I’m hearing it already from business owners.

“I was so excited to hit the ground running this year and make this a year that counts. We're only a few weeks in and already I’m feeling flat.  My oomph has left the building.”

You’re not alone.

Old habits and feelings can very quickly reappear to bite us on the you-know-what when our excitement and motivation falls flat.

And there’s that niggle that something needs to change because this business owner malarkey ain’t panning out the way you’d hoped.

You’re stuck in a few ways.

• Working sooooo hard on your business but not making progress. It feels like you’re driving with the brakes on - uphill.
• Not feeling good enough to be paid for what you do so you don’t offer your services and work on getting everything ‘just right’ before putting your head above the parapet.
• Worrying about getting leads and clients so you’re flitting about doing a zillion and one things in the hope, this time, something works.

How can you add some much needed oomph to make positive changes?

My idea is:

• Book time out in your diary to check in with your business
• Identify the mistakes you may be making
• Take action to get your momentum back

I know. 

You’re going to tell me if you knew what mistakes you are making you’d know how to fix ‘em.

Here’s a list of the 10 most common marketing mistakes I see.

• You’re not 100% crystal clear on the problem you solve and who you solve it for
• Not sure what it is your audience really wants to achieve
• You’re being vague in the results you’re audience will get or you’re offering results they don’t want or need
• You don’t have a marketing message that speaks to your ideal client so they’re left in no doubt what you do and how you can help them
• You don’t know how or where to find your clients and how to help them find you
• You put content out there when you remember – you’re not consistent
• You leave them wondering what you’d like them to do next
• You’re without any strategies or plans to achieve your business goals and objectives
• You’d be guessing if I asked you do you know what marketing works and what doesn’t
• You get in your own way, and give too much air-time to your inner chatterbox

Now they’ve been named and called them out how do you avoid them or fix them? 

Fix #1: Be clear on the problem you solve and who you solve it for

Who is your ideal client and what problem do you solve for them?

It can be so tempting to decide to work with everyone and anyone but very quickly you can end up working with no-one. It’s seems to be one of those things that’s counter intuitive though, doesn’t it?

Talk to too many and what you say is generic, non-specific and ends up being ignored.

Lost in all of the messages your lovely potential clients are bombarded with every single day in this online world.

When I first started out, I genuinely believed I could work with everyone.  So that’s what I tried to achieve with my marketing.

What happened. Hardly anyone took any notice of me and the ones that did weren’t, I’m sad to say, fab to work with.

Who is your ideal client?

They are the clients you most like to work with, they light you up and you really enjoy working with them.

Think about the clients you’ve worked with. Which ones shone out for you and why? These are the ones you’d love to have more of working with you or buying your products or services.

Why reduce the amount of people you can potentially work with?

I know, it seems a daft way to go about it but the more specific you are in who you are talking to, the problem you solve, the better chance you have of getting more engagement, leads and clients.

And it’s a noisy old world out there online and it’s getting noisier.

The clearer you are about who you are talking to the better.

Create content that helps them to decide to buy from you or not.

Fix #2: Understand what it is your audience really wants

What big problem do you solve for your audience?

Their painful problem is what’s keeping them awake at night, it’s niggling at them, it’s keeping them stuck, it’s a frustration, a worry, a concern, a situation that needs resolved – by YOU!

Imagine if they associated you as the solver of their problem.

If you don’t understand your customer’s pain points, how are you going to know what problem your product or service solves?

If you don’t know, what are you telling your client you can solve?  Do they care?

Is the problem you’re offering to solve really a problem for them?

Do you know or are you guessing what their problem is?

If you’re not sure you’re nailing addressing your client’s pain or problem, all is not lost.

Fix #3: Make it crystal clear the results they’ll get (be sure the results you offer are the ones they want)

Be sure to let your audience know the results they’ll get when they buy from you by including them on your product or service pages, your sales pages and your testimonials and case studies.

How to be sure you know what results they want from your service or product

Perhaps you’re offering results but you’re not sure they really are the ones they want, so ask them.

Speak to your ideal client

Get on a call and ask them.

Really?

Really.

Find out what’s going on for them right now.

What are the consequences of them feeling stuck and struggling?

What would it mean to have this problem solved?

Investigate what your client really is struggling with.

Some ideas are:

Create a questionnaire.

Email it to your list.

Share it where your clients are and ask them to complete it. For example share it on social media.

Check your inbox

Chances are you have emails from potential clients where they’ve mentioned what results they’re struggling to achieve on their own.

Use social media

Keep your eyes peeled for questions asked around what you do (and answer them)

Testimonials/Case Studies

When you ask for testimonials ask what results they’ve achieved after buying/working with you. Then when a potential client is thinking of hiring you, the testimonial will showcase you as someone who can solve the same problem for them.

Fix #4: Have a clear marketing message that’s understood by your ideal client

What’s a marketing message and why have one?

It’s one or two sentences that you can repeat over and over and over again so that people know what you offer and why they should buy from you.

Your marketing message is the diamond key to your marketing activity.

Create a powerful marketing message and all your other marketing will fall into place.

What to write in Blogs, your emails, your social media, your Facebook lives etc

It also helps you to answer the question 'What do you do?' Handy at networking events.

You can create your marketing message using this simple template.

I help (insert perfect client profile) who (insert painful problem) to (insert solution for client).

I help parents of toddlers who are fussy-eaters and suffer meal-times that are like a battle-field, to have a family meal that’s tantrum free.

I help busy business owners who hate numbers to have well-kept accounts so they know where they are financially.

Fix #5: How do you find your clients and how do they find you?

To be found you need to be where they are.

And where they’d expect to find you.

Where Are Your Clients?

If you are clear on who your ideal client is, you can search for them on social media platforms and you might find them at in-person or online networking events.

Where is your audience looking for their solution?

Are you there?

Could you be?

Here's to 2024 being a fantabulous year for you! 

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Monday Morning Marketing Memo - Tracey Tait