Reasons to step into your marketing plan authentically.

We do business with people we know, like and trust. As a service-based business owner, it is important for you to step into your marketing plan authentically.

What do I mean by this? I mean be yourself. Be genuine. There is no one else like you. You are unique and specially made. I mean, bring your specialness to the formula.

When I work with business owners who want help creating a marketing plan that works for them, so many of them tell me “I just have to do social media better”. Seems reasonable right? Until I ask them what they like about doing social media and they say “well…I really don’t even like social media.”

Your Golden Ticket!

AHA! This information is the golden ticket. It’s the golden ticket because it’s the reason why they have struggled with their marketing plan. If you don’t like something, why would you do it?!

Well, for starters because everyone else is doing it. And then there is FOMO (fear of missing out). But let me ask you this, just because someone else is doing something, does it mean you have to do it too?

I can hear you saying what your mother used to say (so annoying when you are a teenager), “if so and so jumped off the bridge, would you jump too?” Now, you may out of spite back then have said YES! However, as you stand now, as an adult you more than likely would say no or not necessarily.

And if you said no, it’s because you know it wouldn’t be the right thing for you to do. So let me ask you this, is what you are doing for your marketing the right thing for you to do and are you loving doing it?

If you answered YES! Fantastic. That’s what we want to hear. But if you, like my clients, are saying “I just have to do xxxx better…” that’s a sign that what you are doing may not be the best thing for you to be doing. And it’s time for you to do something you really like and enjoy. And that, my friend, is the secret to marketing authentically and putting together a marketing plan that is authentically you.

Marketing authentically changes everything.

A marketing plan is something you put together to create exposure for your business. That’s really all it is. What you plan to do, when and how.

When I work with my clients, we work with 7 important pillars. There are foundational ones and structural ones. Branding and Marketing are foundational ones. As you probably already know, if you do not have the right foundation things fall apart.

As you think about stepping into your marketing plan authentically, can you see yourself in it? Can you see yourself enjoying it? Can you see yourself excited about what you want to share? This is how to step into marketing authentically!

Using your energy to market authentically.

When you think about something you love to do or an experience you are looking forward to, can you feel the energy of it? The way you are looking forward to it. Think about an upcoming vacation or family event that you just can’t wait for! It’s that energy you want to have when you are creating your marketing plan. And it’s that energy you want to step into when you are implementing and executing it!

I’ll give you a real-time example. I sat down to write this and thought “I have no idea what I want to say…” I knew I wanted to write about marketing because that’s what I’ve been talking about lately but I was stumped. Then I thought about you and thought what can I share that would make a difference? And how do I want to feel as I’m sharing it. I decided I wanted to feel energized and helpful. And since that is who I am, I authentically stepped into that mindset.

Try it! Think of a mindset you’d like to be in. One where you are truly you. It changes you right then and there. Can you feel it?! I bet you can. This is what it means to be authentically you!

Be courageous, let the world see the true authentic you.

Your true authentic self is what the world needs. It’s what your clients need. It’s what you need. 

It’s a place where you are in the flow, feeling good, seeing amazing results. It’s the place where you can be each and every day. So often we act based on how we feel. I’ve heard “but I don’t feel like it…” a lot when it comes to doing things in business. There are too many women business owners waiting to “feel like it” and I believe it’s because they are out of alignment with their true authentic self.

It is time for you to step into who you really are, to shine in your life, if for no other reason than to feel good about yourself. Trust me, when you do, the rest will follow.

And if you find yourself wanting to create a marketing plan that only has what you love to do on it, then that’s a wonderful place to be!

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You are onboard with creating that authentic-to-you marketing plan but have no idea just how to do it? I’ve got you covered! Sign up for my free gift of a Business Blueprint session. Why free? Why you? Because I am committed to helping service-based business owners step authentically into their business their way! Walk away with your unique-to-you, feel-good marketing plan!

 

Create a solid business foundation for you to thrive

Building a business takes time, effort and planning. Creating a solid business foundation for you to thrive is a key element to your success.

A lot of people ask me what I specifically work with my clients on. I’d like to share one of the things with you today.

I work with my clients to help them create a solid foundation for their business to thrive in the way of support systems.

Because when we have solid support systems that work in our business, it makes things more enjoyable and we are better able to be successful with more time to capture more revenue! 💰

Boundaries are fundamental to your business success

Support systems come in many forms and shapes.

Does the term “whack-a-mole” mean anything to you? Well, it does to my clients who are struggling to make things happen for their business.

One of those systems I use with my clients is boundaries. Let me show you how I am currently working with three clients to create boundaries in their business.

You may see yourself in one of the scenarios:

Each client brings a unique set of circumstances, beliefs and behaviors to the table so I work with my clients on “specific-to-them” solutions.

