Have you ever been overwhelmed when it comes to marketing your business?

You feel as if you are spending most of your time working on your marketing, messaging, and social media. You feel all over the place and spread too thin.

It can be a never-ending cycle!

It might seem as though you are either spending way too much time marketing or way too much time doing the one-on-one hustle.

Maybe you aren’t even showing up 100% for your clients. That alone can leave you stressed and burned out. You may even be at the point where you are starting to resent your business.

It’s easy to get bogged down with your to-do list, distracted, and overwhelmed. You have big dreams, and yet there is always this feeling like you are not doing enough to get there.

You’re not alone!

SIMPLIFY IN ORDER TO GET RESULTS

Most entrepreneurs, at some point, feel as if they are spending more time marketing their business than actually serving clients. Or vice versa. This is especially typical for coaches.

Whether you are a solo-preneur or you have a small team, you are likely wearing multiple hats in your business. And on top of that, there is your personal life and those relationships you need to stay on top of as well.

Here’s one thing I’ve learned in my business… sometimes you have to simplify to get results.

Yep, that’s right. I know that seems counterintuitive — doing less (not more). Believe me, (as a recovering workaholic) this is hard. I want to do all the things.

STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF AS A COACH

I thought I had to do exactly what the gurus and experts were doing to be successful. I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but that’s simply not true.

There is more than one way to succeed. And each of us defines success differently.

Challenge yourself to try new things; however, stay true to who you are in the process.

If it doesn’t feel right in your heart, then don’t do it! That alone should take some weight off your shoulders.

How can you streamline your marketing efforts? Specifically, how you can make it easier to create content that your target audience wants?

As I mentioned, the answer is in simplifying the process. So, take a step back, get realistic about where you are at, how much time you have, and if you have a team or tools to help.

Then, you’ll want to create a system for your content!

Shedding light on some of these common content marketing mistakes may help you tweak your current process so you can start to see more results without piling on more stress.

ARE YOU GUILTY OF THESE 5 CONTENT MARKETING MISTAKES

1. MAKING ASSUMPTIONS

It’s easy to fall into this trap!

You assume you know exactly what your community wants. And you think you know what everyone is thinking or feeling because you were likely in a similar situation before.

The truth is that you don’t really know. Each person and each experience is unique.

Many coaches create content hoping that it’s something that their followers will love. But you are basically throwing spaghetti (squash) on a wall hoping it sticks.

Instead, you need to switch gears and get off the assumption-train.

Conduct regular surveys to get feedback on what your target audience wants to see from you.

Tip: Add a survey to your welcome email series so that whenever someone opts-in to your email list, they can give you valuable information on how to serve them right away.

2. YOU’RE NOT REPURPOSING YOUR CONTENT

Content creation takes work. It takes research, preparation, and time.

If you want to maximize your time, you need to recycle or repurpose your content so you can be as efficient as possible in your business.

Plus, repurposing content helps lower stress and takes the pressure off of your shoulders. You don’t need to come up with something new every day.

LET’S BREAK IT DOWN

For example, let’s say you publish videos on YouTube or Facebook Live.

You can get a transcript of each video (or even use your notes) as a basis to create blog posts for your website.

Because you have the transcript of that video, you can look through it for “sound bites” from the tips you shared in your video and use those as social media posts across Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc.

Depending on the length of your video, you could have social media posts for up to an entire week simply by repurposing your video.

This is a high-level example of what you could do to maximize your time when it comes to content creation.

If you picked two to four topics per month, imagine how much content you could create!

I recommend developing a plan or content calendar, that will help you stay organized.

You’ll need to create a system that works for you. There are tools to help you schedule your content. You might even want to hire an intern or virtual assistant to help you.

3. QUANTITY OVER QUALITY

There is a lot of low-quality content out there created in a mad-rush to gain likes, followers, and shares.

A current study conducted by Buzzsumo and Buffer indicated that posting 5 times per day is the optimal frequency for Facebook. (Yikes!)

I believe it’s more important to put out quality content. Content that connects!

Have you ever scrambled to do a last-minute social media post at the end of a long day? It happens to all of us.

You hurry and post something quickly because it’s something you feel as if you are “supposed to do” to grow your business.

It’s an afterthought. And you then wonder why there are no comments and only two likes.

