A year and a half ago, I decided to hire an assistant to help me with marketing.

Now, if you’ve read my previous experience and horror story of being hacked by another assistant (one that was referred to me by someone close), you’d think I would NEVER hire anyone to work in my business again.

BUT I knew that if I ever wanted to work less hours and focus more on improving my craft and working with more clients, I’d need to hire someone to help me. 

Marketing takes time and effort.  There’s a learning curve and a need to tweak, measure and assess.

I went from publishing content every now and then, to consistently publishing content 1-2 per week and getting hired regularly.  

The best part is that people who want to chat with me about working together, already know how I could help them, because they read / watched my content, so now there’s less ‘explaining’ happening on phone calls.

There’s a way to optimize your time and create a process that is repeatable and will save you time, while keeping you consistent.

First, you have to realize that you, as an expert, need to spend a lot of your time writing, speaking, and articulating your expertise as much as possible.  

Your perspective matters and is the VERY THING that will set you apart from other consultants, so spend time cultivating your body of work + how you communicate it.  

It’ll create a lot of clarity and get you hired by the RIGHT CLIENTS.

I see so many consultants starting a process of creating and publishing content and then stopping, saying it’s hard to balance time working with clients and marketing their own business.

That’s because they’re not focusing on creating content.

They’re splitting their brain + creative energy between “creating”, tech problems and admin tasks.

Where do you spend more time?

If you’re spending time on admin tasks + tech problems, start thinking about assigning admin these tasks other people – there are so many talented, non-hackers who can help you build a repeatable marketing system that doesn’t require your intervention (except for the content creation part).

Keyword: repeatable. This  can free up your time to work with more clients and still generate leads, so that you’ll always have clients coming your way.

Here’s how I created a system that allowed me to focus on creating content:

1 – I wrote out every ACTION I wanted to outsource, in a very detailed manner.  I wrote things like, “copy content from Google document and paste into Mailchimp template”.  I was very specific.  From this list, I had a pretty good idea of what skill set I’d need from an assistant

2 –  I video recorded  my process.  I sat down and recorded exactly what I do, starting from writing content all the way to pressing send( in all 3 platforms where I market my business).  Then, I wrote all the steps out very clearly and simply, so that even a 5 year old can understand them.  

Note: Steps 1 + 2 take a bit of time, but this time is such a worthy investment.  You can pass off this process to ANYONE you hire.  If you tweak your marketing strategy, you can make tweaks to this document and it’ll also help you understand what is working and what isn’t.  

3 – I interviewed 4 assistants – a mix of referrals + ads I placed in some business Facebook groups.

4 – I hired one and asked if we could run a test for a month – she said yes!  I gave her the document + video recording so she could follow what I do EXACTLY.  We’re still working together today.  I have a due date to hand in content and that’s all I do (on my batching days 😉).

And once you have this process documented, it doesn’t matter who takes over your marketing – you’ll have the process in place and it will be easy to repeat.  The person you hire can get started right away, and there won’t be too long of a ‘training’ period.

And voila – consistency.

Using my marketing systems and processes , my clients have started consistently publishing their content,  which has resulted in attracting qualified leads and getting hired for 2 new projects per quarter.  They’re outsourcing their marketing tasks, so that they don’t feel out of balance between client work and working on their business.

Planning, batching and outsourcing are some of the things I work through with my clients in my 6 Week 1:1 program that takes consultants who are already enrolling clients from referrals but want to create an organic marketing system to enroll clients from social media and Google.   

We also work on how to spend less time marketing, yet still getting their expertise published regularly and without them. This method will help you get at least 2 pieces of high quality content published and shared consistently per month, to start, without overthinking about consistency; and you’ll find yourself getting hired more consistently.

 

Contact me if you’re interested in this program and we will chat to see if you’re a good fit; If so, we can start within two weeks.

Recently, I spoke with a P, a nutritionist who is also a personal chef.

She was unsure about how she was going to tackle social media for her business.  She wanted to be more ‘active’ online, to share her 20+ experience with others and to fill up her calendar with more clients.

Also, she had an email list – an active audience with whom she was NOT communicating often.

