Often I hear from professionals, business people and friends that they are too busy to market and that marketing takes too much time.
The fact is that marketing does take time and like any investment you get more out depending on how much you put it. The attached article below offers good examples of a few approaches if you only can spare 15 minutes a day.
My suggestion is to use my 735 approach. What is the 735 approach? Simple – spend seven days a week, 30 minutes a day on marketing, personal branding and business growth activities (3.5 hours a week). I explain more below.
I like the article attached and these are some of my additional comments and strategies.
No Time for Marketing? You Only Need 15 Minutes a Day – Entrepreneur Magazine
Keep it fun and simple. When marketing is simple and fun it will be an activity that you run to instead of run away from. If you like writing then write, if you like making videos then get your camera out and make them and if you like to talk with people then use the 15 minutes a day to make calls.
Focus on clients and their problems, pain and challenges. Create messages and activities that show you offer solutions. The cardinal sin here is “hard selling.” Focus on educating people and sharing your message.
Be consistent. If you only have 15 minutes a day do the same activities over and over. As this article stresses you can get a lot done in a short time. This is the same concept as outlined in Darren Hardy’s book Compound Effect, which I recommend. Small steps each day will lead to great achievements. However, you have to be motivated to take those steps.
Build your brand and database. Spend time each day on activities that show your knowledge expertise and attract attention. Connect with those who are listening and keep sharing content with them. Give them a reason to want to continue to listen by providing value, which includes giving tools, strategies, ideas and solutions to remove their pain, overcome challenges and answer the hard questions that they have.
Brian Honigman’s article points out that you must reward yourself. Rewards that motivate you and keep activities fun, fresh and enjoyable are great. To gain rewards there must be a level of disciplined. Spend the 15 minutes a day on marketing without cheating. Look at this big picture, this is only an hour and 15 minutes a week (or an hour and 45 minutes if you include the weekend). Everyone has at least this much time.
Having watched so many people struggle with marketing, I suggest my 735 approach.
Spend seven days a week, 30 minutes a day and focus on these five personal branding and business growth activities:
1) Create and post content that grows your personal brand and attracts attention (use video whenever possible)
2) Interact with others to create opportunities and generate leads (don’t hard sell)
3) Proactively and reactively connect with people to grow your network
4) Think about how you can use your own creativity and different approaches to remove prospects and clients pain, help them overcome challenges and provide value without asking for anything in return
5) Follow up and proactively contact leads, referral sources, friends, contacts, clients and others to stay top of mind and build relationships. Use your phone, text messages, emails, and direct messaging to let people know that you are thinking about them.
My 735 approach is easy to follow and the time commitment is easy to manage. Can you commit to 3 and a half hours a week? This is less than a half a day a week and it can be done in the morning before work, during the workday, evenings or over the weekend
Take these small steps today and you will be thankful you did. In several months you will and amazed at how much you can accomplish with a little time every day over weeks, months and years.
What do you think about the 735 approach?
Let me know what you think.
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