If you’ve looked around my website or have set up a marketing strategy call with me you know that I believe, “a comprehensive marketing strategy implemented consistently ends the client and income roller coaster.” Why do I believe that? Because I have been on that roller coaster.

I’ve had those times when I don’t have enough hours in the day to get client work done. I have had times when I have so many empty hours stretching out in front of me that I start making recipes for a myriad of ways to eat ramen because I’m convinced that is what I will need to do. I needed to put together a plan – the same type of plan I put together for my clients, but neglected to do for myself – that would stop that ebb and flow of income. I’d prefer to have a flow of income, than to watch it ebb, wouldn’t you?

Here are seven simple steps for creating a marketing strategy for your business.

Let’s get right to it!

1. Know your marketing objectives.

Do you want more clients. Fewer clients that pay higher amounts? Do you want to increase your income by X%? Do you want to get more people on your email newsletter list or grow your social media following? Do you want to do more than one of these? That’s all right. This is your marketing strategy. Write down what you want to accomplish.

2. Who is your audience?

Know who they are and where they congregate. Are they on Facebook? LinkedIn? YouTube? Instagram? Knowing where they are will help you market to them. 

3. Who is competing for the same audience?

Not to burst your bubble, but chances are your business model isn’t so unique that there isn’t any competition. Neither is the book you’re writing so earth-shatteringly different that no one has ever written something like that before. As an author you should know who is writing books similar to yours and how yours will be different. I am a cozy mystery author and I need to know who is doing something similar so mine will be unique enough to find an audience. 

4. What is it that you do or sell?

You need to know your goods or services inside out and be able to tell a potential customer who you are, what you do and why you’re the best. 

5. Where will you connect?

This is different than knowing who your audience is. This step is for those entrepreneurs who are selling product or authors who are selling books. Where will your book be carried? Will it be ebook only or in book stores? If you’re selling a product where will you sell it? Amazon? Etsy? In a local store or across the country through a distribution center? 

6. How will you spread the word?

This is where I come in! I help you create your content and your content strategy. Words are the way in which you will promote and market your product or service and connect with your buyers and clients. You will want a comprehensive marketing strategy and one that will be implemented consistently in order to thrive. 

7. Write your marketing strategy down.

Don’t rely on your memory or on vague thoughts. Your marketing strategy needs to be implemented based on your own research and goals and your content needs to be aligned with your goals.

If you’re not creating content consistently and if your income is on a roller coaster of ups and downs, contact me and ask for my One-Page 7 Simple Steps To Creating A Marketing Strategy Worksheet.

And don’t forget to sign up for my occasionally-sent email to learn more about marketing strategy!

For solopreneurs, authorpreneurs (yes, authors, you are business owners) and other small business owners, time is a precious commodity and is of the essence. Solopreneurs are kept busy helping their clients succeed, sometimes in detriment to nurturing their own businesses. Solopreneurs put their own business-building activities on the backburner. Authors know they need to focus on writing and editing their latest novel. BUT, all entrepreneurs need to take time to nurture their own endeavors. Just as you make your client’s businesses priority #1, your business deserves the same. 

In thirty minutes or fewer a day you can take one, or more, of these steps and regain control of your business tasks in an effective and efficient way. Imagine how great you will feel knowing that you devoted time to your own business success! Keep in mind, that neglecting your own business marketing and growth will keep you on the roller coaster of income feast or famine. 
 

5 steps solopreneurs need to take to grow their business
 

Whether these steps are in your area of expertise, or whether you need to outsource make a concerted effort today – or at least this week – to implement these strategies. 

Put time into writing. I know that writing – good writing – takes time and this is especially true if your area of expertise is not writing. If you’re a solopreneur, petpreneur or author you need to focus on writing content for your business in the form of blogs and on social media. If you have the skills and time to create your own content, set aside thirty-minutes a day to work on writing a blog post. Determine how many posts a week you want to write and how long it will take you to write one then dedicate thirty-minute time blocks to get blog posts written. 

You will then want to set aside time to share the blog on your social media sites. Remember, your website and your blog are the hub of the spoke of all your content. 

Connect with other solopreneurs.

When you’re self-employed or working from home because of the coronavirus pandemic you may be working in isolation. That cane take its toll even if you are an introvert. There may be in-person, socially-distanced networking events where you live, and if there are mask up and attend. If you’re not comfortable doing that (I know I’m not) jump on a Zoom with colleagues. I am suffering Zoom burn-out, but I know it’s crucial to stay in touch with other entrepreneurs and to network even if I am not leaving my house. 

Email a colleague and set up a thirty-minute chat. Look at the thirty minutes as a business-nurturing event, not that it’s taking away from getting your work done. 

Connecting with someone who is facing the same isolation you are or who is struggling to run a business is gratifying and you can bounce ideas off one another, be accountable to one another or even trade services in a manner in which you both benefit. 

Email someone you have always wanted to connect with. Tell that person why you’ve wanted to connect and ask if they’d be willing to jump on the phone or Zoom. If you can interview them for a project you’re working on – offer that opportunity. 

Don’t reach out to someone simply to “pick his or her brain” because imagine how you’d feel if someone just reached out to you for free advice. 

Respond to connections.

If someone sends you a connection request on Facebook or LinkedIn, accept it they are a fit. If you connect, send them a message –- not a canned message and not a “buy me” message. Send a getting to know you message. 

Get up and get out!

Seriously. Get out of your office. Don’t eat your lunch in front of the computer. Don’t spend the entire day in your office chair without a break. I set a timer that dings ten minutes before the top of each hour and I get up and move. I may walk on the treadmill, or take my dog for a walk or move the laundry from the washer to the dryer. 

