Marketing is all about being consistent.
It’s about showing up.
Every day. Every other day. Every week.
It’s about building trust with your audience. And to do that, it starts with being consistent.
The definition of consistency as found in the Merriam Webster Dictionary is “Showing steady conformity to character, profession, belief, or custom.”
That’s right folks, slow and steady does win the race.
Marketing isn’t about being first.
Marketing is about building trust with your potential clients. To do that you need to show up every day in your marketing. That consistency helps you achieve long-term success.
It’s about being disciplined and reliable.
It’s about showing up and putting yourself out there.
It sounds so easy, right?
I have found in the past that I have struggled with being consistent on things that matter. Not sticking to my goal because something else comes up. It was easy to find an excuse.
I find the same struggle with my clients. They start off marketing their new business with gusto, but when their business isn’t taking off like they think it should, they start to question themselves. They skip a post or two or stop networking with potential clients. All of a sudden they have stopped marketing or putting themselves out there. They stopped creating value.
But consistently showing up in your business and your marketing can be a game changer.
Being consistent in your marketing helps to shape your identity. It helps shape who you’re being to your client. Your brand.
So, who are you being?
Are you willing to fail at something at first on your journey to be amazing?
Be honest with yourself. Because it does take discipline.
Embracing discipline is the very secret to your freedom and to your success.
To create more discipline, set expectations and rules for yourself ahead of time, and then honor those rules. When you do this, you don’t have to use willpower or restraint. The more you set up all your decisions ahead of time, the less reactive you’ll be in the moment.
For instance, my minimum baseline for posting on social media is every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This is my expectation for myself. If I have extra time or I want to post more that week, that’s great but it’s not required. I will always show up on these days. It takes out the willpower or confusion because I made this decision ahead of time.
Making a decision, following through with it, and being consistent allows us to build a body of work that we can feel proud of and that our clients can trust.
When you make a commitment 100%, no matter what, and then you honour that commitment to yourself by not giving yourself the option to quit, you gain true discipline. That’s what you need to show up and be consistent.
When we work to become consistent at the things that matter to us, we learn how to be in it for the long haul. We learn to accept the “messy middle” and work on showing up every day (even if it’s not perfect).
We just show up. We’re just consistent and steady.
And we keep trying and putting ourselves out there. Even when it’s not perfect.
When you honour your own decisions, you get better at it.
The decision to be consistent and show up for your customers. It’s important. It’s what builds long lasting relationships. It’s what creates success.
And they are waiting.
Constraining your business is key to success.
But the truth is, not many solopreneurs want to apply constraint to what they do.
When I googled the definition of constraint, I got: “Constraint is a limitation or a restriction you put on yourself that simplifies your life.”
The reason this is so important is overwhelm.
Constraint reduces overwhelm because it makes decisions so much easier to make.
I see this all the time with my clients. They are overwhelmed in what they need to do in marketing. They are not sure if they should have a FB page or a FB group or should they do online ads or sponsored content. The list of marketing tactics and different communication channels is endless.
Does that sound familiar?
I totally get it. I have been there my friends.
That’s why you constrain.
And the best marketing and most successful entrepreneurs do just that.
Why constrain?
When you constrain your attention to one thing, you can be laser focused and disciplined with your mind.
I have discovered that when I’m focused on one thing, I have more disciplined thinking, and my productivity goes through the roof.
Why?
Because constraint helps you eliminate decision fatigue.
You decide ahead of time how you’re going to focus your energy, and you literally don’t have to make as many decisions.
The fewer decisions I have to make, the more willpower and discipline I have for other things (like family time, me time, and lots of books!).
But..
Most of my clients don’t want to constrain in their business.
They want to keep their options open. They are worried they will miss out on something.
And I want to put your mind at ease, it’s human nature. We are hardwired to not miss out on the opportunity.
But keeping your options open is a huge mistake. When we have too many options we don’t have focus and we’re not able to make the impact that we want.
Remember: Constraint is about lessening the decisions you make ahead of time.
When you constrain yourself and make decisions ahead of time, it frees up your mind to focus. That’s when you’re able to tap into your creativity. You can start thinking about how to solve your problems and create what you want.
How can you lessen your decisions ahead of time when it’s your business?
1. Limit the amount of decisions you have to make so it takes less brain power.
Constrain your attention and thoughts (because your brain wants to change your mind). Your brain wants to be efficient.
2. Decisions ahead of time.
Make decisions ahead of time and stick to it! Sticking to these decisions is honouring our commitments to ourselves. The more you do this the more you’re going to create for yourself.
3. Prioritize
Once you have constrained and committed to that decision ahead of time, now you need to prioritize. Pick 3 items that you’re going to focus on. Understand what it is and why. Then never turn back.
EXAMPLE: Constraining your niche is a great idea. One of things I really teach my clients is to stick to one niche and get as specific as possible. By picking and identifying one customer, you make that decision ahead of time, it takes away the overwhelm when they have to decide what program they will build, what their offer will be and what marketing channels they will select.
Constraint has completely changed the way I do business and has completely changed my life. Focus on one thing at a time.
I want you to challenge you to go after just one thing in your business.
And go all in. But do it with all that you have.
Constraint simplifies your business.