Q: What advice would you give to your beginner-self when it comes to this field?
A: There is a lot I want to tell us in 2019! Buckle up because I might ramble a little. I'll provide a TL;DR for those of you who prefer to skip to the point (as always, I realize not everyone is here for that).
First off, there is no such thing as perfection. It is preferable to get started rather than stress about all these speculative possibilities because we will discover more as we go.
"There are more things...likely to frighten us than there are to crush us; We suffer more in our imaginations than in reality." ~ Seneca
So, before we even formed Lotus Media & Marketing Consultants, we used to wear multiple hats for different roles in these small companies we worked at. In 2019, we decided we would take a chance on us to see if this would even be a side hustle. Hunter is very cautious and I can sometimes overthink things from being an analyst. If I could go back in time, I would snap at us to say, "Just do it already! There is a lot of misinformation and people are leading folks astray for a couple bucks! It's the blind leading the blind, they are all in the dark. Also, stop letting imposter syndrome win, you deserve to be at the table with the board of executives."
Second, develop and automate processes for the love of God! As a result, I was able to design the media, report to clients, and build campaign templates such as campaign brief materials. However, we needed to maintain consistency because we lacked our own procedure. Every month, review the templates and framework and make any necessary updates based on what we've learned and how we've changed our thinking. Please use Goblin tools if you need a resource to help you, especially if you are neurodivergent! (Give it a shot later - here is the link: Magic ToDo - GoblinTools)
Basically, stop relying on your faulty memory to keep track of every action and demand for thought. This means that when dealing with customers, you should be concentrating on the campaign design rather than trying to recall lines of anecdotes about what to include in the process of creating your customer niche. Every month, we set aside time to improve our procedure.
You may be asking but why? Or I don't have time to think about systemizing every process?! Just have faith in it; it really is a lot simpler. It saves time, promotes cross-training, expedites training processes for new employees, and makes it so much easier to pinpoint bottlenecks and inconsistencies. It greatly aids scalability, whether you work alone or with an established agency.
Third, you have to focus on providing value and be the one that stands out. You must take the time to comprehend the issue that affects your target audience so that you can speak directly to it in the material you produce. You must comprehend their issues to demonstrate how your solution will address them. Also, it's ok to be eccentric one - as long as you are remembered in a positive light then no harm no foul right?
Fourth, Stop listening to all of the "gurus" of business who are out there immediately. Prioritize gaining the trust of others first. Why harass others for a sale if you don't enjoy it when the people at the kiosk do it to you? Giving up some free, practical advice is one way we build trust. People are sick of hearing sales pitches, and we marketers don't exactly have a good reputation here (I'd like to improve that, but we'll see).
How many emails and advertisements do you get urging you to enroll in their course, buy their product, or whatever? When you join up for a class that is "supposed to be enriching," what you get is someone droning on about their qualifications and life story for an hour instead of giving you the practical advice they promised.
We want to initially provide our clients with useful information so they can see us as a resource for helping them find the clients they need. People will eventually want to contact you because we produced something of value that is highly targeted and filled with value. They'll be sure that you know the answers to all of their questions. You've earned their trust once you've provided a ton of value and are responding to their concerns. People will gladly compensate you when you gain their trust. Now that you are acquainted, you have proven to them that you are their go-to problem solver.
Lastly, avoid starting your advertising campaign right away before you have any clients. When starting a new business, you first need a few clients. Even if you already have a few consumers, you shouldn't immediately start using paid promotions. For growth, you need to reinvest in your company. You turn to advertising when you need a wider audience. The audience should spread the word about us to everyone. Don't believe anyone who tells you that word of mouth is no longer effective (word of mouth is also a type of marketing). Your audience can't help but spread the word about your amazing experience or in-depth expertise when you share it.
Okay, I'll stop babbling for the time being...
Summary:
1) Imposter syndrome sucks and everything doesn't have to be perfect when you first start.
2) Create templates and frameworks for your business and go back to address any bottlenecks and issues.
3) Providing value to the customer that isn't generic and helping them solve problems!
4) Fuck those business gurus and be trustworthy!
5) Don't jump straight into advertising! Yes, it's good for outreach but get established first. (Get your house in order. Don't build a house on a shaky foundation.)