Ep. 130: An Important Marketing Mindset Shift
Part of why marketing feels so hard is there's a lot of uncertainty around it and also so many options. With digital advertising as opposed to print or TV advertising, it means that ideas move incredibly fast now. New trends pop up all the time and because of the nature of social media it's really easy for them to spread.
It's also really easy for people to teach them, including in a monetized way. This isn't a bad thing by itself, especially because it's a lot of really wonderful people doing the teaching. But it can be hard when you don't know if it's worth paying attention to; at least not right now.
This sense of overwhelm and frustration from entrepreneurs who are just trying to grow their businesses while also having time for themselves is often what leads people to say that they hate marketing. And while it's totally valid to never love it, there's a simple mindset shift we can use around it to make it work better for us.
Links:
-
As an online entrepreneur, it can feel hard as hell to get any sort of consistency when it comes to booking in new clients and added to this frustration. Often the fact that you already feel like you are living online 24/7 and doing all the things you've been told that you should do.
And still you are struggling with any sort of predictability with your profits. And as an ethical entrepreneur, I know that you do not want to resort to any of those sleazy. Gross invasive. Hey girl, DMS. You know the ones I'm talking about the, Hey girl, let me tell you about my opportunity or Hey girl, let me tell you how I can help you fill your sales pipeline.
It'll only cost you X, Y, Z dollars. It's icky. It's gross. And the good news is it's completely unnecessary. I have a free training. It's shorter than your favorite Netflix show. And in under 20 minutes, you are going to learn the exact process I use for myself and with my clients to get more rad clients on repeat, without having to resort to any unethical tactics, high pressure strategies, or Hey girl, DMS.
Simply go to bit dot L Y forward slash goodbye. Hey girl, that's bit dot L Y forward slash goodbye. Hey girl, all lower case, all one word,and you will get instant access to this free training that is going to teach you how you can show up as your super amazing, authentic self. And for. Real feel-good connections with people on the internet in order to grow your business with ease and without sleaze.
Okay. Go to bit dot L Y forward slash goodbye. Hey girl, get it now. So you don't forget. And then enjoy the episode. Welcome to the, sell it sister podcast. If you have ever said, oh, I hate marketing or I wish I didn't have to mark it or anything like that. Then I think that you are going to really enjoy this episode.
At least I hope you do. I, I recorded this just for you. So I know that this is really a common response that I get from people in regard to marketing. Generally, always this thing of like, it's like, blah, um, I'm like, I hate it. I, you know, it feels terrible, all of these things, right? So if this is you, like, you're definitely not alone.
This is super, super, super common. I would say. It's rare that I need somebody who's like, I love marketing. It's the best thing that I do in my business. Um, but part of why it feels so hard is that there's a lot of uncertainty around it. And also a lot of options, especially, you know, with digital advertising, as opposed to print or TV advertising, it means that ideas just move incredibly fast.
Now, a new transplant. All the time because of the nature of social media and it's, then it becomes really easy for them to spread really quickly. And it's also really easy for people to teach these different trends, including in a monetized way, like having like a mini course or like a mini training or things.
And that's not a bad thing by itself, especially because it's thorough a lot of really, really wonderful people out there who are teaching on these things, but it can be hard when you don't know if it's even worth paying attention to like ever, or at least not right now. And this sense of overwhelm and frustration from entrepreneurs who are just trying to grow their business while also having time for themselves.
It's probably you, uh, is often what leads people to say that they hate marketing and while it's totally valid to never love it. I do believe there's a simple mindset shift that we can use around it to make it work better for us. So I know that, um, especially when we think of marketing, we often. Just default to thinking about social media and having to be on social media and having to post on social media and pay attention and you know, all of those things, but marketing really is so much more than just social media.
And in fact, there are people out there who do their marketing, who don't use social media at all. Um, or they don't use it for their business. They might use it personally, but they don't use it for business. And I also get that. It can be really hard when you're like, okay, well, you know, there's like some genuinely not great things, um, about social media and how it's owned and how it's operated and monetized and all of that.
I completely get that. Totally understand it. Um, and how it can also just feel very, like, it can bring up a lot of anxiety, right? Like you're scrolling and you're. Oh, my gosh. It's, you know, now I'm seeing all these things that people are doing and now I feel like I should be doing that. And now I'm comparing, or now I feel behind and it's just, it's it's not good.
