If you can’t sing a microphone won’t help
If you can’t hold a tune, then using a microphone isn’t going to make you a better singer.
If you have nothing to say then being on social media won’t make you interesting.
If you have no ideas, then AI can’t make you creative.
If you have no direction in mind, then running fast won’t get you where you’re going.
What I am getting at with these statements is the fact that for your marketing to work, you need to know who you want to connect with and what change they’re looking to make.
This might seem like a ‘big task’ but it is simpler than you might think. And it will save you the embarrassment of standing on a stage with a microphone when everyone realises you can’t sing.
Classic marketing ideas aren’t always effective
A lot of marketing advice will tell you that marketing is a numbers game. If you post often enough, some of those messages will connect with people and they will buy your stuff. AKA the throw enough stuff at the wall and something will stick approach.
Some people go a step further and insist that if you use a specific script or template for your posts this will make them connect. AKA the magic formula approach.
And lately, we’re being told that AI tools will take the effort out of creating marketing posts — a source of endless content. Maybe we could call this the Aladdin’s genie approach?
But…
Do your ideal clients actually want to wade through all this noise to find you? The internet, and social media particularly, is already a noisy place. How does making it noisier help?
Less wishful thinking
I believe — and this isn’t a common opinion — that less is more when it comes to making content. I think that the keys to making connections with new clients are generosity and consistency.
Making the kind of content that is of genuine interest to the people you’re looking for, and that inspires them and gets them thinking will be far more engaging than 20 posts that are basically shouting, “Hey! Over here! Look at me!”
Generous and consistent content is not noise. Nor does it rely on magic or wishful thinking or sheer quantity to work.
So how do you make this kind of content?
Get to know your future clients
The answer to what kind of marketing content to make starts with the three questions that people have when choosing who to work with:
- Who does this person work with?
- What do they work with them on?
and,
- Why can I trust them to guide me?
When you understand the answers your ideal client is looking for in these three questions, what kind of content you need to offer them becomes clearer. The key is knowing who you’re hoping to engage with.
Once you know who’s listening, and what they’re interested in hearing, you can start answering their questions — generously — with your content.
Do this and you become known as a person who generously answers questions. And people come to you, they seek you out.
For more on how to answer these three questions — and what to do with the answers — my book Reframing Marketing is a guide to doing just that in order to create a 3-step ethical marketing plan.
But… “Everyone else is posting all the time — won’t I miss out?”
There are two games you can play here.
The first is the maximise your followers, drown them in content, play the ‘big I am’ game, which is focused on vanity metrics and feeling good by chasing that dopamine. It might get you clients, though whether they’re the ones you want is a different matter.
Or, a better option is the game of becoming the person who has a reputation for helping, working with others, and inspiring ideas in the kind of people you want to work with. How? By generously making shareable and engaging content that is relevant to their questions and needs.
Being focused cuts through the noise
If you can’t sing then amplifying your voice won’t do anything except put off more people.
Knowing who your ideal clients are and understanding the questions they have (and having good answers for them) is how you ‘get in tune’.
For this select audience, your targeted, generous content is harmonious. And they’ll amplify your voice for you as they engage and share…
In other words, sing your own song in your own way and you’ll stand out from the noise. Those who like it will keep coming back for more.
If you want to ‘sing’ and market what you do in a way that connects you with people who feel ready to work with you, check out my book Reframing Marketing — it’s all in there, step by step, with practical exercises to create your marketing plan and build the marketing habit. I also send out a weekly email with some Monday Marketing Motivation; sign up below if that’s how you’d like to start your week.
Simon Batchelar is a marketing mentor and the co-founder of Pallant Digital, the digital marketing agency they have run for 20 years. During that time, they have transformed over 400 small businesses. Drawing on their experience with freelancers and solopreneurs, Simon developed the proven techniques for more ethical marketing in the book Reframing Marketing: A 3-step plan for effective and ethical marketing for solopreneurs, freelancers, coaches, consultants, mentors, and thought leaders.
