A lot of our conversations in Grow are about how with marketing, it so often feels like what we do is never enough. How we should do more. How we should revamp (or build) our website, send more newsletters, create that magic lead magnet to get more signups. How we should be spending more time on channel XYZ, and joining channel ABC that everyone says is the new place to be.
If this feeling of urgency sounds familiar to you, today’s post is for you, and I hope it brings you calm and steadiness.
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What marketing with intention looks like
Here’s what I’ve learned over the past 5+ years: changing up your marketing channels isn’t going to make you feel better. It’s building a calmer, more solid and sustainable foundation for your marketing that makes a difference.
The most calming thing I’ve ever done when it comes to my marketing is to find more focus. To streamline. To minimise. Not to give up, but to get intentional.
Two questions to explore:
What are your values in your business and life? And how can these shape your marketing?
For instance, because I value slow and gentle so much, the channels I market on reflect that—they allow me to go slowly, not be on all the time and schedule. How can you reflect your values in your marketing?
What is your vision for your business?
If you’re eager to take frequent breaks, or even try out some digital nomad life, your marketing—and the way you run your business—needs to reflect that. If your health or care responsibilities mean your time is very limited, that will impact your marketing and business. If you love play and spontaneity, that too will influence the channels you use—you might love experimenting with social media, or to create images and videos. Your vision will be the guardrails, the parameters of your marketing.
Let it be enough
As a small business owner, freelancer or creative, you are going to have to choose. Add care responsibilities, a job or (chronic) illness, and you have to make even more choices. And that’s okay. As painful and annoying restrictions can be, they can also make choices for us. They give us permission to focus.
The beauty of building a marketing strategy that truly fits you—your values, your vision, this particular season of your life—is that you can let it be enough. You can settle into your choices rather than constantly second-guessing them. You can stop measuring your marketing against someone else’s and start trusting your own.
I’ve always felt so pressured by all those marketing gurus online who say you have to do this, you have to do that … I thought I hated marketing. But when I heard you talking, I was so relieved I literally felt my shoulders drop. Oh okay—so it can be done differently
— Kirstin, artist and webshop owner
This sigh of relief is what I hear again and again from Grow participants. They are finally giving themselves permission to market their way, and to grow their business in an intentional way.
If that’s what you’re craving, my gentle marketing programme Grow was built around exactly this: helping you create a strategy that suits this season of your life, in a way that feels organic to your business — and even feels good.
I’d love to know what resonates with you from this post.
Please feel free to share this post it with business friends, in your newsletter or elsewhere. 💛
I’d love to support you in all phases of your business. Providing clarity, focus and next steps is something that my clients tell me I’m really good at. If you’re curious about how we can work together through 1:1 mentoring, check out what I offer or send me an email–no strings attached. I have payment plans available, and flexible options for mentoring calls.
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