How To Stay Consistent With Marketing When You Feel Like Crap
Some days, marketing feels like too much hard work. Hell, marketing is my baby, and I still feel blah about it sometimes! The problem is - you know that you need to stay consistent with marketing your business.
But what on earth are you supposed to do when even sitting down to look at your marketing plan feels draining?
Don't worry boo - I've got you covered. As a small business owner who manages a chronic condition, I'm all too familiar with feeling less than inspired about marketing.
That's why I've pulled together my 5 step process for how to stay consistent with marketing through a flare-up, pandemic, natural disaster or whatever else might come your way.
How To Stay Consistent With Marketing When You Feel Like Crap
Reuse what you already have
This is always the first step I take when I'm not feeling 100%. Unless you are a brand new practitioner, you should already have some form of content that you've shared before. It's time to make the most of it.
My rule of thumb is that once a piece of content is at least 8 weeks old, it's ready to be shared again. You can do this as part of your regular content scheduling, or you can simply pull it out as a back-up when things feel tough or overwhelming.
Reusing applies to:
Blogs
Podcasts
Images (including selfies!)
Inspiring quotes
Social media posts that have been popular previously
Promotional posts and offers
Snippets of your own story and journey, especially if it's relevant to what you work with
Any guest content you've done with another brand or business
PS - If it becomes particularly relevant sooner than that, you can reshare it sooner! For example, I reshared this blog post when the pandemic first started to affect the praccie world. Then I shared it again when Melbourne went into lockdown again.
Give yourself permission to do the minimum
When you want to stay consistent with your marketing, you want to work smarter instead of harder.
If you're really not feeling great, don't expect to juggle 5+ platforms of content and marketing all at once. Don't tell yourself that you have to post on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn at least once a day. When you do that, you set yourself up to fail.
This one is the toughest step because it requires you to be in the right mindset. But just think of it this way - would you expect your clients to be smashing out their work if they were in your shoes? Or would you tell them to do what they need to do, and leave the rest for when things ease up?
If you do struggle with the thought of not doing all the things, that's ok. That's why we move onto this next step:
Figure out the biggest bang for your buck
Working smarter not harder means focusing your energy and attention on the tasks that provide the most return on investment. This includes your marketing.
Struggle to do a Facebook live? Don't do it right now! The content you're still learning and growing in is for the good times, not the struggle times.
Pick one or two forms of content and marketing that feel easiest for you to do. Do those things consistently. Everything else can go on the backburner.
For example, I usually focus on Facebook groups or my Facebook page for social media content. Sometimes I'll stick to live videos for content, and others (like now!) I'll opt for my blog posts.
Why the easiest form? Because these typically have the best return on investment for you. When you feel comfortable with the content, your confidence shines through. Confidence makes people more confident in your abilities and that means they're more likely to work with you!
Come back to a place of service
When things get tough, we can get caught up in the mindset of chasing the next client or package sale. Don't get me wrong - getting paid is a good thing! But when that's all we focus on, our marketing starts to reflect that. And that can feel icky for praccies.
Instead, remember why you're marketing in the first place. You're not here to push appointments or courses onto the people who won't get anything out of it. You're here to serve your chosen people! Your job is to make a difference to someone's life.
Not sure where to begin with this one? Have a think about your favourite clients.
What resources or content would you create for them? How would you serve them if money was flowing in effortlessly? Start there.
Set yourself up to feel good first
If you only have one hour to smash out some marketing today, I would put 15 minutes of that into boosting your mood first. You're better off with 5 pieces of feel-good content over 10 pieces of blah content!
I have a few different ways that I get into the mood for marketing, depending on my energy levels and state of mind. But some of them include:
Coffee (you can opt for another drink if it's not your cup of, well, coffee)
Drinking a big glass of water, and popping another one on my desk to have throughout
Clearing my workspace (clutter is the devil when you're trying to get work done!)
Preparing a healthy snack to energise me
Moving my body with a walk or a yoga flow
Getting a dose of fresh air and sunshine
Having a 1-2 song dance party to some kickass boss b*tch tunes
Watching a video or listening to a podcast from my favourite coaches to get me inspired and motivated
Finding a playlist to play as I create content (this blog was written while I was listening to Lo-Fi Beast on Spotify!)
If you feel good, your content and marketing reflect that. If you want to stay consistent, it's as much about the content itself as it is about how often you put it out!
Need to make a game plan so you can stay consistent with marketing, no matter what? I'm here to help. Book a 1:1 session here and we'll smash out a marketing plan that suits your needs.