Right? It creates for like a lot of, um, a lot of bad head space. Uh, but I want to really hopefully help to reframe it in a way where you at least. Don't feel, um, you know, as like avoidant to it, right? Because at the end of the day, we, we all have to, we all have to market our business. So some of the things I've been seeing lately, I just want to, uh, give some really concrete examples upfront so that you know what I'm talking about or what I'm referring to.
And, uh, these are just some that are, I've seen as of late. So. As at the time of recording this, uh, the like red flag slash now green flag emoji trend has just happened. I mean, I highly doubt it's still going to be happening the time that this comes out in about a month, maybe just a little less than a month.
Um, a couple of weeks from now. Um, maybe, maybe it's still will be, maybe it won't be. This is not, it's definitely not going to be like a lasting marketing trend. This is a very flash in the pan. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, it was, um, like on Twitter and I'm on Instagram, um, where people were making text graphics that had the like emoji, uh, of the red flag.
And then it was like coats or phrases or, you know, Indicators of things usually like from clients or potential clients, um, or just like other, other people, like other people in people's industries and stuff like things that they would say that are red flags. And then on the, the, like reverse of that was because that was trending.
Then people started doing it with green flags around things that are. Like wonderful to hear. Right. So, uh, this is just one example of when I say like, can make you feel like I should be doing that or I'm behind, or, oh my God. It's like another thing, obviously that's not something that you have to learn.
Like nobody's going to teach someone how to do that. Like in a way that they might teach someone how to do reels. Right. It's just sort of like a quick thing. But when you're, when you're scrolling, it can be this thing where you see a lot of people doing it and then suddenly you're like, oh shit, am I supposed to be doing that?
Like, do I need to make one too? It wasn't in my content plan, but do I need to be like, stay up with the trends? Do I need to stay relevant? Like, what should I do? Do I even need to do that? You know, on and on and on, right. We have these conversations with ourselves. And if you, if you've chosen to do that, Red flag or green flag or both or whatever.
Um, you know, that's fine. Like this is, this is neither here nor there. Um, whether it's, [00:10:00] uh, you should do it or not. It's just one of those things of when we feel less than, you know, confident or assured in our marketing. And even sometimes when we do right, like even I feel pretty confident in my marketing, but I feel like as humans, like, it's just our nature.
To worry about like, you know, FOMO and scarcity and, and relevance and, and all of those things. Right? So then that creates this sort of mental chatter of like, should I be doing this? If I should, what should I say? Why there always has to be new things? Oh my God, I can't keep up. Like, I already feel so behind and now people are creating new trends and I have to try to figure out if I'm going to squeeze that in.
It just, it creates this like really cruddy, uh, mental, like snowball effect. I feel like, um, another one I've seen lately is doing things specifically for your close friends list on IgG. [00:11:00] So now I know a lot of people like I'm, I actually don't have a close friends list on mine. Um, maybe that will change in the future.
I just, I don't right now. Um, I'm on a lot of other people's close friends lists and usually. R or like historically it's like stuff that you wouldn't necessarily want just any old like person or potential client to see. Um, but you're cool with having your friends, see it, like your, your actual, like Instagram friends.
See it. So then you have the close friends list. You need to put it on there, but that has evolved. Marketing does. I mean, marketing over the history of marketing has always evolved and will keep evolving. It's just because of how we operate in this digital space. It just happens a lot more quickly. Now these evolutions happen faster.
So one of the new ones is to do, um, very specific, like, uh, like a training or a launch [00:12:00] or different things like that that are just for the close friends. List again, this is neither right or wrong. There's no judgment here. It's just that this is something that this is something that makes more sense in the context of somebody could be teaching this and could even monetize a teaching on how to do this.
Right. That is something that is probably would probably stick around. Um, A bit longer and could be utilized for a much longer time. But again, if you are like, well, how do I like that? That feels like it's, it's like too much work. Like how do I, um, decide what goes, where and when, and, um, you know, how do I.
Figure out if people like want to be on the close friends list, you know, all of that, if that all [00:13:00] feels a bit overwhelming, but you know that other people are doing it again, it could bring up those feelings of like, ah, see I'm, I'm fucking up. Like I'm not doing it right. Or whatever. Right. Even though it's totally fine also to not have a close friends list and just share what you want to share.
