Let’s fall in love with marketing

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2023. I hope you had a good break, you’re rested and energized and ready to start the year with excitement!

I would like to kick the year off with a note to myself. Many of the newsletters I write are inspired by questions from people like you - but some are inspired by the things I struggle with.

One of those things is marketing.

I’ve never regarded myself as being really good at marketing. But I also know marketing is one of the most important things we have to get right, so I’ve decided that 2023 will be the year that I fall in love with marketing.

Here’s how I’m going to do that.

Step 1: Understand the “why”

In my case, I want to fall in love with marketing. The “why” behind this is that I know I need to be good at marketing, but I will never be really good if I don’t like doing it - at least a little bit.

If I fall in love with marketing, I will get better at it, and as the results start showing up (more subscribers and eventually more sales), I will enjoy doing it even more. This kind of virtuous cycle is self-reinforcing.

Step 2: Start small

One of the biggest mistakes we make when we decide to get “good” at something is trying to do too much. Exercising 7 days a week is probably not sustainable; marketing every single day will be tough.

The great thing about starting small is that it’s relatively easy. Get the first, small steps right and it’s easier to fall in love with what you’re doing. Combine this with the other steps here and before you know it, you won’t be that small any more.

Step 3: Be consistent

To get good at something, you have to consistently practice and do it. This is true whether you want to lose weight or get more subscribers.

I’ve been pretty good at being consistent with this newsletter. Combine this with keeping it relatively small (and therefore easy to create), and you show up consistently (one of the keys to effective marketing).

Step 4: Develop a system

A “system” helps you do things right every time, and removes the need to remember everything. And even more importantly, as you start growing your marketing work, it helps you keep on track with everything you have to do.

A system can be as simple as a checklist you follow every week. In my case, a weekly checklist will help me make sure I do the things I need to do to get better and marketing - and eventually fall in love with it.

Step 5: Block out time to do it

Block out time in your calendar to do marketing. Especially if you don’t like doing something, this time block (which doesn’t move or get overridden) will help you focus on what you need to do.

Again, start small - perhaps a couple of hours a week dedicated to marketing. In my case, I’m going to start with 2 hours a week and build up to 4 hours a week.

Step 6: Play the long game

And finally, realize that results are not going to show up in a day, a week or even a month. Monitor your results, but remember it’s going to take time to see the pay-off.

Combine the long game (patience) with consistency, and results will start showing up. In my case, I’m looking to do my marketing consistently for at least 3 months before I expect decent results.

I will keep you posted

In the spirit of working out loud, I will keep you posted on the results. I would love to hear how you’re doing.