Marketing is like dating
There are a lot of parallels between business relationships and romantic relationships. And marketing is a lot like dating - you are trying to woo potential partners.
And just as there are different types of romantic relationships, there are different types of business relationships.
There are the ones that never really go anywhere - maybe you exchange a few emails with a prospect, even put in a proposal for work, but it doesn't develop into anything profitable. It's like a first date that doesn't work out. No hard feelings - you just weren't compatible.
Then there are the 'quick flings' - a client has a need, and you can meet it. The whole process is very transactional - it's one-and-done. Similar to a one-night stand, you both get what you need but there's no expectation of long-term commitment.
You've got the relationships that build slowly - a prospect follows your content, subscribes to your emails, and maybe even makes a few low-cost purchases. Maybe they eventually buy your big-ticket product or maybe they never do. But you're both quite happy 'dating' - it doesn't matter whether you end up in bed together or not.
Then you have your meaningful relationships - you're ideal clients.
Sometimes it's love at first sight. Sometimes it takes a bit longer. But you end up with your 'perfect partner' - someone who is a joy to work with.
Ideally, we want more of those meaningful relationships.
But if we want them, we have to go out and get them.
Our marketing has to attract the right people. It has to seduce them. It has to make them fall in love with us (or at least want to do business with us).
And that's why generic marketing messages are crap.
Trying to appeal to everyone by putting out vague messages is like putting out a dating profile that says, "looking for anyone with a pulse."
You might get a few responses, but they won't always be the suitors you are looking for.
You have to be specific. You have to write for the people you want to attract - your ideal clients. Make them feel like you are talking directly to them.
And you can only do that if you understand who your ideal clients are.
If you haven't got that nailed down, think about your favourite client. What is it about them that means you enjoy working with them so much?
Try picturing them as you write your next LinkedIn post - if your copy appeals to them, it's more likely to appeal to other people like them.
Love is in the air
Talking of meaningful relationships - this month, I'll be celebrating my 8th wedding anniversary.
I don't talk about my husband much in my content, but I'm going to give him a shout-out here because he's pretty bloody awesome. He has always believed in me (even when I've had the odd wobble).
He's my best friend. I'd even go so far as to say he's my soul mate. But I'll stop there because that's as soppy as I get - PDAs aren't really my thing.
Here's a pic from our wedding day instead.
I met my husband when we both worked for Club 18-30 - a company specialising in package holidays for people aged 18-30.
I was going into my seventh summer of working abroad and he was starting his second when we were put on the same team in Zante.
For the next three years, we spent our summers working together and our winters backpacking around different countries.
After the summer of 2011, I decided I was ready to put some roots down in the UK and I moved to Leeds. We decided it didn't make sense to both be out of work at once, so he went away for another summer while I looked for somewhere to live and a job.
Before I did that though, we had one last big trip around Australia and three days before we flew home (and three years from the day we met), he got down on one knee in front of Sydney Harbour and popped the question.
We flew home, and a few weeks later, he got on a flight to Greece, while I started job hunting in a city where I knew one person.
Less than five years later, we had bought a house, got married, and I was running my own business.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Taking time to travel
The reason for sharing the story above is to give you an idea of how significant travel is to me (and my husband).
It has always been, and still is, a passion we share. To date, we've visited over 30 countries together.
Earlier this year, we spent an amazing three weeks travelling around Peru and ticking the Inca Trail off our bucket list.
But why am I telling you this?
It's not to brag (ok, maybe a little bit). But mostly, it's because I'm always amazed by how many freelancers and business owners never take a proper holiday.
And it's fine if it's your choice not to take a holiday. But all too often, I hear people saying they can't take holiday - that it's not possible to take time off when you work for yourself.
What a load of crap.
The first thing I did when I left employment was go on holiday.
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And I've had at least two or three holidays every year since.
I started my business because I wanted more freedom and flexibility. I wanted to be able to choose when I worked - choose when I took time off to enjoy life and travel the world with my husband.
I'm not saying I always switch off completely - I've occasionally finished off a blog post at the airport or tweaked some website copy by the pool. And, yes, I usually answer the odd email while I'm away and put out a couple of posts on LinkedIn.
But I definitely don't spend my holidays sitting in the hotel room beavering away. In fact, when we went to Peru, I didn't even take my laptop and I only had internet on my phone when I was connected to hotel wifi.
Guess what?
My business didn't go under.
I didn't lose any clients.
I've still earned enough this year to pay my half of the mortgage every month (even with the interest rates going up almost monthly).
It all comes down to planning.
I pre-write content and schedule it, so I am still marketing my business while I'm away. All my digital products are fully automated, so I can still make a bit of money while I'm away. And I let clients know when I'm going away and schedule work and calls around my holidays instead of during them.
And I manage my cash flow.
This is the key to being able to take time off. You need to feel comfortable not doing any billable work while you're away.
But if you plan for it, you can manage it.
So if you're struggling to take holiday, check out this article I wrote on how to take holiday as a freelancer.
You don't have to travel to take a break
Not everyone is into travelling - I get that. But that doesn't mean it's not important to take a break every now and then.
I don't buy into this idea that if you want to be successful, you have to work 80-hour weeks, sacrifice time with family or friends, or give up your hobbies.
And I don't buy into the "if you love what you do it doesn't feel like work" bullshit.
You can't tell me you wake up every day feeling excited about doing work, no matter how much you enjoy it.
I love what I do, but if I won the lottery, I wouldn't be engaging with random strangers on LinkedIn. My business would change completely.
The point is, it's ok if you don't want to dedicate every minute of every day to your business.
You are allowed to take time off to meet a mate for lunch, spend the day at the beach with your kids, go for a long walk in the countryside, bake cakes, paint, write, sew, watch shit TV, go to the cinema, do a jigsaw puzzle or treat yourself to a spa day.
Whatever it is you enjoy doing, make time for it.
Remember the reasons you wanted to work for yourself in the first place? What's the point of having the flexibility of freelancing if you don't take advantage of it every now and then?
Out and about in London
Next month, I'm going to be attending the opening of WOMEN IN REVOLT! at The Tate in London.
Why?
Because my amazing aunt has a painting included in the exhibition.
So if you're an art fan (or a feminist), schedule a visit to see this exhibition (showing between 8 November 2023 – 7 April 2024).
Thanks for reading
That's it from me for this month - don't forget to subscribe to this newsletter if you haven't already.
If you can't wait a whole month to hear from me again, sign up for my daily emails here.
And if you'd like practical, actionable advice on how to attract more of the clients you want and build a freelance business that works around you, grab a copy of my book here.
Lisa
P.S. If you're Leeds-based, come and meet me face to face at the North Networking event on 1st November.