Marketing is such a big topic, so what should you focus on first?

• Do you build that super cool website first?
• Do you connect with a designer and get a logo created?
• Do you start talking on social media?
• Do you join a networking group?

In this episode I want to talk about where to start when you’re first starting out and marketing your business on a budget. 

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Website: www.newschoolofmarketing.com
Facebook: @newschoolofmarketing
Facebook group: @newschoolofmarketing
Instagram: @bianca_mckenzie

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Transcript

Marketing is such a big topic, so what should you focus on first?

• Do you build that super cool website first?
• Do you connect with a designer and get a logo created?
• Do you start talking on social media?
• Do you join a networking group?

In this episode I want to talk about where to start when you’re first starting out and marketing your business on a budget.

Let’s rip off the band-aid and tell you the biggest piece of advice first.

DON’T DO ALLLLL THE THINGS.

There I said it.

If you try to do everything at the same time you’ll soon get overwhelmed, burnt out and your message gets diluted so it’s not effective anywhere.

Also, when you’re just starting out you don’t need a logo, you don’t need a business card and you don’t even need a website.

It’s what I’d call ‘busy work’ and doesn’t help you get to the business work and income in your bank account.

Sure there’s a place for all of it, but it’s not necessary when you’re first starting out.

So let’s talk about what you SHOULD be doing instead.

Here’s what you should be doing first:

Identify your audience
Who is it that you help best?
Go really deep with finding out who your ideal client is, because it will help you find the right people more easily.
It will also help you craft a message that really resonates with your ideal audience so that they will be drawn to you because you’re speaking directly to them and their problems.

Find out where they spend their time
Once you know who your ideal client is, you need to find out where they spend time. Do they spend the majority of their day in their inbox, or on Instagram? Do they prefer consuming content via podcasts or blogs?
Find out where they hang out so to speak so that you can connect with them.

Reach out to them via ONE channel only
Now that you’ve found out where they spend time, pick ONE of those places only and start connecting with your audience.
Why do I suggest picking one channel only? Because trying to be everywhere will be overwhelming and it will dilute your message and your focus. Do one thing very well first, after that you can try another channel.
So, if your audience spends time on Instagram, start by using that as your main platform.

I always recommend building an email marketing list as well, so in essence you’re focusing on two channels, but your social presence will support your list building. If you want to know more about list building, what it is and why it’s important, listen back to episode 3 where I dive deeper into this topic.

Focus on personal connection rather than one to many conversations
Once you’ve picked your ONE channel, start focusing on making connections rather than trying to speak and appeal to everyone. Identify a few of your ideal clients and start commenting on their posts.

Don’t be spammy and offer what you do straight away, be conversational and helpful. It’s about building relationships. If these relationships result in sales early on, then that’s a bonus.

You definitely want to let people know what you do and how you can help them, but it shouldn’t be the first thing you connect with unless your audience is asking for it.

Focus on income generation first
Always keep in mind why you’re running your business and don’t forget that one of these reasons is to make an income.

A business that doesn’t make any money isn’t a business.

While I suggest that you don’t come off as spammy and desperate, I DO want you to make offers. Tell people what you do, tell them how you help your audience. Someone will be listening and you never know where that message ends up.

My business wouldn’t be where it is right now if I hadn’t spoken about what I do to so many people who aren’t even my ideal customers but they listened and talked to others about my business. The power of word of mouth and referrals is strong.

Marketing doesn’t need to cost much, it’s important to start with the RIGHT things and when you’re just starting out all you essentially need is:

An audience + an offer

Then start doing the work and think about all the other parts later. Until you’re making an income you’re not in business.
Don’t focus on the busy work (like a fancy website, a designer logo or a fancy card stock business card) first, focus on creating a business first.

I hope you found this helpful on your business building journey and I look forward to teaching you more about marketing and building a business.