She was irritated with herself, wondering why she just can’t be consistent in her marketing? 

Up until our call, she tried different things.  She downloaded some free guidebooks that told her how to come up with ideas for content, how to create a content calendar and how to write good subject lines.

Suddenly, her creative wheels started turning.  She felt inspired to write.  She remembered she had some important things to say!  She clarified her message (because she read my very detailed email about concise messaging 😉 ) and she mapped out some important topics that are industry-disrupting.

 

Then, she got down to business.  She wrote a few posts and posted on Instagram, and Facebook.   Then, she wrote an email and sent it to her list.

 

She received some responses, people said they enjoyed her email and 3 people scheduled a call to learn about how they could work together.

 

She thought, “this isn’t so bad!  I love writing anyway, I can do this.  I’m going to post and send an email 1X / week”.

And so she did, one week, then another, then another.  

 

2 of those people who got on a call with her turned to clients, so she got really busy.  She forgot about her promise to post and email every week.

 

The weeks flew by – she even took on another project, referred to her by a happy customer (she’s really good at helping women lose that extra 15 pounds).

 

Then, those 3 clients ended their time together and once again, she found herself feeling irritated at NOT having marketed her business for a few months.

 

“I keep having to ‘find’ clients whenever projects are over”, she said.

 

Have you experienced this vicious cycle?  You market your business and it works! You become so busy with work and clients, that you forget what will happen after the projects end.

 

I find that most professionals who have built a service business based on referrals, will want to figure out how to market their business and rely on themselves to bring in clients.

 

Why is that even important?

1 – You can control how you want to be perceived through the content that you share (which means that each lead will be more like your ideal client, closer to a sale)

 

2 – You get to be consistent, because you don’t know when someone will refer a customer to you.  When you are consistently marketing, you can make future projections and tweak as you’re executing (ie, how many leads, clients will I enroll as a result of this marketing campaign)

 

3 – You get to stop asking yourself, “where will I find clients now?”

 

So if P had an active audience that was waiting to hear from her, was inspired to write and create content, loved writing and wanted to publish her work more frequently – what was her next best step and the one missing piece?

 

***Creating a marketing plan***

Fact: Having a marketing communication plan and consistent execution in place, takes the pressure off of ‘getting clients’ during product launches, during seasonal lull’s and when client projects end.

This wasn’t complex, and If you’ve been reading my emails, you know I’m all about simplicity.

→ →I created a simple Google Doc  you can use, in order to map out your plan and be on your way to consistent marketing, so that you can stop worrying about ‘getting new clients’ when your current clients finish up a contract.

Using my planning process, my clients have started networking consistently, started podcasts, weekly Facebook live shows, IG story series, weekly newsletters and Youtube channels.  No matter the platform or the type of content, they’re marketing their businesses consistently, which has resulted in attracting qualified leads and getting hired for 2 new projects per quarter.  They’re using their plans to ensure that they have long term “marketing peace” so that they can focus on working with clients.

 

And voila – the consistency they were after comes to life!

 

Planning your marketing campaigns is one of the things I work through with my clients in my 6 Week 1:1 program that takes consultants who are already enrolling clients from referrals but want to create an organic marketing system to enroll clients from social media and Google.   We also work on how to spend less time creating content, how to qualify clients and tracking results.  This method will help you get at 2 pieces of high quality content out there consistently per month, to start, without overthinking or doubting what you have to say.  This will result in getting hired more consistently.

 

Contact me if you’re interested in this program and we will chat to see if you’re a good fit; if so, we can start within two weeks.

 

Also, if you know someone who can use these instructional posts, please share them using the links below.  I promise, they will thank you 🙂

“I don’t know what to say and how to say it”, is a popular self-myth among consultants who want to have consistent communication with their audience online.

The problem is NOT ‘knowing’ what to say, it’s simply being CLEAR with your message.

There’s a distinction here.

Clients come to me often and have disparate ‘knowings’ of what to say whirling around their minds, but need help putting it together into a coherent message + plan that will resonate with the right people (this is my zone of genius).

