In a recent blog post about LinkedIn for Business Coaches, I used the phrase “Melanie-the-Marketer super-powers.” When I did the final proofing before hitting “Publish,” I thought about deleting that part. But I didn’t.

And now here I am with this boast: Every little thing I do is magic. That’s also the subject line in my September newsletter. I removed “(for My Marketing”), so it would fit better and be more like the song title that inspired it. 🎵 (Sidenote! If you’d like to get my monthly musings, here’s where you can make that happen!)

“Every little thing I do is magic” is a big claim, but it’s said tongue-in-cheek and to make a point.

Marketing Magic = Momentum

Get momentum from your marketing efforts — don’t just do one thing and wait for the results. Focus on several and multiply your efforts fivefold.

This year, I took my business’ marketing efforts to a new, more effective level. What’s my secret?

Magicians never tell, but I do:

• I was more consistent with my marketing efforts.
• I tried new things to put me and my business “out there.”
• I spent money (not just time and energy) on my marketing.

Specifically, here’s what I’m doing:

• Use LinkedIn each day. In January, I vowed to use LinkedIn at least 10 minutes a day, and I’ve kept that up. I even started using it on the weekends when I realized my old “no one uses LinkedIn on the weekend” bias was wrong.
• Rebooted my stalled email newsletter. This is the third month in a row where I’m staying on top of this, and I like keeping in touch with my VIPs (clients, prospects and key partners).
• Continue my investment in coaching. If you’ve read anything I’ve written, you know I work with Ilise Benun. I enjoy the small group coaching she facilitates, where I meet with other creative pros. The investment of time and money is making me a better marketer and networker.
• Blog regularly. Though my 2020 output lags 2019’s, I’m still publishing blog content regularly, with about one new article each month.
• Share my expertise, pro bono. This year, I created several opportunities for sharing what I know. I offered free mini-training sessions to business owners where I covered LinkedIn, Google My Business and Google Analytics. Last month, Ilise invited me to join her presentation for AWAI to talk about LinkedIn. (If you’re reading this and are part of the AWAI group — hello, new friends!)
• Delegate instead of drowning. I couldn’t make traction on every marketing effort I wanted to do, and I was tired of my excuses. After gentle prodding from Ilise, I hired virtual assistant Andie Jones who, among other things, keeps me accountable for my newsletter. (I write it and she takes care of the formatting and sending.)
• Pay for other essential help, too. I do a lot of graphic design work for my business and for some of my clients, such as creating images to share on social media. Design isn’t my core competency, and I know my limitations. That’s why I started partnering with a few graphic designers this year instead of DIY-ing everything I need.

Being recorded on video is akin to a tooth extraction: no fun. But I stretched myself more than once this year to show up on camera. How to Optimize Your Google Business Listing is a recent effort. I welcome (deplore) you to fast-forward to 1:06 when I start sharing my screen.

What’s the ROI for My Marketing?

I don’t know if everything I’ve tried is working because marketing isn’t like advertising where you can “spend X and get Y.” It would be hard to separate one initiative from the other to measure the individual impact, and I’m OK with not knowing the attribution.

What I know is the more I do to market my business, the more it pays off. The more people who see what I’m all about, the more they’re attracted to hire me or want to partner with me. And the more marketing I accomplish, the more I’m excited to keep the momentum going.

Here’s what I’m calling respectable ROI:

• My revenue is up compared to this time last year.
• My website traffic grew a crazy amount in 2020, thanks to a run-away hit blog post (Year of the Pencil), lots of LinkedIn-referred traffic, and Ilise generously sharing my content with her connections.
• I continue to get referrals that fill my new business pipeline.
• My LinkedIn network is strong and growing.
• I’m having more fun working in my business. #priceless

Anything Magical Happening in Your Business?

How about you? Is every little thing you’re doing building marketing momentum for your business? If we’re already working together, I hope you say that, yes, there’s some magic happening!

If we haven’t had the pleasure of working together, I’d love to create marketing magic in your business. The first step? Schedule a call with me! 🎩 🐰