“My day-to-day actions have consequences and the results will show up days, weeks, or even months ahead. That’s why it’s important to have a plan for developing good habits and executing them daily.”
~ Steve Adams
Recently, it seems as though all my clients have decided to double-down on their marketing so I’ve been working on several large projects for long time clients. I didn’t want to disappoint any of them so I decided that I need to improve my productivity so that I can write faster without compromising quality.
Right on cue, a friend in the US who has created a program for athletes and entrepreneurs that helps them spend more time in Flow* and get there faster reached out to me and suggested that I test out the program. Delighted by the possibility that I could control my experience of Flow and accomplish more great work in less time… which means you either get more done, or have more time to spend on other things (like family, friends, and learning) I decided to try it out.
In the process, I crystallised a truth about marketing… The power of a virtuous marketing cycle.
*If you’ve never heard of Flow, you can read Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book subtitled “The Art of Optimal Experience”
What is a Virtuous Marketing Cycle?
Let’s use an exercise analogy:
- The first day you start running you don’t get very far and you probably do some walking along the way;
- The next day you go a bit further, a bit faster, and there’s less walking;
- Over time you build up to your desired speed and distance IF you are consistent;
- Then you set a more ambitious goal to go further and faster…
- Eventually, you are running distances and speed that would have been unthinkable when you started your program.
If you think about running a marathon on Day 1 it might seem impossible, but once you can run 5k comfortably, you can think about the possibility.
This principle applies to your marketing efforts too.
Start Where You Are
Marketing is not a random list of activities. It’s consistent, purposeful, systematised activity that drives your business inexorably toward your goals. You can read more about how I see marketing HERE.
If you try to jump from the random acts of marketing that most businesses execute to a sophisticated, multi-step system in a single leap then, like most people, you’ll probably fail. It’s like trying to eat an elephant in a single bite. However, if you look at what you are currently doing (and the assets you already have) and take 1 step every single day toward a goal, then if won’t take you too long to design, build, and execute your first campaign.
Plan Your Course of Action
You can start with a simple 3-step process and a time-frame:
- Where am I now? What marketing are you doing? What assets do you have? How many people are on your list?
- What is my measurable goal? You can measure this in terms of output (number of newsletters, emails, blogs, social media campaigns etc) and results (number of new members, list sign-ups, appointments, requests for information, sales)
- What actions do I need to take to fill the gap and move from where I am now to where I want to be.
- Set a date to check your results – but keep that goal in front of your eyes from now to then.
Check Results & Expand Your Plan
When the date you set arrives, you need to look at your goal and your actual results.
Maybe you flew past your goal, maybe you just reached it, or maybe you fell short. Ask yourself, “Why?” And analyse what worked, and what didn’t.
Now it’s time to set a new goal and make a plan to reach that place. You’ll probably notice that your goal is more specific this time, possibly way further out than you could have imagined last time you set one, because you already have some experience.
Perhaps you’ve realised that there were some gaps in your perception of reality and adjusted your plans to meet them.
Either way, your new plan uses the elements you put in place last time as a springboard so that you can build on them and leap ahead further and faster.
Compound NOT Additive Effects = A Virtuous Cycle
We’re playing with compound interest on your efforts here, not growth by addition.
- Every asset you create and feed into your marketing system for reuse;
- Every campaign you build and refine;
- Every person you add to your direct mail and email lists;
- Every client you work with;
Is no longer a one-and-done interaction.
It’s an ongoing, reusable, engine of growth.
The end result of that consistent, strategic action is inexorable and almost unimaginable growth.
Dynamic Direct Response Copywriting
My book Dynamic Direct Response Copywriting isn’t just about writing copy. It’s also about embedding that copy into a powerful marketing machine that irresistibly attracts your ideal prospect and pre-disposes them to work with you. You can get it on Kindle HERE.
