When you first start marketing your business it’s all trial and error. You might find that one post is a hit then something similar completely flops. Over time you can start to build up a picture of what your audience responds to and where your customers are coming from. Of course, it’s never quite that simple. Your customers’ needs change over time and external trends have a big part to play in that. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s having an impact on your business and what changes you might need to adapt to in the future. Getting a fresh perspective on your marketing content can help you to stay relevant and grow your business. Here’s why.
Getting stuck in your own head
Are you stuck in a rut? If you’ve been marketing your business in the same way for a while, you could be. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if you’re still getting a steady flow of customers. Unfortunately it could trip you up in the long run. Retail has changed completely in the last ten years, with more and more people shopping online. The companies that have survived are the ones who built or adapted their business to suit. If you follow the same marketing formula all of the time without getting a different perspective you’ll get bored and so will your audience.
I freely admit that I’m terrible for getting bogged down with my own thoughts. In fact, it often means that I go round in circles! We all need to look around to see what‘s happening out there once in a while.
Talking to your customers
If you’re fed up of the sound of your own voice, you probably need to listen to someone else’s. Talking to your customers is a great way to track changes in your target market. Of course, it has its limitations. As Henry Ford said, if he’d asked his customers what they wanted they’d have said a faster horse. But asking your customers what challenges they’re facing and how they want to shop can give you valuable insights into how their lives are changing over time. Maybe they’ve stopped watching video and started listening to podcasts because they’re more convenient. Perhaps there’s a challenge they’re facing that you have a solution for – you just need to shift your focus and talk about it more.
This doesn’t just apply to your customers, of course. Talking to other business owners about what’s happening with them can help you to discover what subjects people are interested in. You just have to keep your ears open.
How you can get a fresh perspective on your content
If your conversations with your customers and networking colleagues lead you to a new type of content creation or if you discover that the tone of voice you use isn’t winning you fans any more you’ll need to change your approach.
We’re still in holiday season as I write this. A change of scenery can be ideal for getting you out of your own head. Sometimes issues with your content arise because you’ve drifted too far from your original message. The values that people connected with have been lost over time. If your holiday allows you some quiet time, use it to remind yourself who you want to serve and how you can do that. Talk to your family (or yourself if you feel like it) and listen to the phrases that you use. Those are the ones you need to include. Alternatively, go and get some training to learn about the kind of content you want to create, or to improve your technique.
If you’d like to get some training to help you get started creating a blog for your business, or to improve the content you already have, sign up to my mailing list using the form below to find out more about my small group and 1:1 training.
There’s a world of difference between wanting to start a blog and actually doing it. You might like the idea but when it comes to it you don’t know what to write. Perhaps you’re looking at your already packed schedule and wondering where on earth you’re going to fit it in. Maybe you’ve even tried writing your first blog and got stuck. You spend hours on it and get nowhere or think what you’ve written is rubbish. Sometimes all you need to get started is a bit of education. Thankfully there are lots of different ways that you can learn about blogging. Here are just a few.
When you want to learn something new there are usually a range of options available. Blogging is no exception (and if you want to know more about the ways you can learn about blogging, read this). Actually choosing the right method for you can be tricky. Do you opt for a workshop where you don’t know anyone and could be out of your depth? Would you rather get some 1:1 help? To be honest, you could find a way to talk yourself out of any of the options. If you’d prefer to learn in an environment you know will be friendly, you might want to consider training with a friend. There are all kinds of benefits. Here are my top 4.
I know, you’ve heard people like me bang on endlessly about using storytelling in your marketing. It’s a great way to get personality into your content and set yourself apart from the crowd. The thing is, how do you do it? It won’t surprise you to hear that it’s not just a case of telling everyone your life story. It’s all about balance. Your customers will love the fact that you’re relatable but they mainly want to hear about how your business can benefit them. Here’s how you can start using storytelling in your marketing.
It’s time that I came out of the closet. I’m one of ‘those’ Mums. The ones they warn you about when your child is starting school. I’m the person you’re encouraged to actively avoid in the playground. I’m the chair of the PTFA at my sons’ school. Before either of my kids started school I wouldn’t have had myself down as a PTFA person at all, even though my Mum volunteered at every school fair when I was the same age. I was invited to a meeting to write an article for the local magazine about the latest fundraising project and found myself inspired by everyone’s enthusiasm. I’m stepping down next term and my last event is done and dusted. I found myself wondering (not for the first time) why I took it on in the first place and what I’ve learned. Here’s what I came up with.
This is another one of those subjects where I’ll forgive you for reading the title and saying huh? The question should really be – when you look back over the blogs and social media posts you’ve written, do they all sound like you? When you keep things consistent you’ll get better results from your marketing and your life will get easier.
It’s the million dollar question (well, probably). More importantly, it’s one of the number one reasons why people are put off writing a blog for their business. You probably already know about all of the benefits of blogging, like getting your customers to know, like and trust you, but somehow it keeps getting put to the bottom of the to do list.* If you’ve googled ‘how often should I blog?’ you may well have encountered articles that talk about putting a new blog post out once or twice a week. Yikes. The good news is, you don’t have to write a blog every week if you don’t want to. Here are some things to consider when you’re working out how often to blog.
I’ve been along to a few different networking groups since I started my business. You meet an incredible range of different people with all kinds of businesses. These days I find myself speaking to a lot of people who have a job and a side hustle. Some of them want to turn the side job into the main business and others just want a bit of extra money every month. It all means that I’m hearing more and more conversations about the right time to leave a job.
Have you ever asked yourself that question? I hear it a lot and it’s often from people who are hesitant about blogging. I suspect that there are even more people who don’t ask how long their blog needs to be. They assume that they need to write ‘War and Peace’ for every blog post.
I’m going to say something that might make you go a bit twitchy. When you’re marketing your business you need to decide who you want to target then focus on them. It sounds fairly logical, doesn’t it? Yet small business owners everywhere get very nervous when they hear it. They say things like ‘but I might make someone feel excluded’, ‘what if I lose a customer because they don’t think it’s for them?’ or ‘but I can sell to anyone’. I understand the worry. As small business owners we need to work hard to attract new customers and build trust. The idea of putting people off just seems counterintuitive. However there’s another important factor to consider. We have limited time so we need to spend it wisely. When you get to know your customer you can do just that.