Hey there, my fabulous listener, welcome to episode 187 of the Small Business Made Simple Podcast.

Thank you for lending me your ears today – I know you have lots of choices, so I sincerely appreciate me being one of them!

If you’re enjoying this podcast – I’d love to you take a screenshot and share it on your socials and tag me in it.  How cool would that be!

Don’t forget you can get the show notes for this podcast at www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/187

This week’s episode is sponsored by Melbourne Innovation Centre and their Digital Solutions Programs.  I’ve been involved with Melbourne innovation Centre as one of their mentors and workshop hosts for about 3 or 4 years now, so I was pretty chuffed when they wanted to sponsor my podcast for a few weeks.

So, if you live in Victoria, listen up!  Melbourne Innovation Centre has subsidized programs to help you if you are struggling to reach new customers and struggling with digital marketing.

Join for just $44 and get access to 3 hours of mentoring with a mentor of your choice, access to weekly training, workshops, masterclasses, webinars, online courses and much more.

As I said, I am a mentor for this excellent program, so you can choose me and we can work together to discuss all your digital marketing needs. 

Sign up today by visiting: courses.melbourneinnovation.com.au or via the link in the show notes.

So, today I have a question for you.  Have you ever found yourself answering a question from a business coach, mentor, business friend or business advisor with the words

“Yeah, but my business is different”.

I know it’s a podcast, but hands up if you have – be honest.

As a coach and mentor to small businesses I can talk strategy, marketing, sales, goals and growth until you hear the cows, and so often, especially from people new to me or new to business the answer is “Yes, Jenn, I understand, but my business is different ….”

It’s a retail business

It’s in the country

It’s in the city

It’s service-based

It’s an online business only

It’s a bricks and mortar only

Oh, don’t worry, I have heard most of them!

And honestly, there are probably nuances that have elements of difference but at the end of the day all businesses need:

1. Customers
2. Sales
3. Repeat customers
4. Repeat sales

And therefore every business, and I mean EVERY business is therefore in the business of marketing.

Whether you hang your hat on being a good marketer or not, you are a marketer.  You are in the business of marketing.

No matter what your business does, without marketing, it does less than it should or could!

Marketing is everything.

Everything you say and do says something about you, your business and your brand, regardless of whether you meant it to or not.

I’ll repeat that.

Everything you say and do says something about you, your business and your brand, regardless of whether you meant it to or not.

So, do a self examination.  How much time do you spend marketing your business?

My guess is you are pretty good at what you do.  You’re in business, so you clearly are pretty good at it! 

But my other guess is that you are better at what you do than marketing what you do?

Am I right?

So how do you get better at marketing?  Fabulous question.

Firstly, it has to become a priority.  Just has to.  If you wait for time to do marketing, it will just never come – there’s seriously no free time with marketing marked on it.  You have to make it, stick to it and do it.

I find batching helps.

One day I might spend hours in Canva making up posts, reels, short videos, stories – just one after the other.  I am normally super inspired and creative at this time so I need to let myself go, even though I know there’s other things, other money making activities to do, I just need to let myself be creative when it strikes.

And because I have a strategy and plan – I know what posts I need, approximately how many, so it’s not just a “canva template day” but a canva template with strategy day!

If you need help with your strategy, you know exactly where to find me – right?  I’d love to help you get your strategy.

Because that’s really number 2 – number 1 was to make marketing a priority, number 2 is to have a strategy.

Most people I talk to who are over marketing, find it stressful and time consuming don’t have a plan or a strategy and therefore they tire easier – (a) because what marketing they do doesn’t yield results – because it can’t, there’s no strategy and (b) give up on the whole marketing content quicker. 

So, make it a priority and get yourself a strategy.

The third thing to help you get better at marketing is to look at your data.  Your digital analytic data.  This data can tell you what’s working, and what’s not and can help you find trends.

Digital marketing is GOLD – don’t ignore the gold!

And the final thing I will leave you with to help you be as good at marketing as you are at whatever your business is – is to follow, like, engage and maybe even pay (shhhh) people who can help you!

I’ve been paying a mentor and coach for business for over 10 years now. 

I’m not perfect.  I need pushing, challenging, nudging, and someone to celebrate with too!

My best business friend, I am afraid to tell you that your business isn’t different – and you are in the business of marketing.

So next time you see an Instagram Reel or read a blog or watch a webinar with help, advice or examples of business, don’t say “but my business is different – that won’t work”.  Sit on it.  Mull over it and let yourself see that there’s probably a really fabulous way you could do something similar in your business because it’s not different – it’s a business in the business of marketing too!

Let’s continue the chat in my Like Minded Business Owners Facebook group – you can join on Facebook if you haven’t already.

Oh and talking about my Like Minded Business Owners Facebook group – I have some amazing guests coming in there to do lives with me this year.  I am super excited by this.  From finance experts to PR and marketing experts (besides me) to Law experts – they are all coming on to give you their time and do some Q&As with the group.

Another amazing reason to come and join that community!

But, that’s it for another episode of the Small Business Made Simple Podcast.

Remember you can find the links in the show notes at www.socialmediaandmarketing.com.au/187

Thanks to the Melbourne Innovation Centre and Digital Solutions Program for supporting this episode today! If your business is based in Victoria, don’t forget to check the program out by visiting: courses.melbourneinnovation.com.au

You can join for just $44 and get access to 1:1 mentoring with either myself or select 50 other digital marketing gurus from across the State.

See you next week on the podcast for episode 188.  But in the meantime, let’s hang out on social and get social on social – you’ll find me on Instagram, Facebook and my fav LinkedIn.

But whatever you do,

……..remember small business peeps, as my opening song says, there’s no point in dreaming small!