And each client has similar circumstances, beliefs and behaviors that keep them struggling.

I just work with them to create their own solutions that feel good to them so that they can have their business and their life, their way! And you can too.

One client needed to create set days and times to see clients.

Another needed to create a script to use so that she could comfortably wrap up her client sessions.

And the other needed to learn how much her business tasks took so she could schedule them so they’d get done.

I hope you can see how for each client, a boundary was created to aid in their success.

Create specific-to-you boundaries

Once my clients have these systems (aka boundaries) in place, it creates space for them to flourish and yes, capture all the revenue they desire! And what could be better than that?

As you build and grow your business, think about what tools you need both physical and mental that will help you earn money while freeing you from time constraints. 

See each boundary you put into place will save you time, energy and money. 

Your turn. Where are you struggling that if you created a boundary for it would allow you to thrive?

 

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If you liked this blog, I send out a weekly ezine full of business how-tos, tips, resources and more that will help you create your business, your way, you can get on that list and get my free 5 Essential Steps to Creating a Successful Business That is Profitable ebook by clicking here.

 

How to get more hours in your day.

It’s true, we can’t manage time. So how on earth then do you get more hours in your day?

If you read the best way to get through your to-do list and be successful, you may remember I mentioned that your to-do list should be your best friend. 

Your list helps you stay on track. It’s kind of like the lines in the road when you drive on the highway, it keeps you in the lane you need to be in to avoid colliding with another vehicle.

It’s great to have a list, and the idea of that list is so you get things done. And to do that you need to have hours in your day.

Get more hours in your day.

The way to get more hours in your day is to first know how much time you have to work for each day. And you must also know how long things take you to do.

If you only have four hours to work, you cannot put five hours of work into that day. I’ve said it before, I used to smoosh 60 minutes of work into 15 minutes. I was famous for saying “I can do that in 15 minutes.” 

An example of this is you only have five hours to work and you have four Zoom meetings all that will run (you hope) one hour each. Meaning you’ll be on Zoom for at minimum of four hours.

And you have a training audio you want to listen to that is an hour. It also has parts for you to actually work on. Yet you “forget” that latter part and you only give yourself an hour to do it.

Can you see how you now have LESS hours in your day? 

Only by being specific with the time you have, what you will do in that time and knowing how long each task will take you can you have more hours in your day.

Making time work for you.

The way that I teach my clients how to have more hours in their day is by having them get clear on knowing how much time they actually have to work and how long what they are doing (and need to be doing) takes. And then write it out.

So you can see what I mean by knowing how much time you have and what it is you are doing in that time, an example of one of my recent days is below.

Before I headed into my office, I had a list in my head of things I really wanted to do on this particular day. Things such as file maintenance, office organization, and things of that nature.

I determined my workday would be 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. And as you’ll see, there was not any additional time to do the things I had in my head. Unless, of course, I wanted to overwork, which I did not :

• Admin/Money Mgmt 9:00-10:00a
• Prep & Client Delivery 10:00a-12:00p
• Lunch and Dogs 12:00-12:30p
• Marketing 12:30-2:00p
• Prep & Client Deliver 2:00-4:00p
• End of Day Admin/Email/Wrap up 4:00-5:00p

Can you see that once you know where your time is actually going in a day, it makes it easier to eliminate other items?

Even though I had that list in my head, once I saw where my time was allotted to for the day, I could then determine the next best time container to put in what I wanted to do.

When you think and work in terms of “Time Containers” (as in you have a specific amount of time) and nothing else will fit in it, it makes it so much easier to be realistic with what you can actually get done.

Determining your time is key to getting things done.

Remember, you need to determine how much time you think something will take before you can actually put it into your hours.

If you have no idea then the first time you do it, TRIPLE the time you think it will take. This works because you have ample time to get the task done and the key is, it gets DONE.

Sure you may have time left over. And when you do, guess what that means, you have MORE hours! Isn’t that just cool and well, what you are striving for.

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If you liked this blog, I send out a weekly ezine full of business how-tos, tips, resources and more that will help you create your business, your way, you can get on that list and get my free 5 Essential Steps to Creating a Successful Business That is Profitable ebook by clicking here.

 

The best way to get through your to-do list and be successful.

Your to-do list should be your best friend. I like to use the analogy of that old saying “check it twice.” 

Your daily to-do list should be your friend. You should be making a list and checking it twice.

If you are someone who makes a list and another list and another list and /or adding and adding to your list my guess is that you never seem to get much done from it.

Am I correct?

If that’s you, you aren’t being very efficient and that’s not good for business. True, no one is watching you to see if you are being naughty or nice, but it’s one of those self-defeating or self-sabotaging activities that inhibit your business success.

