Wintery wisdom
January is a weird month.
The first week is all "new year - new me". Positive vibes. Motivational quotes. And New Year's resolutions.
By mid-month, we're on to the whole blue Monday thing - the idea that the third Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year.
And by the end, half the goals and good intentions that were set at the start of the year have fallen by the wayside.
It's a weird month.
But not for me.
I kind of like January.
If I'm honest, I find November the hardest month - just after the clocks go back when the days get shorter and darker and colder. It takes me a while to adapt. My energy levels dip. I find it harder to motivate myself. Everything feels a bit meh.
But by January, I'm raring to go again. I set my goals for the year. I make my plan. I prepare for the year ahead.
And business picks up. Because despite me banging on about how you shouldn't wait until the new year to invest in your marketing, so many people do.
So if you're one of those people who told themselves "I'm going to have a big push on marketing/sort my marketing out/focus on my marketing in 2024," this newsletter is for you.
It's not too late to start
Goal setting isn't limited to the first day of the year. You can make changes to your life or business at any time of year.
So even if you set some resolutions and feel like you've failed miserably, you haven't.
I said in last month's newsletter that I avoid resolutions. Instead, I set targets for the year. For example, write 12 blog posts.
This means I don't have to start on January 1st - I don't even have to start in January if I don't want to.
I do it with both my personal goals and business goals.
You can do it too. And you can do it today - you don't have to wait until next year.
Set your targets:
Once you have your targets, you can plan how to achieve them.
For example, let's say you choose 12 blog posts. Your first step might be planning the subjects for those posts and working out when you want to post them. Maybe some topics are more relevant at certain times of the year.
Next, you need a plan for creating the blog posts. If you're new to blogging, it can be tough getting started, but luckily, I have an easy-to-follow process.
Follow this process each month and you'll have 12 blog posts in a year (even if you don't start until halfway through January).
Don't try and change everything all at once.
It's not really surprising that so many people fail to stick to their New Year's resolutions.
They put ridiculous pressure on themselves to suddenly change. They set unachievable goals. Or they set goals without planning how they'll achieve them.
Building new routines takes time and if you're trying to change too many things at once, you're bound to struggle.
Let's say you're trying to cut down your calorie intake while increasing your exercise levels.
That's going to have a big impact on your body. Eating less can impact your energy levels while exercising more can make you hungry. Lower energy levels will make it harder to exercise and increased hunger will make it harder to stick to your diet.
But what if you didn't try and do both at once? What if you had a plan? First, you change your diet and then once you've adapted to the changes, you incorporate exercise. Or you start exercising first and then gradually change your diet.
Wouldn't that be easier?
It's the same with marketing.
Trying to make too many changes at once can be unmanageable.
If you're trying to go from doing zero marketing to creating daily content for three different channels, you're going to struggle to sustain it.
Instead, you need a plan.
Maybe start with one channel. And instead of daily content, start with weekly content. Once you've established a good routine, you can up the number of channels or the frequency of the content.
Let's talk about websites
A lot of people argue that you don't need a website.
I disagree.
You don't need a fancy website. You certainly don't need to spend half your life savings on a website. You don't even need to hire a web designer.
But I would definitely argue that it's worth having a website of some description.
A website is yours – you own it. That means you have full control over it.?
If you rely on a third-party platform, you’re always at risk. What happens if that third-party platform closes down, changes its terms or suddenly decides to increase the prices?
Plus, if that platform is a social media platform such as Facebook or LinkedIn, you might be missing out on customers who don’t use that platform.?
But a website be accessed by anyone with an internet connection - they don't need an account to check out your content.
And you can design your website to suit your business.? You can put whatever content you want on there. You can sell products directly through your site. You can add booking forms, contact forms, and email sign-up forms. You can add videos, blogs, images – whatever you want.?
But for me, one of the biggest reasons to have a website is to show you are serious about your business.
I think having a website shows you are committed to your business. It shows you believe in it enough to invest in it, to build a platform dedicated to it, to put down some roots.
Running your business from a free social media platform doesn't tell me that.
Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but I still see having a website as a sign you are a "proper business."
And I'm not alone. I recently asked my husband, "What are your thoughts on businesses that don't have websites?"
His answer - "Not favourable!"
Like me, he likes to visit a website so he can check a company out before he makes a decision. To be able to see any Google or Trustpilot reviews. To see examples of the company's work or find out more about their history and credibility.
I'm not saying neither of us would buy from a business that didn't have a website. We recently had our fridge-freezer fixed by a company without a site. But if we had to choose between two companies doing the same thing, we'd pick the one with the website (unless the reviews were absolutely awful).
And I know we can't be the only ones.
So you might not need a website to get business. But not having one could be losing you business.
And having one that's out of date and full of crappy copy could be losing you business too.
Is your website copy due for a review?
Since we're on the topic of websites, when was the last time you updated yours?
How's the copy? Does it do its job? Does it make people want to work with you? Does it tell people who you help and how you help them? Does it convince people to take action?
If it doesn't, it's time you did something about it.
And if you're planning a new website, why not sign up for my online Write to Sell course? Not only does it cover website copy, it will teach you how to write copy for all kinds of marketing channels - social media, email, direct mail, blogs and much more.
Alternatively, if you'd like some one-on-one support, book a 90-minute website review and we'll work on your website copy together.
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