Where do you market first on a limited budget?

I am often asked by female solopreneurs, “where do I market first, on a limited budget?”, which is a very valid and pressing question.

If this is a question you’ve been asking yourself, here is the process I suggest you follow:

STEP 1 - Revisit the research you did when you were homing in on your target market (aka your “ideal client avatar” or ICA)

STEP 2 - Pull the following details from what you gathered in that research:

  • Where do they live online?

  • Who do they follow?

  • What do they read?

  • Which podcasts are they listening to?

  • - Etc.

STEP 3 - With this data in-hand, identify your key marketing channels:

  • Select the right 2-3 social media platforms to use based on your ICA’s habits

  • Decide to set up a blog (or not)

  • Create a theme (or reason for being) for your weekly/bi-weekly/monthly emails - one that aligns with your offering and provides value to your subscribers (note, these should have a CTA - Call to Action - but should be separate from your full-on promo only emails)

STEP 4 - Do a self-assessment of your skills + interests (including whether or not you actually like doing something) as they pertain to the necessary digital marketing activities to execute on Step 3:

  • Graphic design, writing copy, posting on social channels and your blog, preparing and sending your emails, engaging with your target audience, etc.

  • Be honest with yourself - what are you good at / not good at; what do you like to do / not like to do?

STEP 5 - Realize that your BUDGET has two components:

  • Your Time

  • Your Money

You need to assess and get a handle on both.

STEP 6 - With your skills/interests identified and your budget of time/money...

  • What will you do yourself?

  • What will you outsource?

STEP 7 - And if there are available funds remaining...

  • What paid ads will you do?

  • E.g. Lead generation ads to build your email list, boosting posts increase awareness

  • Set your monthly budget for paid campaigns

STEP 8 - Realize this is a process that will evolve over time:

  • You may start doing all of the work yourself

  • As revenue flows in, you can begin to outsource certain activities per your self-assessment above

  • And you can layer in paid ads

NB: - I always suggest building an email list and communicating directly with your subscribers as suggested is Step 3, as you don't want "build your house on rented land" (I learned this the hard way).

And by way of demonstration…my CTA for you:

After reading the above, if you need help getting clear on your marketing strategy, book a 90-Minute Fast-Start Coaching Session.

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