Here is the game changer. Make your list and THEN check it twice. The reason for that is to be sure that the only things you have on your daily to do list are the tasks that you absolutely can and have to do today.

It’s the one way to be sure that you will get what you need/want to done!

Trying to do too much is probably a struggle you have. It’s one a lot of business owners have. I talk about it a lot with my clients and I and have struggled with in the past too. It’s part of wanting to be successful in business.

I was famous for smooshing 60 minutes of work into 15 minutes, sure I could do that! No problem. I used to say “this will only take me 10 minutes” a lot. When it really would take me 10 hours!

That mindset is a problem. A BIG one. It’s not at all helpful and it causes you a lot of backlog, frustration and overwhelm.

If you do something similar, you’ll never get things completed. Time management is so elusive we think we can manage it but we can only manage a task.

Two thing you need to know:

• How much time do I have today and
• How long will the task(s) I need/want to do take to complete.

Until we make changes to how we manage our tasks, it’s mission impossible and often epic failure that follows.

To ensure that you set yourself up for success, I’m going to teach you something that works, and you won’t like it. In fact, you may even ignore me. That’s ok, I’ll have put the idea into your head and you may choose to come back to it. 

Look at your list and pick one thing you want to accomplish today. Determine how much time you think something will take. And then TRIPLE the time you think it will. This works because you have ample time to get the task done and key is, it gets DONE.

AND you may have time left over! That’s a beautiful thing.

Before you think “ya but, it could be too much time.” Yes, it could be. So then chunk it down into 25-30 minute timeframes and set a timer. 

My experience and that from my clients have been that when using a timer, we stay more focused and get things done quicker. Best of all we stay on task!

Give it a go. Something I use to stay on target is the Pomodoro technique. Here is a little explanation of what it is and the actual one that I use to keep myself on task.

If you like the idea but not the resource, there are more out there you can use. I suggest you DO NOT use your mobile phone because, well, do I really need to tell you?!  I think not.

But I can’t help myself, it’s because you will get distracted! It’s best to not be distracted when you are working to get something completed.

This week give it a go and see what happens. Triple the time you think something will take and then go ahead and use a timer. Let me know how it goes. 

It can be a little like a game. I bet you’ll get more done than you imagined and even have some fun doing it!

As you get better and better at this best way to get through your to do list and be successful you’ll find you achieve more and more faster and faster!

 

If you liked this blog, I send out a weekly ezine full of business how-tos, tips, resources and more that will help you create your business, your way, you can get on that list and get my free 5 Essential Steps to Creating a Successful Business That is Profitable ebook by clicking here.

 

The delightfully simple fix you’ll want to do right away.

When it comes to a delightfully simple fix to get ahead in your business you may think to yourself “right, nothing is simple.”

That could be true. Simple means easily understood or done; presenting no difficulty.

And true, once I tell you what it is, you may think to yourself that this could present some difficulty.

Remember, how you think, so you are. How you do one thing is how you do everything.

Are you ready to know what it is? 

Go through all the projects you are stalled on or have yet to finish and get rid of them. 

Yes, I said get rid of them. See, isn’t that a delightfully simple fix to get ahead in your business?

Because all they represent is clutter and clutter will hold you back every single day!

The truth is, you will never complete it.

Yes, declutter the projects that you have not yet completed. 

If you have old projects and things undone, the truth is, you will never complete them. 

You know this is true. Otherwise, they would not be left undone creating clutter in your space and in your mind.

By letting them go you free yourself. And you free up time, energy and space to do what really matters.

You are the person you are.

We all self-identify with who we want to be. The business owner who gets it all done, easily. The business owner who is rocking it. The business owner who just has everything under control.

Yet, when we are not truly doing what we self-identify as, it creates a gap. And then we feel as if we are failing.

Right now, you are the person who is not getting those projects done. But you may be the person who is knocking it out of the park in other areas of your business.

That is who you should be identifying yourself with and as.

How clutter holds you back in your business.

Clutter, no matter whether it is physical, mental or emotional holds you back. It takes up precious space and time and keeps you from reaching your true potential.

I work with lots of business owners who have a lot of mental clutter. Mental clutter such as:

• “I plan to do that soon.”
• “Once everything is where I need it to be I will…”
• “As soon as I get more time that will be finished.”

I probably do not need to tell you that they never do what they are telling me they will do. It just creates noise in their physical space and in their heads. 

And worst of all, makes them feel bad.

Let It Go, Free Yourself.

One of the best things you can do is to let it go. Be it a physical item, mental or emotional.

I recently listened to a podcast and the guest asked about sentimental items that they were given or inherited that they did not want but could not seem part with. The podcaster said “ultimately when you cannot get rid of something that you do not use, want or love, it is dragging you down, and what you are really doing is taking care of a corpse.”

That struck me in so many ways. Both personally and professionally.