Right. Um, same thing and go for, I mean, got anything. The frequency with which you email or if, you know, if you do or don't have a Facebook group, or if you do or don't do webinars or, I mean, gosh, like any number of things. Right. Who knows by the time, within the few weeks between me recording this and it coming out there could already be a new, um, a new marketing trend, right.
Uh, And I know that we also have, there's also a lot of like confusion and stress and overwhelm, as it relates to like platforms, like where should I be like, oh my God, you know, [00:14:00] clubhouse came about, oh my God, we got up, we all got to young clubhouse and what are we going to do over there? And how do we monetize it?
You know, all of, all of those things. Um, and I recently. Like at first, cause I, I love to talk like big shocker, right? I was like, oh, this, you know, and this might be, um, interesting. And I did a few things and it was fine. I didn't, I didn't hate my time on clubhouse. Um, but what I realized is it's not how I like to consume, uh, like knowledge and information.
Right. So I would go on. Do collaborative talks with other people, but I would never go on just to like listen, um, because I I'm okay with learning through audio, but I'd rather it be like a contained podcast where I could, you know, um, rewind if I need to or whatever. Um, pause it, you know, come back later, things like that.
And then, you know, then it was tick-tock oh, do [00:15:00] I need to be on Tik TOK, dah, you know, It's like, you could be on tick-tock, but you also don't have to be right. And you might be on a platform that you're like, I really, I hate it here. I don't want to be here, but it feels too scary to leave. Right. So that last year I decided to like, my LinkedIn still exists, but I never log in over there.
Um, God knows what's happening over on, on LinkedIn. I just don't like it. I wasn't enjoying every time I'd go over there. I'd be like, I should. I should be here. It's easy enough. Like I can just duplicate whatever, um, that I'm doing on Instagram and do it over there and spend, you know, a few minutes a day over there.
And I was like, I just, every time I come over here, I don't like it. Right. So I let it go. And it's, my business is fine. Right? So the, the opposite of all of these. You know, actually knowing what moves the needle [00:16:00] forward in your business, because when you know what moves the needle forward for you in particular and also what your strengths are and, um, how you like to show up and where you like to show up and the type of content you like to create, when you do all of that, then it makes it a lot easier to be a.
You know, to, to kind of make those decisions for yourself about where do, why show up? Where, what can I drop, um, which, you know, trends do I. More seriously, look into and consider which ones do I put on a parking lot list and which can I just like a hundred percent ignore entirely. Um, and that is really powerful.
Like, uh, a friend and I were chatting on Voxer the other day about, um, I made some decisions recently about holding, uh, or like doing, uh, a workshop [00:17:00] and doing it in January versus doing it. November. So it's, it's actually a marketing, uh, workshop. So if you're, if you're hearing, you're not on my email list, you're not following me.
Um, definitely be sure to do either or, you know, or both of those of those things. Um, because that way you'll learn about it. Um, You know, come probably early January, I would say like at the top of this episode, um, there's a link to, uh, to download. So that is one way you can get on or just, you know, DME on Instagram or head to my, um, my website@ericdevins.com.
And you can, uh, get on there because that's how you'll hear about it. And it's all about, it's all about creating like your custom marketing plan. But, uh, I, I really was like planning and looking and realizing that. It's not super supportive for me and my team to do it in November. Um, it's better to do it in January.
And I was telling a friend and she was like, you know what? That's like, that's [00:18:00] growth right there. Being able to confidently push something out or say no to something. And I was like, yeah, you're right. Like, because I actually know that my business will not succeed or fail based on pushing out one, uh, workshop.
Uh, two months, right. To give myself and my team, like time and space just to rest, uh, like after we've gone through this big launch cycle and everything, um, because I know what actually moves the needle forward in my business. And I'm also over time, I've gotten very clear in like how I really like to show up and what feels more easeful and more aligned.
And that's what I do with my clients. So, those are just some of the very like specific examples as of late that I've seen that can make people really feel like super stressed out and overwhelmed about marketing. And the, the mindset part is that it's [00:19:00] really, I feel like marketing. For people who want long-term, uh, success and longevity in their business.
