Plan To Market Wisely Or Plan To Go Down The Tubes

Did you know there’s over 100 marketing platforms you can take advantage of to build your business and your brand, even if you’re on a $0 budget?

It’s true!

BUT … here’s the catch:

You won’t experience a lick of success in your marketing efforts unless you choose platforms you sincerely enjoy working and ones that fit into your schedule and lifestyle.

I’ll give you an example …

My friend and newbie online marketing pro, Sheila Atwood, of Newbie Lifeline has experienced tremendous success building her business by utilizing forums as a marketing platform.  I envy her and I think that’s awesome!

Give yourself the gift of getting to know Sheila and let her give you some tips about adding forums to your marketing plan.

For me, forums wouldn’t be a good choice.  Why?  It’s not because I don’t enjoy meeting new people in my target audience, learning about what others in my niche are doing, networking with like-minded business professionals, or striking up interesting and vibrant conversations that, ultimately, direct people back to my website or blog.

Who wouldn’t love THAT?!

However, forums wouldn’t work for me because I don’t have the amount of time and devotion needed to make them work.  In addition to my online business, I work outside the home, as well, and my offline commitments eat into a BIG chunk of my week.

A better choice for me, considering my schedule and lifestyle, would be blogging and social media venues.  And I’m happy to say these two arenas are where I’ve experienced the greatest success in my marketing efforts.

If your curiosity is piqued, your budget is tight, and you’d like to find out more about over 100 marketing platforms, just download a Free Shoestring Marketing Kit.

Which marketing platforms do you enjoy the most? Which ones are working best for you?

  • People tend to miss that piece of the puzzle, don’t they? Everyone hears about something that’s working for one person and wants to jump on board. But the same marketing strategies really don’t work for every single person, in every single business, every single time. Some are more “universal” than others, but even those require a plan for success!

    • You said it! And I wholeheartedly agree, Michelle.

      Human nature dictates – it wins every time. We see someone else enjoying tremendous success with their marketing strategies of choice and we want to jump right on the bandwagon! And in online marketing, it’s even tougher to “resist” doing what others are doing because EVERYTHING is made out to sound like the holy grail – the missing link – the best thing since sliced bread – or at a minimum, like the golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory! 🙂

  • Bravo Melanie! Yes – it’s so easy to get overwhelmed with all the social media options out there…and it’s important to understand which serve your individual needs best (at any point in time). Thank you for making these important distinctions and sharing your story (and your Marketing Kit!)

  • What a great example, Melanie. I love the common sense approach you put out there. What a concept, too: start small, be consistent.

    • Works for me, Mary Ellen!

      It just makes good sense to master one marketing platform or strategy at a time. Why muddy the waters or bite off more than you can chew? If you try to be all over the map with your marketing, you simply will not get results. Exhausted and depressed, maybe – but no measurable or lasting results. At least that’s been my experience.

      Great to see you here today!

  • Hi Melanie,

    Thanks for the kudos.

    I have never been much for getting out in the mix. I like doing the behind the scenes stuff. I love the administration and creating product. So the marketing thing is really a push.

    You are so right when it comes to finding what marketing works best for your. Test, test, test. I had to test out several forums and test what times worked the best. The marketing platform has to fit both my style and my time plus be the most effective use of that time.

    I am heading over to get my copy of the Free Shoe String Kit….always looking for new simple ways to market.

    • Well-deserved, Sheila! And the blog post you published about forums is outstanding. Glad you’re going to grab a free shoestring marketing kit – Jessica’s list is one you’ll appreciate being on – lots and lots of helpful marketing tips.

      Isn’t it ironic? I’m also more of a “behind the scenes” kind of gal, too, but maybe in a different way than you. I don’t have the technical knowledge and skills that you have so I’m not behind the scenes doing any of that stuff, believe me. I’m just not one that goes to live events or creates videos, etc. I guess I just don’t have that “flamboyant” side to me. 🙂

      I love that you reinforced the point I was trying to make in this post. It’s simply impossible to enjoy any kind of marketing success unless you’re using strategies that mesh and meld with you. Thanks.

  • That is great food for thought. I am guilty of trying to fit too many marketing tools into my schedule and often get overwhelmed. My favorites are blogging, social media and forums. Article writing is a big one for many but I haven’t gone down that road full force yet. Videos are working wonders for lots of people too. You have really hit on a common problem here. Find the tools that work best FOR YOU and do those first. When you are able to hire a VA, turn some of the other avenues over to them!

    • Really appreciate your honesty and openness on this issue, Martha, and I’m sure your thoughts will touch a chord with lots of marketers. For someone who’s as skilled at marketing as you are, it’s refreshing to hear that your best advice is to not get bogged down with too many different kinds of marketing going on at once.

      Yes, it might be interesting if all of us cooked up a marketing soup with every available marketing ingredient, but it probably wouldn’t end up tasting very good. Most likely would be too spicy and cause some undesirable indigestion!

      You’ve hit on the very best way to approach marketing — test a few different strategies that appeal to you and are a good fit for your marketing style — and when you’ve mastered those, you can start adding more to your plan. And definitely hire a VA if you can.