Why Your Marketing Sucks (And What You Can Do To Fix It)
Have you ever looked at your social media or content and thought to yourself, 'ugh, this is terrible'? Are you putting in a whole lot of effort and seeing zero bookings as a result? If you think that your marketing sucks, you're not alone.
Many practitioners struggle with marketing to begin with, but marketing doesn't have to suck. It doesn't have to feel icky to be successful.
There are several MASSIVE mistakes I see pracs making that leads to sucky marketing. But the good news is that there are some simple solutions that you can implement today.
Why Your Marketing Sucks
Your marketing sucks because you're not marketing in the first place
Might seem obvious - but it's one of the most common reasons I see practitioners dealing with!
When you first start out, you look around at what everyone else is doing. This generally leads to one or more problems:
Overwhelm because you have absolutely no idea what on earth to start with
Comparisonitis that makes you feel like what you're capable of isn't good enough
Seeing other practitioners running complex sales funnels and offers, and thinking you need to do that (but with zero budget)
Most of the time, this leads to the same end-point - you procrastinate and avoid marketing at all costs.
How to fix it
My advice? Taking one step at a time.
Pick one social media platform to share content on.
Pick one audience to market to.
Figure out one simple offer to put to that audience.
Learning how to market yourself is something that takes time. Back when I started out, there's no way I could put out the type of content and offers I currently have! It took time for me to really understand my audience, the problems they face and how I can help.
Just get started. I promise that most people don't sit around judging your marketing efforts - and if someone is, they're not your ideal client anyway!
Your marketing sucks because you're trying to appeal to everyone
Real talk right here: if you're still trying to promote yourself as the person that can help everyone with everything, you are setting yourself up to fail.
It is really hard work to connect with every type of person.
Frankly, it's a complete waste of time, because there will always be people who don't feel like you're the right person for them.
It's also a shocking disservice to the people who you can really help because they don't realise that their concerns are your jam.
If you do one thing to fix your marketing, please stop trying to appeal to everyone.
Stop trying to be the GP of your modality.
No matter who you are and how skilled you might be - you cannot help everyone, nor should you be trying to.
How to fix it
Stop letting fear paralyse you.
Pick a specific group to market your services to - even if you want to keep seeing anyone who walks in the door.
Your business will thank you in the long run.
Your marketing sucks because no one knows who you are
Do you find yourself shying away from creating content?
Has it been months since you've shared a picture of yourself on your social media channels?
Is it impossible for clients to figure out how to work with you?
If no one knows who you are, no one can book in to work with you. It's that simple.
How to fix it
The good news is that this is an easy problem to fix, at least in terms of strategy.
Share more of your story and how it is similar to the journey of your ideal clients
Post tips, questions, fun facts and more on your social media channels
Be honest about your quirks and the things that you love - whether it's your furbaby or your hobbies
Put your face up for them to see every now and then, even if you want to put a pretty filter on it first
Basically, put yourself out there!If people don't know who you are, they can't trust you. Build up that trust factor with your followers and fans so that they're excited to work with you!
Your marketing sucks because it's all over the place
Remember that one person that was everywhere for a week or two and then vanished?
Or that practitioner that had different branding each week so you never knew what to expect?
No? Me either.
The ingredient that makes you familiar and trustable for your followers is consistency.
Consistency means:
Showing up regularly
Sharing the same messages over and over
Having a recognisable and consistent brand
If you don't have these in place, people will be less likely to recognise and feel comfortable with you. That means they're less likely to work with you!
How to fix it
Find a form of consistency that works for you.That might mean planning out your content topics in advance.It might mean batching and scheduling so it rolls out automatically.
You might look at outsourcing your content or social media.
Or you might just need some accountability and support with your consistency - in which case, make sure you check out my newest services!
If your big problem is the visual branding elements such as logos, colours and images, give Shonelle from Tech For Pracs a buzz.
Your marketing sucks because you're not selling your business
Some practitioners are fine with sharing content on social media. They'll even happily put out a freebie or two.But when it comes to actually making an offer? Poof - they vanish!
If you're running a business, you need paying clients. To get paying clients, you need to get offers out there to potential clients.
Not putting out offers? You're actively sabotaging your success as a practitioner.
How to fix it
Make offers - regularly.
This one can be tricky, as a lot of practitioners really struggle with the mindset of selling themselves!
If you are afraid of coming across as pushy or icky when you sell, make sure you give this a read.
Sometimes, you need a little support to improve your marketing efforts.
If marketing is an area that you need some help and accountability with, I've got the solution for you. Check out the Marketing 101 Course here.