And they want it to feel really good. And like it honors who they are at their core. So those two things are focusing on real, authentic connections. And also something that actually said this on a free training recently, um, that marketing is it's like the tax you pay for getting to do work. You love with the best people on your own stuff.
So I was kind of joking. I was talking about like, when you're frustrated in business and you're like, you know, I don't even know what to do next, how to grow my business. We were talking about like the murky middle, which I've talked about on the podcast before and in my rebellious success program.
That's what we focus on getting out of that. And I was saying that like, [00:20:00] you know, sometimes when you're that frustrated, like you just want to. You know, close your business throughout your laptop and like, just go move to the forest and like become, become like a, like a, a forest, which right. And just like live out there and, um, not have to worry about any of this.
Uh, and I've said, I've said it like many times at different trainings and everything's like that. I love to geek out about marketing. I love teaching marketing. I love strategizing marketing. I love all of that. And, and yet, you know, if, if I just had, like, if I never had to do any marketing ever again in my business, and like, people were just like coming in droves that were absolutely perfect fit clients.
They were ready to work with me and all of that. Like my God, that would be a dream. But when I think about it, it's like, okay, well, like Oprah exists, right. Her company exists. And like everyone knows [00:21:00] Oprah, right? She sells a marketing department. Coca-Cola still is a marketing department. Like everyone knows about Coke.
Um, all of these very, very, very well-known companies and businesses like they, they still have marketing. Um, Because marketing is just as something that always needs to happen in the world of business. Um, it is just, I, I view it just as the tax you pay. It's kind of like how, um, like at least in the U S like the more money that I make, the more tax I have to pay to the government.
Is it fun sending in those large, quarterly tax payments? No, not particularly, uh, it definitely feels like a growth Smith growth milestone for sure. But it's not, it's not fun. Um, but I'm like, you know, what if this is what I have to do, um, you [00:22:00] know, as a successful entrepreneur then, so be it right. It's just, it's one of those, those things that just sort of comes with the territory now, are there ways that I can.
It more fun. Right. Are there ways I can make marketing more fun? Yes. Just like with tax now, all I think about every time I have to pay those is like, I, I try to shift my mindset around it into wow. Like I have so much gratitude that I can pay this and that I had, you know, um, in making the kind of money that I am and that I have also, um, You know, put it aside in a separate bank account.
So it was there and it didn't add stress to my plate. And, um, and as somebody, like who's had to use government services in the past, like it's like, okay, I, you know, I wish that our taxes, you know, weren't so much allocated to like the war machine of the us, but, um, you know, if I can [00:23:00] think about instead, like, This goes to, you know, social programs and education and things like that.
It just, it helps to re shift my mindset so that I don't feel bitter every time I have to pay those taxes. So if we can just think about it as like, you know, it's a tax you get to pay and then how, you know, kind of how we can shift the mindset even deeper so that it actually can feel. Good. And not just something like, oh, I just throw my hands up in the air and say like, well, fuck I got to do marketing is thinking about just making real authentic, no strings attached connections.
Uh, the more that you can focus on that in wherever, showing up, however you're showing up, you know, whatever content you're putting out, whatever platform you're on. Is at the end of the day, the bottom line is all that marketing is at its core [00:24:00] is letting the right people know that you exist and communicating how you can help them or serve them, or, you know, bring joy to their life, like depending on whatever is that, that you sell.
Um, and it's really about. Person to person interaction. And it's really about, you know, human behavior and human psychology and all of that. I know me, I don't mean to imply like manipulative psychology. I just mean like it's, it's really humans relating to humans in how we make, um, decisions and our, you know, our desires and our wants and our needs and, and, and all of these things.
And while connections continue. Time, like, obviously, right? Like if we're forming connections with people like that takes time, it takes energy, it takes, um, mental bandwidth. Like it, it takes all of that, but, you know, [00:25:00] unless unless you have money and a desire to do paid ads, like if you're, if you're doing that so different, it's a can have a little different conversation there, but if you're doing organic marketing, it really is.
Connecting with humans. And also even though that can take time and everything. Once it starts going. And once people realize that like you're legit, you're the real deal. Like you're a real, authentic human, like how you show up on mine as the same as how you would show up on like, let's say virtual coffee chat or something, or in coworking or any of those things, like really, really, really cool things happen that actually start to.
