with you.
And look at the overall experience you're creating. Think about how to use your strengths to nurture relationships that lead to repeat work and referrals.
When you have activities identified, build a rhythm you can keep up with. Lighter lift tasks can be done more frequently. Heavier lift activities are done less frequently. A short social post might happen every week. A workshop might happen once a quarter. And don't be afraid to narrow it down to a few critical activities you can do on a very consistent basis.
Nurture what’s working
Once you're consistently taking action on your marketing activities, it's time to figure out what to do next. Look at your results. Which activities are leading to good conversations, inquiries or referrals? Decide what stays, what needs a tweak and what gets replaced.
Sometimes the next step is going back to sharpen your direction. Sometimes it's simplifying your approach. And sometimes, it's staying the course and not changing anything at all.
This is also how you grow. When things are working, ask yourself what a step outside your comfort zone may look like using your strengths.
I spent a decade as president of Nancy's Notions, and its early story is a great example. Nancy's teaching was already working in fabric-store classrooms. Then she took the uncomfortable step of teaching on TV. And it completely changed the trajectory of the business. Same strength. A few new skills to learn. Much bigger audience.
Think of a campfire you've already got going. You keep tending it. And when the time's right, you add a bigger log.
Your next move
Write a three-sentence marketing plan. One sentence or short paragraph for each step.
1. Who you help, the problem you help them solve and the outcome you help them reach.
2. The one or two key activities you'll focus on because they fit your strengths and can be done with the resources you have to work with.
3. One thing you'll keep doing because it's working and one thing you'll change (or replace) because it's not.
Here's a made-up example from a leadership coach.
I help newly promoted managers who feel overwhelmed build the confidence to lead their teams, so they feel steady and respected in their new role. I'll focus on a monthly lunch-and-learn and a short weekly email, because I love teaching and both fit my schedule. I'll keep meeting with HR leaders because it's bringing in referrals, and I'll stop posting daily on Instagram because it isn't leading to conversations.
That's it. Small enough to fit on a sticky note. Clear enough to give you focus and guide your week. Keep it next to your computer as a reminder.
If you'd like, send me your three sentences at mike@fiddlesmart.com. I'd love to see them.
And if you want an easy way to remember how to start marketing your own way, take a look at the first letters of each step (Orient, Work, Nurture). They spell "own."
Not sure where to start?
Use the free Find Your Marketing Strengths tool to discover or confirm how you naturally prefer to promote your business. You'll also get ideas on how to start building your strategy around those strengths.