You sit down to work on your marketing, and before you’ve written a single word, you have questions.
What should I post? Should I send an email? Does my website need work? Would running an ad help?
You open Facebook to look for inspiration. Twenty minutes later, you’ve watched someone explain why you need to make videos every day, saved three content ideas, and wondered whether you should start a podcast.
The time you set aside for marketing is almost gone. You still haven’t decided what to say.
If someone pulled up a chair and asked, “What is the ONE thing about your marketing you wish someone would just tell you what to do?” what would your answer be?
Maybe you’d say, “Tell me where I should spend my time.”
Or, “Help me explain what I do so people actually understand why they need it.”
You might simply say, “Tell me what to do first.”
That last one gets to the heart of a lot of marketing frustration.
Every marketing decision seems to create another decision
“Send an email” sounds straightforward until you have to choose the topic, write the subject line, decide what you want readers to do, and figure out where to send them.
“Post on social media” leaves you staring at an empty box, wondering what you could possibly say that you haven’t already said.
Even when you know how to use the tools, deciding what belongs in them can feel exhausting.
And when you care about your business, every choice carries a little extra weight. You don’t want to waste time. You don’t want to spend money on something that goes nowhere. You certainly don’t want to spend your evening creating a post that earns a thumbs-up from your sister and very little else.
It’s understandable to want someone to hand you a list and say, “Start here.”
A useful list begins with understanding what you want to happen.
Before choosing the task, choose the result
Imagine a home organizer who says, “I need to know what to post on Facebook.”
We could come up with plenty of ideas: organizing tips, before-and-after photos, storage products, or a funny post about the drawer everyone is afraid to open.
But then we ask what she wants her marketing to accomplish.
She wants more bookings for her unpacking service.
Now we have direction.
The person she wants to reach has just moved. They’re surrounded by boxes, can’t find the coffee mugs, and are starting to wonder whether they’ll ever park in the garage.
That gives her something specific to talk about.
She could explain how an unpacking session works, show how she helps someone get their kitchen ready to use, or answer a question about what the homeowner needs to do before she arrives.
Her invitation could be to book an unpacking consultation.
She still needs to create the post, but she has a reason for choosing the topic and a clear next step for the reader.
“What should I post?” becomes easier to answer when you know what you want the post to help accomplish.
Give your biggest question a little more detail
Write down the marketing question that keeps circling in your head. Then finish this sentence:
“I need help figuring out __________ because I want __________.”
For example:
“I need help figuring out what to post because I want more appointments for my skin-tightening services.”
“I need help figuring out what my website should say because I want visitors to request a consultation.”
“I need help choosing where to market because I have three hours a week and want to reach local business owners.”
That second half gives your question purpose. It helps you evaluate an idea based on whether it supports the result you want.
It also makes it easier to get useful help. Someone who understands your goal can give you a more thoughtful answer than “You should be on Instagram.”
Make one decision you can put to work
You may have a long list of things you’d like to improve. For now, choose one offer and one result to focus on.
Then work through three questions:
- WHO are you trying to reach? Think about what is happening in their life or business that would make your offer relevant.
- WHAT do they need to understand? Explain how you help, answer a question they may have, or address something that makes them hesitate.
- WHERE will you focus? Choose a place where you can reach these people and consistently guide them toward the next step.
Use those answers to choose one action for this week.
You might rewrite the opening of your website so visitors can recognize themselves in it. You might send an email explaining a service your customers often overlook. You might create a post answering the question people ask right before they book.
Give that action a deadline. Decide what response you’ll watch for, such as inquiries, bookings, or registrations.
You now have something you can do, finish, and learn from.
You can ask for help before you have it all figured out
Sometimes the most useful part of a marketing conversation is having someone help you sort through everything competing for your attention.
You can arrive with the messy version: “I have all these ideas, I’m doing a little of everything, and I’m unsure what’s helping.”
That is a perfectly good place to begin.
During a Marketing Clarity Session, we work through your goal, your audience, your message, and where to focus your effort. Together, we turn those open questions into practical next steps for your business.
So, what is the ONE thing about your marketing you wish someone would just tell you what to do?
Start there. Your answer may point us toward the decision that will help you move forward.
Want help working through it? Visit Teach Me Social to learn about a Marketing Clarity Session.