Move the needle forward because people will want to collaborate with you. People will refer you to other people for collaborations. Um, people will invite you to be a guest on their podcast or in their Facebook group or their, you know, paid [00:26:00] membership community or a group coaching program. All of these things will start to happen.
And also when you're on social media, You can actually be like, instead of just like consuming, you know, random people's content and just like watching their stories and like scrolling and things like that. You can actually start to build relationships. And have like really good DM conversations and things like that.
And I know that that is what has happened for me. Like I actually have people who I unfortunately not yet has met them in real life, hopefully someday, but like we talk on the regular in the DMS and I consider them like really good friends or really, um, you know, important, uh, Business connections and, um, confidence, uh, in, in my life.
And that feels really like rich and rewarding. Um, and [00:27:00] I feel like that is another way that, you know, we can, it doesn't make social media perfect, but it can start to shift things a bit for us and make it feel better. And I'm going to end on like one panel anecdote kind of tie all of this to. So a client of mine, um, Katie from, uh, my rebellious success program, um, I did a joint interview with her.
Uh, it's Katie Brusha with her and Jamie Moore, which was awesome. And one of the final things that we worked on together, um, was, you know, figuring out. Sort of collaboration's that she could do. Right. So we were working on her sustainable aligned marketing plan, and she was thinking about doing these different collaborations with different people.
So she does, um, she's a meditation mentor and coach, um, and, uh, she's super awesome. [00:28:00] She. Does amazing work around like breath work and all sorts of stuff like that. And she wanted to collaborate with some people who she had formed these real, authentic connections with online, um, people who would potentially like their audiences would overlap in ways, even though they do different things.
And so she was telling me recently because she started, she was going to do this whole. Um, over a few months of these different, um, just on IgE lives, these, uh, these different collaborative. Um, free, uh, or free to deliver, not free to produce, but free to deliver like workshops. Um, and it would be a list builder, right?
So people who are interested in learning more than they could get on her, on her list. And she had said like, oh, I'm just, I'm loving doing this. She'd already, she'd started to do them and stills few more. And she was like, oh my gosh, like, [00:29:00] I'm really loving this. It's um, It's growing my lists, like really, really well.
It's actually working to do the thing that I wanted it to do, uh, which, you know, move people off of social media, onto her list. And also it felt really good and really aligned and really fun. And yes, it's still marketing. Yes. She still says you it, yes. There's still backend stuff that has to be set up.
But to be able to do something as part of a way to grow your business, that feels really aligned and generous and fun and is actually working. Um, and when I say it's working, like, I think that there's a lot of hype, a lot about like thousands and thousands of email subscribers. And like, you just, you don't need it.
Right. Like, I think she was saying, you know, she'd already gotten, um, it was like close to 40, I think it was just under 40, which might feel like. That's like hardly anything, right. Some somebody might say [00:30:00] like, oh, that's hardly anything. Um, but like, what if you had 40 people who really were like, oh, I super did this person.
I trust them. They seem awesome. I want to learn from them. Like, that's, that's really powerful. And. So, you know, I don't want to speak for Katie, but like, you know, I would imagine also kind of like me, if she could just hang out and do her thing and coach people and just some new clients all the time, like that would be preferred, but that's just not the reality of running the business, especially not like an online business.
And so I say all of that and I use that story to illustrate
that, like, there is a combination for you that can work and will be fun and will not feel. As, uh, you know, not feel as terrible will not feel as draining, um, and will actually work. It will actually start to move the needle forward for you. But in the meantime, like as you're tinkering with that, and if you need help tinkering with that, [00:31:00] that's what I do with my clients.
So feel free to reach out. Um, but you know, just really think like, how can I, how do I like to show up? Where do I like to show up? How can I make more real, authentic connections? When and where I'm showing up things like that. And I would love to hear from you if you aren't Instagram, since that's where I hang out, take a screenshot, post news stories, tag me, Eric consulting.
Feel free to forward this episode to a friend as well. I love that. Sure. There's somebody else out there who, you know, who could benefit from listening to this. Um, but hopefully this helps give a little bit of a different shift in perspective around, um, around marketing and what it means to. Do marketing and how we can make it more supportive.
To ourselves in a myriad of ways. So there you go. Thank you for being here. I really appreciate your time and as always happy selling,
