Last year I became the marketing queen in my small business.
I had just re-branded and tremendously increased my prices, so I knew that I needed to make HUGE changes in how I got business in order to meet my goals and gain new clients.
I had my whole marketing plan in motion for the entire year, and it showed.
Although I lost many of my previous clients, I gained many more new clients to fill the gaps because of my marketing efforts.
Related: 4 basic rules to follow before you raise your prices
I did this through several unique ways.
All-in-all, I had at least 4 marketing streams working simultaneously to get fresh eyes and attention on my business, which led to active bookings throughout the year.
This consisted of model calls, charity donations, trade work, community projects, client referral programs, holiday specials, giveaways, and more.
After a few life changes and business goals I have been re-working, I decided it was best for myself and my family to slow down and not take on so much work this year.
Related: How busy is too busy? 5 signs you’re doing too much
After making this tough decision, I basically halted all of the marketing efforts.
Aside from my social media presence, my main marketing streams dried up & went into hibernation, and the results have been pretty incredible, though not surprising.
So what was the result of my decreased marketing efforts?
Once my marketing streams dried up, my business started to dry up with it.
Because I wasn’t actively promoting my business and serving/connecting with others in my community, my business stopped getting the attention it was gaining so rapidly the previous year.
So, why tell you this?
Well, for one, if you’re trying to gain new business and increase your sales and revenue, then you MUST be actively marketing your business.
Secondly, I am a firm believer in learning from other people’s mistakes.
Although this was an intentional move on my end, it’s still a lesson learned for when I wish to rev my business back up.
Simply put; you can’t NOT market your business!
So, how do you avoid this dry-up if you’re wanting to build your business?
That’s pretty obvious, right?
You need to be actively promoting and marketing your business, EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Related: How to promote & market your business online
It doesn’t matter if you’re a brick & mortar shop, an online e-commerce store, a local creative, or freelance for hire, you must be marketing your business if you want it to grow!
If you’re a fellow Mompreneur, then I want to personally invite you to join our exclusive Facebook group where we share business ideas to help you connect and grow!
Come join us today to share, connect, and collaborate.
This definitely hit the mark in regards to me. I didn’t market myself at all. except for sharing images on FB.
I’ve been guilty of this too – lessons have to be learned sometimes, right?!
I completely agree! When we moved to a different state last year the adjustment was such a hard one that I took quite the hiatus with my business. It all but tanked during THat time and I am still working to get it back to what it was!
I cannot imagine re-locating my local business, that’s SO TOUGH! Glad to hear you are working on it though, it will be so worth it in the end 🙂
I realize I need to market. I’m trying to be more active on my social media sites. I do see when I’m consistent on there i get more inquiries. I’d love tips on how to plan out social media and blog posts for like a month or so.
Consistency is KEY for sure! Feel free to check out these recent posts to help with your social media and content curation: https://callhercrazy.com/2018/08/13/schedule-a-weeks-worth-of-social-media-posts-in-1-hour/ & https://callhercrazy.com/2018/08/01/3-ways-to-plan-6-months-of-content-for-your-business/ You got this! 🙂
Thanks for this!! Great REMINDER 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks!