It’s time to get your planners out and make some big things happen for yourself in 2019. But wait a minute. Are you still doing the same thing you did last year? It’s time to bust some marketing myths to make 2019 even more intentional and awesome for you!
Myth 1 | Quantity Over Quality
I don’t know if anyone believes this anymore since I feel like a lot of people have debunked the myth that more is more. It is so not the case. And it’s certainly not the case when, in the online marketing world, there’s so much noise and pressure to stand out.
Yes, you do have to have everything spot on. And yes, consistency is important. However, I firmly believe and other experts agree, that quality is tops. A lackluster caption on a stock photo that has been used by 100 other creative entrepreneurs is not going to cut it. It’s better to post when you have a message than write something just because you “need to post 3 times a day.”
Do this instead:
Have a kickass photo and something to say! Provide quality and value to your followers. This goes for email, blogs, social…be of service before selling.
Having a plan and batching your work helps with consistency. Instead of feeling the pressure to post something and coming up with a half-ass attempt on the fly, you’re able to create high-value copy and take your own photos that convey the right message ahead of time.
Being strategic and soulful – hello!
Myth 2 | You Can Keep Doing What You’ve Always Done Before
You don’t have to change a thing, you’re doing great! I mean, yes you are perfect and wonderful and everyone loves you and you’re great. But also…when was the last time you looked at your analytics?
The worst thing, in my opinion, is to hear, “But that’s how we’ve always done it before.” Annnnnd how’s that working out for you? You know the definition of insanity is to do the same thing and expect different results, right?
Do this instead:
Look at your numbers. Figure out what’s driving traffic to your site and spend more time cultivating relationships there. If you know that your audience doesn’t really see you on Facebook, and all your traffic comes from Twitter anyway…stop doing what you’ve always done (AKA spending time on Facebook) and go where the traffic is.
In other words: re-assess frequently, pivot as needed.
Myth 3 | You Exist in a Vacuum
Along the lines of doing what you’ve always done before is believing that you’re the only one out there and people should buy what you’re selling just because you’re on Facebook. False. You don’t exist in a vacuum. While yes, it’s good to keep your head down and focus on you, it’s also good to have a bit of an idea of what others are doing.
Do this instead:
Think of a few people you want to be sure to make key contacts with each month. The Content Planner calls this a “Hit List.” It can be other businesses you want to collaborate with, people you want to network with, folks you want to cultivate a relationship with, businesses you want to follow and get ideas from, and so on.
And remember: your story is what makes your business what it is. Share that. Share education on what you’re doing in your industry to inform others and position yourself as the expert. There are lots of ways to get your face known and generate relationships. It’s worth it to spend some time nurturing that.
Myth 4 | You Have to “Teach” How to Make Money
This is something I’ve been turning over in my head for a while and Christina at The Contract Shop made an Instagram Story about this that just hit me in all the right places.
You don’t have to teach people how to do what you do. Similarly, you don’t have to go B2B and sell to the competitors in your niche. You can just do what you do.
So, like, remember a few years ago in the blogging world where a few big people found success and started writing posts about how others can find the same success using their methods? It felt like everyone was blogging about blogging. Newsflash, you got popular because your blog was a real-time story of your life, not a how-to guide to be your clone!
Do this instead:
What works for you! Seriously. Don’t feel like you have to teach others to do what you do. Like I said in my post earlier this week about what 2018 taught me in business, show up and do your work. Keep your head down and focus on you.
Say you design themes for WordPress and your target is fashion bloggers, don’t sell to other designers. Focus on your target of fashion bloggers!
Myth 5 | The Experts Know Best
Well, yes, the experts do know best But I’m seeing a lot of these “get rich quick” posts and/or hacks and it’s making me feel so squeamish. There are people out there that give a lot of shoulds and a lot of “follow these steps and you’ll get a magic bullet of success propelling you to the top of the charts.” And ain’t no one can promise those kinds of results!
Do this instead:
Leave the shoulds at the door and know that anything worth doing takes time. And also know that every business is unique, so there’s no “one size fits all” “do this and you’ll be rich” potion. That’s just snake oil and we know how those claims turned out!
Find a coach that you vibe with. Someone you trust and click with. Ask for their advice. See what they’d do in a situation because chances are good, they’ve been here before. They got through it and can give you some ideas of how you can take their solution and make it unique to you.
