There always seems to be something we're waiting for.
At the moment, it's the election. Earlier this year, it was the end of the financial year. Before that, it was Christmas, school holidays, or waiting for business to settle down before making any big decisions. Soon it will be “after Christmas/school holidays” again.
None of those reasons is unreasonable. When the economy feels uncertain, it's natural to become more cautious about where you spend your money. Every business owner wants to make good decisions, and sometimes delaying feels like the safest option.
The problem is that waiting has a habit of becoming a pattern rather than a plan.
Once the election has been and gone, Christmas won't be far away. After Christmas, it'll be the New Year. Before long, school holidays will roll around again, followed by another financial year and another reason to put things off just a little longer.
The goalposts keep moving, but nothing else changes.
The businesses that keep moving are usually the ones that stay visible, and the ones that succeed.
One thing I've learnt over the years is that marketing isn't something you do because you suddenly need more enquiries. It's something you do long before you need the results.
The businesses that appear to have a steady stream of enquiries haven't usually found a secret formula. More often than not, they've simply kept showing up. They've continued writing blogs, updating their websites, sending emails, sharing content and investing in their marketing while everyone else was waiting for the "right" time.
Those small, consistent actions rarely produce instant results. What they do produce is momentum.
Momentum is one of the most valuable things a business can have, and it's surprisingly easy to lose.
Momentum is much harder to rebuild than it is to maintain.
When life gets busy, marketing is often the first thing to disappear. It makes sense at the time because clients need looking after, deadlines need meeting and the immediate work always feels more important than writing a blog or scheduling Pinterest Pins.
"I don't need to worry about marketing right now, I'm so busy already" (been there)
Then business slows down.
Suddenly the marketing you stopped six months ago becomes urgent because you need new enquiries. Unfortunately, you're no longer building on momentum that you already have. You're trying to create it from ground zero. Again. (been here, too)
That's why marketing can feel frustrating.
It isn't because it doesn't work; it's because we're expecting today's effort to solve today's problem, when marketing has always been about creating tomorrow's opportunities.
Your future clients don't know (or care) that you're waiting for something.
While you're waiting for the election to pass or for the economy to improve, people are still searching for answers.
They're reading blogs.
They're trawling Google and websites
They're browsing Pinterest.
They're asking for recommendations.
They're comparing businesses before deciding who to contact.
If your business has quietly disappeared from view over the past few months, they'll simply find someone else who continued showing up.
That doesn't mean you need to be everywhere or post every single day. It does mean that consistency matters more than intensity.
A thoughtful blog every month is better than writing six and then disappearing for a year. A handful of Pinterest Pins each week will almost always outperform a burst of activity followed by months of silence. The same applies to social media, email marketing and every other part of your online presence.
People rarely remember who shouted the loudest. They remember the businesses that kept showing up.
Don't wait for the "right" time to step up your marketing
I'm not suggesting every business should go out tomorrow and spend thousands of dollars on marketing.
For some businesses, investing money makes sense. For others, the right investment is simply setting aside time each week to consistently work on their own marketing.
The important thing is that you keep moving.
✔️ Write the blog you've been putting off.
✔️ Refresh the page on your website that's been out of date for two years.
✔️ Start building your Pinterest presence.
✔️ Send an email to your mailing list.
✔️ Do something that your future self will thank you for.
Because six months from now you'll either have six months of momentum and consistency behind you, or you'll be standing in exactly the same place, telling yourself you'll get started after the next big thing.
And if there's something I've learnt from working with business owners over the years, it's this:
There will always be another "next big thing."
If you know you need to step up your marketing, but don't have the time or know how to DIY it - that's what we're here for. View our monthly service packages, then make a time to chat with Nikki to see if we're a good fit, and how we can get started together.