How many of us are holding onto old ideas, thoughts, courses, projects in our business that are holding us back?

How many of us are ultimately taking care of the corpse of ourselves because we are afraid to let it go? Because we are afraid to live and be free?

I can raise my hand here, what about you?

So, what do you think? Are you taking care of anything that is dead and really needs to just be tossed? Can you imagine who you can actually step into being by letting go of the old, undone and almost forgotten?

Are you ready to take the delightfully simple fix to get ahead in your business?

I’d love to hear your ideas. 

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If you liked this blog, I send out a weekly ezine full of business how-tos, tips, resources and more that will help you create your business, your way, you can get on that list and get my free 5 Essential Steps to Creating a Successful Business That is Profitable ebook by clicking here.

 

Simple ways to improve your marketing for better results.

Marketing is really a way to get your business out there. And a lot of small business owners and solopreneurs miss that mark. They think they have to create complex marketing plans, campaigns and social media presences. When what they really need are simple ways to improve marketing for better results.

When I say improve, I’m referring to improving what you are doing already that is not working or that is too complicated for where you are and what your end results are.

One of my clients was a tutor of high school kids. Now, her market is high school kids. But those high school kids are not paying her…the parents are.

So, she created a marketing plan that would attract the parents of the high school students she wanted to work with. And that meant she needed to be known in the school and in the community first and online second.

Marketing for better results.

My client built her tutoring business by word of mouth and referrals. Had my client spent time and money on a social media campaign first she would have failed miserably. She chose to improve her marketing for better results.

Here is what she did:

• Knew who her target market was.
• Understood who actually wanted to hire her (as in pay her fees).
• Started with in-person marketing – meeting the proper channels (principals, guidance counselors, teachers). Due to the pandemic, lots of her meetings were done via telephone and Zoom meetings.
• Created sound bites and one-sheets that showcased her abilities and the results she got for people.
• Designed a three-page website to be used as a “calling card/brochure”.
• Asked for introductions and then followed-up to create connections.
• Asked for the business.

Let’s look at this. Because she knew she was going to start with getting to know people, she could rule out spending a ton of time and even money on creating social media posts and ads. While those are great things to do, for her business it would have been an energy suck and a big waste of time. 

At least initially. Eventually, she did add in the social media component when she wanted to take her business online and for social proof (that’s a discussion for another time). 

Can you see how her simple ways of marketing gave her the results she wanted?

Putting it into action.

Ok, it is your turn. What are you doing now that brings you the most business and you have fun doing?

And what are you doing now that is just wasting your time, energy, money and that you absolutely think of as a chore to do?

My guess (and I know this because I’ve done it and so many others have too) is that 80% of what you are doing is not bringing you the results you want.

It’s time to do just “the 20%”. Yes, 20%!

Finding Your 20%.

Marketing made simple is to do what works and what feels good to you. This is how you go from doing what isn’t working and what you don’t even like to do to find simple ways to improve your marketing for better results.

Oh, I love a good analysis. Don’t worry, this one is easy.

List out everything you are doing for your marketing. Here are some examples (remember, these are not everything – and they are in no particular order – that could be done, just a place to get started):

• Posting to your blog
• Promoting your blog
• Writing articles
• Creating social media posts
• Going on Instagram
• Networking
• Speaking
• Asking for introductions
• Paying for ads
• Creating videos
• Editing your website
• Having conversations with potential clients

Got your list? This is where you will get your metrics. Take a good look. You may need to look at your insights, analytics and such. What you want to know is: are you getting the exposure and the results you want from the exposure? 

Remember, you need to know what results you want from your marketing efforts?

One simple step to improve your marketing is to know exactly what your end results are. And also, why you are doing what you are doing. And I mean specifically and measurably. As in growing your email list by 500 in three months to increase the number of leads you have in your database to work with more clients.

Here are things to consider:

1. You need to know what you are doing that is working.
2. What are you doing that is taking time but getting you a low ROI (return on investment – ie/time, money, energy, etc.).
3. The specific outcome you want from doing what you are doing so you know if you have gotten there and how to course correct or change strategies and tactics.

Having this knowledge makes it easy for you to make simple changes.

Marketing made simple.

Marketing for a small business or solopreneur business does not have to be hard or complicated.

The one thing you must consider is what your goals are. Ignore what others are doing and create your marketing plan based on what type of business you are and who your target market is and where they are.

When you do this, marketing will become simple, you’ll be able to see better results and all of that will lead to business success.

What is one thing you can do right now to make your marketing more simple? Comment or email me at kim@kimravida.com and let me know!

Not sure where to start?

Want to set yourself up for success in the upcoming months but you are not sure what your next steps are? I offer a free 30-minute laser coaching session for just that! Click here to schedule now.