Taking a break every hour helps keep me from having a backache at the end of the day and that break refreshes me and I jump back into tasks with a fresh eye. 

When I take my lunch break I get away from screens, eat my lunch and read a book or a magazine. My eyes need a break at least for thirty-minutes. 

Market your business.

Every business owner needs to market his or her own business regularly. If you don’t there will come a day when a cornerstone client leaves – for whatever reason – and if they haven’t been marketing their own business, the loss of that client could hit the bottom line hard.  

Spend at least thirty-minutes per week, more if you have it, marketing your own business. It could be attending a Zoom event, sending out follow up emails, making phone calls or simply working your own social media. 

Don’t let the loss of a client have you operating in panic mode. Steady, consistent marketing of your own business is necessary for your survival. 

When is the last time you focused some of your efforts on your business? Don’t you think you and your business deserve at least 30-minutes a day of your undivided attention? 
 

If you’re looking for ways to market yourself and your business and do it in an effective, efficient manner or to learn how to create your own content – sign up for my occasionally-sent email! I don’t want to clutter your inbox too frequently because I have content to create, too! 

I am a list-maker. Even before breast cancer “stole” my power of recall and portions of my memory I made lists. My lists included:  

1. Books I’d read
2. Books I want to read
3. Groceries I need to buy
4. Work I need to complete for clients
5. Content I need to create for own business 
6. And more  

My lists lived on sticky notes, my smart phone note app, a scrap of paper and everywhere in between. There were days when I would be rummaging around in my purse and come across crumpled up lists I had completed – and a few I’d never finished.

What I have found is that other than making sure I don’t forget to buy bread or eggs my lists weren’t the most effective (or efficient) means of getting shit done. 

How can you make an effective list? 

For your list(s) to be effective, they need to have a strategy behind them. In other words, list with intention. Discipline yourself to be an effective and efficient list maker and to put the lists in a place that’s easy to find and to search. 

I love Evernote. It gives me a repository for all my lists (personal and professional). It lets me tag them so I can easily find them AND Evernote also is a history of my lists and of what I want to do AND what I have done. 

Here are strategies for making a list (or if you already make lists – to make a better list!) 

Based on years of list-making, these are the lists I have decided are my favorites

To-do list.

My daily checklist keeps me on track. My checklist assures I don’t miss any client deadlines. Without a checklist and a running list, I would fear I forgot a task or missed a deadline. Making a daily list and writing a list for the following day when I leave the office at the end of the day helps me sleep at night. 

My to-do lists and daily checklists are realistic and doable. Crossing items off my daily checklist feeds my feeling of accomplishment and I can cross items off on my Evernote or on my paper planner.

Decide whether you want paper or electronic or a combination. I have a paper daytimer that I use daily. It is my first glance at what I am doing that day. I put my daily meetings and meeting times as well as a brief list of to-dos. 

For example: My paper calendar list might read: Write two blog posts for my site. Chances are, my notes or lists of ideas I’ve gathered for those blog posts reside in my Evernote. 

Client meeting lists.

My daily client meetings are in my Google calendar as well because I like the notifications I receive as a reminder. 

Running lists.

No, this isn’t a list that will have me tracking the miles I’ve run – I wish! This is a list of those items that I do daily. I don’t want to waste time writing down the same items every day – that is not an effective or efficient use of my time. Instead, in my Google calendar I will make note of all those items I do daily. I write it one, attach a random time, then I can drag it to the next day without re-typing. On my paper planner I will make a note of: Running client list as a reminder of those recurring tasks. 

Marketing task list.

I know I much prefer to live my life on a even keel and that means I don’t want to worry about having too much client work and burning out NOR do I want to have too little work and worry that I will be living on ramen. I make certain I market my business daily. I set aside thirty minutes a day to work on one aspect of my marketing. In my list I note: Social media follows, social media comments, blog post writing, podcast marketing, etc. This way I am continually marketing my business. 

Not-to-do list.

As a solopreneur it’s easy to say “yes” to every project. I have done that and I have regretted it. Why was I going outside of my area of expertise? Because I was afraid of the ebb and flow of income. That is until I realized that my own content is as crucial as the content I create for my clients. 

A not-to-do list is as important for a solopreneur as is a to-do list. Remember you cannot be everything to everyone. Know what you will do, what you want to do and what you don’t want to do and with whom you don’t want to work then be prepared to say “no” to items that simply don’t fit your business plan or that are on your not-to-do list. 

If you find it hard to say no – and because I am a bit of a people-pleaser, I do – I may not give an outright no. I may say, “I appreciate the offer, can I think about it?” 

Then after I’ve given myself that grace, I will use a – wait for it – list to determine if it’s a good fit, is something I want to do, is something that will forward my own business endeavors or is something that sounds fun. After I’ve run the pros and cons I can give a yes or a no. 

Embrace your effectivity 

When you’re a solopreneur, author or entrepreneur of any stripe, effectiveness and efficiency matter. You need to work “smarter, not harder” to make efficient use of all the time you work on your business. 

Entrepreneurs need to find their way around a list, use it and track how efficient – or how non-efficient – they are in the course of their daily office hours. If you find you’re not getting through your lists you need to examine whether you’re putting too many items on it, whether you’re being distracted or whether there are items you simply need more help with or assistance on. 

Do you make lists? Do you love them or hate them? Do you have organized lists or a jumble of paper scraps in the bottom of your purse or briefcase? 

Do you want to know how to make effective lists AND/OR how to time-block your day for maximum efficiency? Contact me OR sign up for my occasionally-sent newsletter that is filled with tips on content creation, effective entrepreneurial behaviors and more.