Are you suffering from competitor comparisonitis?

This week's newsletter is an excerpt from my new book?Be a Spider Build a Web: Sticky Content Marketing for Small Businesses. I often take the excerpt and "un-spidey" it for this newsletter but this week I've kept it as it is.

Want a copy of this book? PREORDERS are open now! (and it’s a pre-order discount valid until May 31 2022)

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I often remind my clients that they cannot be expected to have the same levels of output as me when doing their own marketing. I’ve been a content writer for over twenty years. I work as a marketer so I live and breathe marketing ideas, and I’ve got others in my team who help with design, some writing, and the admin of marketing.

You don’t know what help others are getting to make all their marketing happen. They may have more time because they are less busy than you are, or because they’re opting to sacrifice sleep.

Focus on what you are doing and stop looking over your shoulder.

Restrict your information sources

I’m very careful to check who I follow and read online. I’m constantly learning and developing my knowledge and skills and following other marketers and writers. I make sure they have similar values to mine and check I’m following people that are recognised leaders in their space.

Often the content I read is American and needs to be Kiwified/Aussified for our specific needs. I’ll spend time fact-checking, or go directly to the source. I test ideas out and see if they work. I’ll check in with other colleagues who have similar types of clients. I have to do this as I’m often advising our clients of updates. That is part of my “proper work”.

You are going to need to stay updated too. It’s important for you to get advice and help. Do remember, we can get overwhelmed by taking in too much conflicting information and not having time to work out what’s the best fit for your business.

It’s common to see people asking questions like “what’s a great CRM?” or “how do I advertise my business?” online, and watch people kindly jumping in to answer with something that has worked for them, but might not fit the business owner who asked.

If you are going to use Facebook groups to get help and support, please take time to write a detailed breakdown of your type of business, the stage of your business, and what outcomes you need before getting answers. It’s also a good idea to ask people why they’d recommend it.

If someone offers their business as a solution, choose them only if you relate to them and trust them. There are marketers out there whom I find easy to relate to, and others who make me feel anxious. Guess which ones I follow and subscribe to?

Want to read more??Buy your copy of the whole book here

For over ten years Rachel Klaver has worked with small business owners on their marketing, with a specific interest in content marketing strategy. She loves playing with language and shares her own marketing catchphrases such as "Be a kind spider" and "You have never killed a man with your face" As a small business owner, often low on time, and with a distinct aversion to admin, Rachel loves helping other small businesses catch the marketing bug. Her insights and personality shine through her weekly podcast MAP IT Marketing, her weekly column in NZ's national newspaper Stuff, and her content on any platform they let her have an account!