Much like decluttering, getting to the heart of the message for your ideal client requires strategic removal of the unimportant bits of info spiraling around your mind.

When you’re unclear, it feels like you have a ton of micro-decisions to make about what to say, how to say it and what other people might think about it.

When asked the right questions, my clients are able to put the right pieces of the ‘message’ puzzle together, in a way that clarifies what they do, even to a 5-year-old.

I see a lot of content marketing programs diving straight into “content calendars” and content creation, and here’s the problem with that: If you aren’t clear about your message, what kind of content will you put out there? 

When I work with clients during VIP DAYS, nothing creates more excitement and RELIEF than message clarity, because they suddenly feel like they KNOW what to say.

This excitement will put you one step closer towards consistency.  You’ll know what you want to say and your voice (the unique way in which YOU articulate your message – the ‘how you say it’) will be concise and demonstrate an energy of confidence (even through the screen).

How do you clarify your messaging?

There are many moving parts to clear messaging, but I’m going to focus on 2 important pieces today:

1. Speaking to your ideal customer
2. Speaking about your unique way of getting your customers the results they want

Knowing these gives them the motivation to start putting more and more content out there, until they find their groove of where they get the most engagement and the platform they like using most.

Using my messaging process, my clients have started podcasts, weekly Facebook live shows, IG story series, weekly newsletters and Youtube channels.  No matter the platform or the type of content, they’ve been able to publish at least two high-quality pieces of content per month, resulting in getting hired for 2 new projects per quarter.

And voila – consistency!

(BTW, until you’re consistent, you won’t really know what platforms, what messaging resonates with your clients – more on that in another email)

Here’s what you can do to get clear on your messaging – and this is exactly what I work on with my clients in my 1:1 program:

1. Who are your clients? What do they want more than anything?
2. What’s the situation that would have potential clients pick up the phone and call you right now? (get really specific here)
3. What do they THINK / BELIEVE they need to do in order to get the results they want?
4. What is the thing YOU KNOW they need in order to get the results they want?
5. What is the ‘thing’ that will signal they’re ready to buy your service (are they frustrated with something, have they tried alot of different things that don’t work, has something specific occurred, what have they already done to solve their problem?)?
6. How does your service tie into the results they want to have?  Seems like an obvious thing, but when you write it down, you’ll be a lot more clear with how to articulate it
7. What are the deliverables + results they’ll have in hand after you work together? I often review clients I’ve worked with every quarter and write out the results they have AFTER working together – these can be tangibles like – a new podcast, new clients, new website copy, a new workshop – OR intangibles like more confidence to speak up, more clarity on their unique services
8. How is your service / product different from what’s already offered out there (Hint: this has alot to do with mapping out your process, which I’ll discuss in the next email).
9. How will you qualify them as a good fit? What kinds of resources do they need to have in place for you to help them AND get the results they want? – ->> don’t skip out on this one, it’s critical.

**Get a pen & paper and write this out.  Then, write a post / email using this framework:

Most people believe ________________[what your clients think they’re missing], but the truth is __________________[what you know is missing].

When you are _____________________[doing the thing they believe will get them results], you are missing out on a critical piece that will help you ________________[the results they want].

Most of my clients come to me when __________________ [the situation that happens right before they call you], so I know this is common.

When most other ____________[people in your industry]___________________[how they tackle the problem], I  ___________________ [what you do first, AKA, your unique process] first thing before anything else, because after working with __________________ [number  / type of client you’ve worked with], I’ve learned this is the quicker path to _____________________ [the results they want].

I help ____________  who are _______________ [their specific situation(s)], who have already ___________,____________ and ___________ [resources they have in place] and have done ___________,_________,__________[what they’ve already done that hasn’t worked], but want to have ___________________ and __________________[results they want instead].  Using my unique process, they end up with _______________ [deliverables / results] after working with me for________________ [timeframe].

If you are already _____________, _____________, _____________ [resources they already have], but want to have ____________ and ____________ then [DM me / reply to this email], because _______________[your offer] will help you with this.

We will chat briefly, I’ll ask you a few simple questions to see if this is a good fit for you.