THE SCOOP ON SOCIAL MEDIA NUMBERS

Here’s the reality regarding the numbers. The numbers are important; however, creating quality content that connects with someone on a heart and soul level is much more important!

That’s the type of content that can change someone’s life – that’s what’s really important.

After all, isn’t that why you got into this business? To help others change their lives – not to simply gain social media followers.

CONNECT ON A DEEPER LEVEL

Growing an empire (if that’s your goal), takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight. And to create an empire that lasts – you need to connect with people on a deeper level.

So skip the superficial posts and aim for quality!

It’s better to create three authentic, genuine, and thoughtful posts weekly than to post five times every day about superficial stuff that people have heard time and time again.

4. NOT GIVING NEXT STEPS

Many times, coaches post content without showing the reader the way forward.

Ask yourself, what do you want them to do next?

Whether in a blog post, Facebook live, social media post, video, or any other type of content, it’s important to include a call-to-action.

This goes beyond the typical “comment below” or “hit the like and share button”. People will do that automatically if your content resonates.

CALL-TO-ACTION EXAMPLES 

• Invite them to a call with you. Include a direct link to your calendar to book a call!
• Tell them about a free gift you created for them. Include a link to your freebie, opt-in, or download.
• Ask them to participate in a workshop — provide the details and a link to sign-up.
• Register for an upcoming event.
• If they want to dive deeper with you, they can purchase your book, course, or program. Provide the purchase link.

When creating content, think about how you want them to interact with you.

GIVE THEM OPTIONS TO KEEP COMING BACK

Provide a progression, so they have options to take things to the next level.

Perhaps you first ask them to opt-in and download your free gift. The next may be to attend a local workshop or event, and after that, you could invite them to call.

Then finally, you invite them to purchase.

This depends entirely on your business model; however, the key is you want them to stay interested.

Keep them engaged and continue to capture their attention so that they continue their journey with you. It’s all about building a long-term relationship with your audience.

5. HOUSING CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Many social media platforms come and go, algorithms are constantly changing, and there is always something new. It’s the nature of the online beast – ever-changing and evolving.

I believe social media is a powerful tool in your business toolbox and is a great place to promote your website, content, products, and service.

But the reality is you do not have control over any social media pages you are on.

That means things can be accidentally deleted without being recovered and that you are at the mercy of someone else’s website.

Let’s remember, each of these businesses is in it for the money. One-way social media platforms earn money is through ads. That means the ever-changing algorithms will always benefit the advertisers.

HERE’S HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CONTENT

The risk of putting anything online is that you could lose it. However, you are always more likely to recover your content from a website you own.

Tip: Make sure your website provider is backing up your website regularly so you can recover everything you need if anything were to happen.

While it’s crucial to put all your content on your own website, it’s also important to grow your email list. In the instance of videos (like a Facebook Live), I highly recommend downloading and saving them on a personal hard drive and a platform such as Vimeo or Wistia.

You can include these in your emails, bonus trainings, on a membership site, or a million other places!

Use social media to promote your content, not house it.

Promoting your content will drive traffic to your website and grow your email list. And the good news is that your website and your email list are two things you own. Here are 3 tips for boosting your website traffic.

STEPS TO CREATING QUALITY CONTENT

We’ve all been caught in the trap of spinning your wheels on marketing and feeling as if you are not helping people. That’s why it’s essential you have a plan when it comes to your content.

If you’ve made some of these common mistakes, don’t worry! You are not alone.

We all have. It’s all about learning, growing, and taking the next step forward. Remember that it’s about progress, not perfection.

When you get stuck, remember these steps:

1. Take a step back.
2. Develop a plan.
3. Promote intentional content – not superficial fluff.
4. Be realistic about your time.
5. Simplify. Simplify. Simplify.
6. Create a system so you can stay consistent.
7. Use social media management tools or hire someone if you need additional support.

IN CONCLUSION

If you feel that you are spending more time marketing than anything else in your business, remember that marketing your business can be a means of inspiration just like one-on-one coaching.

It’s all about perspective and making every interaction count.

You will always be tweaking your process, so avoid overthinking and overanalyzing.

The goal is to create inspirational content that really connects. If you do that one thing, you will be making a true and lasting difference in someone’s life.

Click here for more tips on how to create engaging content.

What did you find most helpful about this article? Tell me in the comments!

For more on Alison, head here!