People generally contact me when something doesn’t feel right about their marketing.
They might need help because they aren’t connecting with their ideal clients. Or, they might feel deep down they aren’t being visible enough, talking about their work with love and making offers so that people know how they can work with them. But they just aren’t sure what to do about it.
Maybe they’re feeling overwhelmed.
Perhaps they’ve been jumping from thing to thing in their marketing, feeling like they’re running in circles – one day working on their opt-in, the next day deciding to launch a new course, the following day feeling like they need to up their social media presence. All the while, they’re feeling a slightly unsettled, not knowing how it all fits together and what if anything is going to help their clients find them.
In short, people come to me for help, help when something isn’t working.
And I love to help people connect the dots and take brave steps toward being more authentically present in their marketing.
And yet, as powerful as digging into what’s not working can be, it’s equally important to step back from time to time and ask: What is working in your business?
Inspired Creativity
Building a business is a creative act. Like an artist who decides to pursue her passion and go to art school to develop her craft, you need to keep what is working in your business in mind as well.
As the artist-student studies new theories and techniques and tries out new mediums, it’s natural to get pulled into focusing on where she needs to improve in order to deeply develop her art.
But if she forgets to step back and remind herself what is working in her art, she can get discouraged. She might temporarily lose sight of the love she has for her craft and all that it gives her or what drew her to dedicate herself to improving it in the first place.
Building a Foundation
Taking a look at what’s working well in your business can give you clues about where to focus next. This works especially well in marketing.
Let’s say one of the things that you love and feel is working well in your business are your frequent Facebook video posts with a weekly card reading. If you take note of this, you can ask yourself: What is it, exactly, that makes doing this feel so good?
Maybe you love doing the posts outside, after your morning walk by the beach. Or maybe it’s the spontaneity of it. The fact that you just switch on your video and do a reading and then post it right then and there. Easy peasy.
If you step back, you might discover a clue.
Perhaps a clue you’re comfortable with video, as long as it’s not too scripted. You can then look to see where else in your business you might add in more video, keeping the spontaneity and lightness of the card readings. And give your ideal clients another way to find you. Perhaps a quick Facebook live a couple of times a week – with a planned topic and angle, but nothing too prescribed?
Or maybe you love creating pairing pictures and words and sharing them. (This is true for me. I love sharing messages I receive along with what I find to be beautiful images on Instagram.)
If this is the case, ask what is it about this do you love?
Is it the zing you get when you find a message that you think will resonate with your audience? If so, is there a way you can incorporate more of this into your business building – perhaps as a regular feature in your newsletter, or daily FB post?
Taking a look at what is working and asking yourself why allows you to open up to intentionally bringing more of the things you enjoy to your marketing and showing up for your business.
Gratitude is Everything
Second, taking a minute to ask yourself what is working allows you to see all the goodness your business is already giving you.
“Acknowledging the good that is already in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” Eckhart Tolle
So, what does your business give you that you’re thankful for?
Maybe it’s the freedom in your schedule – the time you need to take care of yourself and your family in a way you’d never had before. Or maybe it’s the connections with your clients when you are on the phone with them or meet face to face. You get to witness their pain as well as their growth or see the transformations they are making from week to week, from month to month.
Or perhaps your business gives you new and fresh ways to be creative, coming up with new content to share with your audience. Maybe your business is the side hustle that gives your life meaning as you work to transition out of your ‘regular’ job into something that fills your soul.
Whatever it is, it’s powerful stuff.
no matter how little of it you feel you may have right now, take a minute to thank your business for all the goodness in it.
I invite you to drink this all in and ask yourself this week: what is working in your business?
Think about how grateful you are for all that this gives you. And brainstorm ways you can bring even more of that in into your business today.
You may just be surprised at how hopeful you start to feel about your business and its future.