The above framework includes all the messaging pieces mentioned above, and obviously won’t work exactly this way for EVERY business, but you can tweak it to match yours!  This framework will create at least 1 response, assuming you know your audience.

Messaging is one of the things I address with my clients in my 6 Week 1:1 program that takes consultants who are already enrolling clients from referrals but want to create an organic marketing system to enroll clients from social media and Google. This is about 70% of what we work on.  We also work on clarifying your offer + pricing, how to spend less time creating content, how to qualify clients and tracking results.  This method will help you get at 2 pieces of high quality content out there consistently per month, to start, without overthinking or doubting what you have to say.  This will result in getting hired more consistently.

Comment down below if you’re interested in this program and we will chat to see if you’re a good fit; if so, we can get you started as early as the first week of October.

This week in my Messy Middle Mastermind, we spoke about (surprise, surprise) marketing on social media.  

I’m talking about organic marketing – creating and publishing content that promotes your brand and your products/services.

So, back in my mastermind, there were 2 ‘thought’ camps about posting for the purpose of marketing:

1 – My content isn’t as good as ‘theirs’ 

2 – I don’t want to sound like that person I always see marketing their business, they look so unprofessional.

Both feel like..”I’m going to be judged, mocked, criticized”

These thoughts are exactly why my clients were not marketing their businesses.  It’s not because they have to improve their content.

How do these thoughts creep into your head?

• Scrolling alot and not realizing you’re taking in information and it’s staying in your awareness
• Not writing or creating enough or giving credit to your creative genius
• Did I say too much scrolling?
• Maybe you’re friending too many people in your industry and it’s just bringing you down.

Social media fills our heads with too much noise of ‘having to be a certain way’, which isn’t the truth.

I wish someone would have given me this insight when I started. I was stuck on “what should I post, I don’t know what to say” because I thought any content I’d write would be lame.

And maybe someone out there thinks it is. To that I’d say: 🖕🏼🖕🏼

If you want to market your businesses consistently, but are having a difficult time doing it, I want to reassure you that:

NO MATTER WHAT YOU POST for the purposes of MARKETING your business, it’s better than NOT POSTING AT ALL.  Whatever you put out there is good enough.

As time goes on, you’ll tweak it, improve it and create it more quickly.

I say start messy, don’t worry about getting it ‘right’.

Like anything, practice makes perfect.

I’d love to know your thoughts.

 

How is it already the end of August? 

I love summer so much, I never want it to end!

As you know, I’ve taken some time off this month, and I’ve been thinking about all that I’ve accomplished this year.

This time last year, I decided to hunker down and figure out exactly what it’ll take to consistently be visible in my business – to provide valuable content to my readers, to promote my offers, to build and engage with my audience.

I mean, I’ve always been a marketer, and I’ve always kinda marketed my business, but not so strategically and not very consistently.

But today, I’m proud to say, I’ve figured it out!

I’ve been sending out emails, writing posts – new content every single week for the past year.

I know exactly what has to be done in order to create a system, a content machine that will allow me to consistently market my business, support my launches, even when I’m not there!

(this blog was written and scheduled to go out before August!)

I write content with you in mind, so I want to make sure that this content lands exactly where you need it to.  

I love writing, but if the content isn’t surviving its purpose, I want to tweak it – my mission is always to help you find your voice and share it so that the RIGHT clients will find you.

In the spirit of summer and in celebration of the end of it, I’ve created a summer survey to help me better understand how to help you create content and use it to build your client base.

So, if you have a business, or if you’re selling something, please help me make my content better by filling out this survey, which will take you 10 minutes or less to complete.

I want to make sure I’m providing valuable, helpful content you’ll love reading.

Here is the link to the survey: https://bit.ly/summer-survey-21

As a token of my appreciation, anyone who completes the survey by Monday 9/6/21 at 11:00PM EDT, will be entered to win a $100 gift card from Amazon.

I will announce the winner on Tuesday 9/7/21 at 3pm EDT and will notify them via email.

HERE is the LINK again

It’s been an amazing year, full of challenges, failures and successes and I’m so so grateful for our connection!