Are you having issues with your online marketing? You’re not alone.
Many solopreneurs and small business owners struggle with their digital marketing.
That’s why they hire a marketing coach like me.
I’ve worked with dozens of business owners just like you who are lost in the marketing fog and need help getting their marketing started or on track.
You’re reading this blog post because you’ve identified that there’s an issue with your marketing but you’re probably struggling with WHAT to do about that problem.
Should you hire an agency?
Should you hire a part-time employee?
Should you find some crazy cheap “expert” on Fiverr?
These are all…options. But, usually, they aren’t the best options for your business.
What I’ve put together here are some of the top reasons why people hire a small business marketing coach (like me) to work with them.
#1: You Have No Direction
Many small business owners start out with big dreams and a lot of enthusiasm, but they quickly become overwhelmed by the day-to-day tasks of running a business. As a result, marketing often takes a backseat to more pressing concerns. However, without a clear marketing direction, it can be difficult to attract new customers and grow the business. A marketing coach can help business owners develop a clear marketing plan and identify effective marketing strategies for reaching their target audience.
In my experience, there’s are two devastating marketing conditions that countless solopreneurs and small business owners suffer from every day.
The first one is called “MAP” and it stands for Marketing Analysis Paralysis.
As a marketing coach, I see it every single day.
It’s where you get overwhelmed by the digital marketing strategies – social media, SEO, email, oh my! – and, because you don’t want to do anything wrong or waste your time/money, you do nothing.
On the flip side, I also talk to many people full of enthusiasm but completely unaware that they have “MSOS” – Marketing Shiny Object Syndrome.
The opposite of MAP, Marketing Shiny Object Syndrome finds the person jumping from one marketing “strategy” (I use that term loosely here) to the next with no empirical data or logic other than the belief that doing something new means that they are doing something.
HOW MY MARKETING COACHING CAN HELP
If you’re attempting to impact your business growth through digital marketing, you can’t do it by randomly choosing what needs to be done or by doing nothing. You might just want to jump right to social media, digital ads, website updates, etc but you will be wasting time, money, and resources trying to do ANYTHING without a marketing plan.
That’s like building a house without a blueprint.
But this is how most businesses operate. In fact, according to a survey of small- and medium-sized business owners, 50% do not have a marketing plan.
The thing that people need most when they are struggling with their marketing is an actual marketing plan.
That’s why the first thing that I do with marketing coaching clients is to create your customize, actionable marketing and content plan through my Marketing CLARITY Guide program. I designed this unique, 60-day program after working with dozens of businesses (both large and small) who came to me with no marketing plan. Over the years, I have had 100’s of conversations with business owners that all revolved around the same problems:
- They haven’t done a deep dive into their customers and therefore haven’t identified their ideal customer
- They haven’t defined their own Brand so their messaging and content is boring and ineffective
- They have no idea what digital content to create (video, audio, blog, etc) or what topics they should be strategically focusing on
Sound familiar?
These ever-present issues led me to construct the Marketing CLARITY Guide program into three parts:
- Customer Clarity – I’ll get you in their shoes so you can get in their wallet.
- Company Clarity – You’ll define your Brand Identity which means you can create amazing, high-converting marketing and messaging.
- Content Clarity – Downloadable templates and video guides so you’ll be overflowing with valuable, strategic content for your social media, SEO, website, email, and sales materials.
Only once you have a solid understanding and foundation of your customers, your company, and your content can you then set a path forward with clarity of tasks, goals, and purpose.
#2: To “Up Skill” Your Current Marketing Staff
Many small business owners hire a marketing manager expecting a CMO.
(I wrote at length about that common practice in this blog post)
Oftentimes the marketing manager hired for small business is someone who is young, creative, energetic, and cheap. The issue is that they don’t have the benefit of creating and implementing strategic marketing and content plans. Many of my clients have me working directly with their marketing manager so that I can grow their digital marketing skillset and help them grow their business.
HOW MY MARKETING COACHING CAN HELP
When small business owners hire me to work with their marketing managers they learn new marketing strategies, implement better marketing tactics, and learn how to track their marketing progress. In addition, I work with marketing managers to identify their strengths and weaknesses and develop customized marketing plans and training sessions that are tailored to their individual needs. As a result, your manager will take their marketing skills (and your business) to the next level.
#3: You’re Too Busy
Allow me to give you a piece of free advice when it comes to your business (and your life):
You will never FIND time, you must MAKE time for things that you value.
I say this to you, fully understanding how stressful and exhausting it can be to run a business. But there are just 24 hours in a day and all hours are NOT created equal. Your energy levels naturally go up and down and, depending on what (or who) you’re dealing with, you know that has an impact on your productivity. Marketing is just one of the many things that you need to do for your business but I know it’s not realistic that your spend eight hours a day doing ONLY your marketing.
When I work with marketing coaching clients, I understand that many of them are juggling multiple roles inside of their business and approach my work with them accordingly. They need clear guidance, ongoing support, easy-to-understand tasks, and accountability.
HOW MY MARKETING COACHING CAN HELP
Deciding to get marketing coaching should be looked at as an investment in you and your business.
You only have so much time and energy to give to marketing your business because you have other things that you have to manage. Hiring a marketing coach helps you get the most out of your time and your energy. I can help you develop a marketing strategy tailored to your specific business goals. I can also provide guidance on how to implement your marketing plan and track your progress over time. In addition, I offer free tips, webinars, and how-to’s inside of my Marketing CLARITY Community.
Ross helped us because a lot of the time, we were recycling old ideas. We needed a fresh perspective with proven methods that work, were creatively fresh and new. Not only did he help us grow our SEO and our online following, but he also monitored the backend and kept us accountable for new project ideas.
I would recommend Tricycle Creative to anyone who owns a business and wants to grow their online presence. If you're going to bring on new hires and guests, this is the only way to do it! Everyone out there is looking at your digital fingerprint, and Ross helps companies stand out from the rest.
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