I have a confession to make.
It took me a few years to really nail my marketing as a business owner. It also took me a while to figure out how to keep a consistent marketing message.
Fortunately, I finally got it. This also means I can share lessons with you so you can figure it out for yourself.
Why You Need a Consistent Marketing Message
A consistent marketing message is what let’s potential clients and customers know what you’re about.
The problem I had for years was that I was all over the place. Granted, I was trying to figure out my voice and what I was about which is a normal part of the creative process.
However, going from writing about eco-conscious topics to personal finance is a bit of a jump. The end result was people were confused. Very confused.
Since getting clear about a consistent marketing message, I’ve been able to earn more money because there’s no longer any confusion about what I do or what my brand represents. Here’s how I was able to figure out and maintain a consistent marketing message.
Talk to your audience.
The real turning point for my business and my marketing message was when I stopped trying to guess what my audience wanted and instead started asking them.
Between 2014 and 2015 I did over 100 interviews with social media followers, blog readers and colleagues and simply asked them what they needed from me. From there the common themes of money and business emerged. Up until that point I didn’t even realize I was writing about money as much as I was.
I don’t stop there though. I’m in constant conversation with my audience via social media. Just last week I posted an image on Instagram and asked my followers what their money goals for 2017 are. Their answers help me come up with content for my marketing.
Not only do they give me ideas, I also pay close attention the the language they are using. By learning how my audience communicates I can better serve them.
Repurpose content.
The easiest way to keep a consistent marketing message is to repurpose content. For example, I’m currently hosting a free personal finance challenge via email for my subscribers. I also made images for Instagram since that’s one of my most active channels and set it up so the images also go to Facebook and Twitter.
While the idea is that people sign up for my email list to get the full class, the reality is all my social media followers can participate to some extent. This helps show my expertise while helping people and growing my audience all at the same time.
Get organized.
The next step to keeping a consistent marketing message is to get organized. More specifically, you’ll want to make sure your message is always being shared. The easiest way to do this is to create and editorial calendar and automate your social media.
The reality is that coming up with a consistent marketing message – and then making sure it gets shared – isn’t as hard as some people make it out to be. Just ask your audience what they want and find ways to give it to them.
