As I write this, I’ve just come back from a brilliant family holiday. My kids are both in secondary school now, and I’m increasingly conscious of the need to make the most of the time I have with them. At the same time, I have a business to run, which means making decisions about how visible I need to be while I’m away and getting the work done before I go. It’s easy to say that a week or two off won’t hurt, but it often creates a nagging feeling that you’re not doing enough.
If you’ve ever needed to reduce the time you spend on your business, marketing is often the first thing to go, but there is another way. Whether you need to step away because you’re going on holiday or because life started lifeing, this post is for you.
Why do we feel bad about going quiet?
If you’ve ever thought about going quiet in your marketing and had a small panic, you’re not alone. Social media only shows your followers a fraction of your posts, which makes us assume that we have to be constantly present or we’ll disappear. We think that any gaps will mean that our customers forget about us. The truth is, no one is glued to their social media feed, wondering where you’ve got to. They’ve probably gone on holiday too, or they’re dealing with the summer holiday childcare conundrum. Or maybe they’re just having a life too.
If you want or need a break, take one. You’ve worked to build an audience and a business, and that won’t vanish overnight.
What does consistency mean to you?
Good marketing needs to be consistent, but what does that actually mean? There are content creators who post multiple times a day, but that’s how they make their money. We don’t. I spend a day or two a month writing my marketing, but the main focus of my business is writing for other people. Even though your business does something different, the same principle applies.
Consistency is about reliability, not frequency. One blog post a month and a couple of social media posts a week for a year is much better than a flurry of posts one week, followed by radio silence for six months. A rhythm that includes natural breaks becomes part of the pattern. Reducing the frequency to a level you can deliver consistently will also raise quality. Your people find your content genuinely useful and pay attention, rather than scrolling by, which means they’re more likely to end up working with you.
Staying visible
You don’t have to constantly create new content to stay visible. If you’ve already spent time building up a library of evergreen content, a blog post you wrote six months or a year ago will still turn up in a Google search.
If you want to share something new on social media but are short on time, you can repurpose your existing blog posts. You could even reuse something you shared before. This can work well for seasonal posts. For example, say you sell skincare and posted something about sun protection last summer. It’s still relevant now. Most people won’t have seen it, or if they did, they’ve forgotten. Either that, or it’ll be a familiar prompt reminding them they need to buy more factor 50. Even resharing a more recent post can be worthwhile, as it prompts those “oh yes, I meant to sort that out” moments.
You need rest
We’re human beings, not robots. We need downtime for all sorts of different reasons. Going away with my family gives me time away from the daily routine, whether I’m relaxing on a sun lounger or walking on the beach. It reminds me that I have brilliant people in my life and that one of the reasons I built my business was to give me more time with them. If you’ve ever subscribed to the hustle culture merchants who say you don’t get to take a holiday until you’ve ‘made it’, you have my permission to ignore them.
When I take a break, I come back with more energy, a clear head and often a new perspective on my business. It’s the kind of big picture stuff that I sometimes struggle to work on at my desk. Equally, you’re allowed to shift your focus because something else needs your attention for a while. Stretching yourself too thinly only ends up with something breaking.
Ready for a chat?
If you want to be able to go on holiday or step away to deal with whatever life can throw at any of us, while keeping your business visible, I can help with that. My content writing packages give you monthly content that’s built around you and your business. We set up regular chats, and I take the rest off your plate.
When you work with me, I’ll get to know you and your business, and write content that showcases your best self, helping you connect with your ideal customers and talk about what matters most to them.
You can email me to arrange a chat or book a Zoom call to find out more.
Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook with fifty (yes, 50) topic ideas for your marketing as a thank you. It also includes hints and tips to help you structure your posts if you’re currently writing your content yourself.
