Working On Your Business

I know I’ve written about working on your business as well as in your business, but the message needs to be repeated regularly. It is too easy to fall into the client work mode and forget that we need to keep our businesses and ourselves visible so that we continually attract new clients. We only realize the issue when our pipeline dries up and we’re wondering where the next client is coming from. And with people being more selective in how they spend money, you want to be sure that everything you do provides another reason why someone should do business with you.

Just like I just wrote about a system to keep up with your social media activities, you need a marketing system for your business as well. Here’s a start to the system I use to market my business on a regular basis.

• Book appointments with yourself – Timeblocking is not just marking the time in your calendar. Actually book a meeting as you would a client, setting the time, agenda, and place. Make the meeting an hour or less and assign a topic to work on. Make these appointments at the same time so they become a habit.
• Spend a few minutes on marketing every morning over coffee – While the coffee is brewing and you are enjoying the first cup, take 30 minutes and work on one piece of the marketing plan. Draft a blog post. Check your LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter feeds and accept invitations or write a recommendation.  Update your marketing goals. Work on a marketing message that appeals to your prospect’s pain. Evaluate a current marketing program and determine whether you want to continue.
• Spend an hour surfing the Web – Use the web to check out what people are saying about you. Set up Google Alerts for your name, business name and competitors. This helps you easily keep up with how you are being perceived and how your competition is marketing and positioning themselves. Use this information to compare your marketing and messages to theirs and see if you have differentiated yourself from them.
• Engage an accountability partner – working solo can make it too easy to forget to market. Have someone hold you accountable for marketing your business. Knowing you have a conversation every week with someone who will ask what you accomplished helps keep you focused.
• Write down your goals and keep them visible – don’t work on marketing blindly. Have your goals written down with dates so they keep reminding you of what you said you would accomplish this year. Writing things down does make them real.

Try to make marketing a habit and treat tasks and projects for your business just like you would treat your list of client work. It’s hard – I know. I need to keep this system visible to me as well. By making marketing a priority item on your to do list, the more likely you will get them done.