How to stay consistent with marketing (your way)
You know you should be more consistent with your marketing, but life, business and everything else keep getting in the way. It’s something I hear a lot - words to the effect of…
“I’m really good and ‘on it’ for a few weeks, but then I run out of things to say, or I get too busy. I stop and it’s hard to get going again”.
Starting and stopping all the time, constantly wracking your brain for things to say - it’s exhausting.
But if we know consistency is important, what stops us? How can we be more consistent without setting unrealistic expectations, putting more pressure on ourselves or relying on strategies that don’t suit us?
Motivation and inspiration can be fleeting, so it’s about setting yourself up for success with simple habits, routines and systems that support you whether life is smooth sailing or you’re riding a rollercoaster!
Why consistency matters in marketing
You’ve probably heard this time and time again, but it’s worth repeating
It builds trust - people feel safer and more confident working with you when they see and hear you on a regular basis. Consistency helps create a sense of trust and reliability.
It creates connection - regular marketing feels like an ongoing, meaningful conversation rather than random announcements or pushy sales tactics.
It helps you manage your energy - instead of swinging between action - pause - scramble to catch up, you stay connected without the need for big bursts of effort or motivation.
It builds your confidence - the more you show up (your way), the more natural it feels and the more you start to trust yourself and the process.
So what stops us from being consistent?
Here are some common reasons I hear - do you resonate with any?
You want everything you share to feel ‘right’ and add value so you spend hours crafting the perfect post…only to bin it and start again - it takes too long!
You feel you need to be doing all the things - creating content, being on all platforms, networking, podcasting, videos etc etc etc. All that pressure to perform leaves you feeling overwhelmed and you freeze!
There’s so much noise in marketing. So many options and ideas. You get stuck trying to decide where to start or what to do for the best, so you end up going round in circles or doing nothing.
Increasing visibility, and ‘putting yourself out there’, feels uncomfortable (especially if you’re quiet or introverted). You worry about being judged or getting it wrong and all that peopling leaves you feeling drained.
Marketing falls to the bottom of the list when other priorities demand your attention.
You rely on bursts of inspiration or motivation and when this dries up, so does your marketing.
How to stay consistent, your way
I’m a planner, but most of my clients aren’t
It’s one of the reasons they come to me in the first place. They’re usually quiet, introverted, heart-led business owners who find traditional marketing overwhelming. Loud, pushy tactics don’t really work for them and forcing themselves to write and stick to a strict plan often leads to frustration and, in some cases, rebellion!
So instead of following the crowd, I encourage them to build a rhythm and flow to their marketing - daily, weekly and monthly habits that remove the need for constant overthinking.
Start with your “big rocks”
We start with the “big rocks”, the core activities that will make the biggest difference to their business, whether that’s regular emails, blog content, networking or events. We make sure there’s a marketing tactic for each stage of the client journey - from being discovered and nurturing relationships through to selling and building long-term loyalty.
Once you have your core activities in place, you can choose to fill the gaps with other marketing as and when needed or inspiration hits. This approach creates a baseline rhythm - a foundation that keeps you consistent, but still allows room for higher-energy moments and bursts of creativity or inspiration.
Here are a few ways you can start to build consistency into your marketing
▪️Anchor with a core discoverable activity
Choose one marketing activity that helps people find you long after you’ve posted. It could be a blog, podcast, video, article or recorded masterclass. This becomes your foundation.
▪️Include an offline version
Balance your online presence with something that builds connection in the real world - it could be networking, hosting/attending events or collaborating with others.
▪️Choose your touchpoints
Select a few core marketing activities to build and nurture relationships with your audience. Ask yourself what marketing activities you enjoy and want to do on a regular basis?
▪️Choose your frequency
What can you realistically commit to daily, weekly or monthly at this stage in your business? 10 minutes a day commenting, replying or connecting on one social platform, one networking meeting each week, one hour a week writing your newsletter, one day a month for forward planning. You get to decide.
▪️Use themes for focus
Theming your days, weeks or months can help you plan ahead and keep you on track. Anchor your marketing around different offers or content pillars each month or set aside specific days for specific tasks such as content day, admin or client work.
▪️Batch-create when you’re in the mood
Create content in batches or collate ideas when inspiration strikes so you’re not starting from scratch every time - capture video, draft blogs, email outlines, social captions, talking points for networking meetings etc
▪️Use templates & repeatable systems or processes
Set up a few simple templates for your emails, content or client onboarding. Create a simple content calendar or marketing checklist to take some of the thinking out of your day-to-day.
Decide what consistency means for you…and stick to it!
Remember that you don’t have to follow anyone else’s rules. Maybe for you consistency is one post a week, a blog post each month or checking in with your network daily. Your consistency might change with the time of year or your stage of business…and that’s OK.
The goal isn’t to do more - it’s to do what matters most.
By creating a rhythm and flow to your marketing you can approach it consistently, in a way that feels more natural, more aligned and far more effective.
What’s one marketing habit you could start this week?
Need some help creating a simple rhythm and flow for your marketing. Book a call and let’s talk it through.
