Certainly, 2020 had taught us many lessons but it’s what we take from those lessons that will make the difference in 2021.
I want to be transparent here…. I’ve always worked hard at my business! For the last 6 years, I’ve written a blog weekly; I’ve held 15 live events; I’ve networked diligently; I’ve had my website redone countless times and my elevator pitch …. Well never mind!
Perhaps you’ve been a little like me. Perhaps you’ve felt a little like a slave to your business or perhaps you’ve got an endless To-Do List. Or perhaps you just wished you had more FREEDOM. It might be financial freedom or it might be time freedom!
I’ve decided that 2021 will be the year for more TIME FREEDOM in my business. This year I’ll be turning 68 and as the years progress, I want to serve more people, but I want to work less. And 2020 was the year that brought this home to me more than ever.
Here are my lessons learned in 2020:
1. Effective marketing impacts your bottom line but to be effective it’s all about how you are positioned compared to your competition.
Reality check – you don’t have to be the best in your industry; you just have to have the most effective marketing.
- How do you position yourself as THE OBVIOUS CHOICE against your competition?
- How do you stand out from your competition?
- What makes you different from your competition?
I learned that positioning is key! You must have the answers to those questions! And your marketing must be built on a strong foundation. This year I invested in creating my own intellectual property which means that people now tell me …. I’ve never heard anyone explain marketing like that … I think I need to work with you!
2. Creating rinse and repeat marketing & sales funnels make client-attraction simpler and easier.
If you have noticed, I’ve been running FREE 5-day masterclasses & workshops – these are rinse &repeat; and generate consistent income.
Once these funnels are tweaked, they also make your marketing predictably profitable – and let’s face it, who doesn’t want that?
Funnels don’t have to be complicated nor do they have to be automated. Networking can be a great marketing funnel if you have a compelling elevator pitch and a powerful lead magnet.
I’ll be focusing on making my marketing funnels clearer; results driven and increasing the use of social media in my funnels.
What does your marketing funnel look like? Is it simple? Is it easy? Does it bring in clients consistently? Have you focused on one funnel and made it work effectively?
3. Lead magnets (freebies) are a powerful way to grow your audience!
I’ve learned that prospects who agree to receive your emails are more than 4 times more likely to buy from you than your followers on social media!
And prospects on your email list are more than 8 times more likely to see your marketing message than those on social media!
These two statistics were enough to encourage me to up my game with respect to email marketing.
So, in the coming year, I intend to develop several more effective lead magnets and use them in various ways through my marketing funnels.
Do you have an ‘effective’ lead magnet? Do you track the numbers? Where do you use it in your marketing funnel?
4. Taking daring action will get you noticed!
When the world shut down on March 17, I was focused on getting my daughter home from Australia before the borders closed. But the next week, I knew that I had to get into action – I had to do something that my competition wasn’t doing!
Within a week, I created a 5-day marketing workshop and launched an abbreviated marketing program. Since that time, I’ve rinsed and repeated that formula four times and have taught it to those clients who had the foundations in place.
Why was that action daring? It was daring because I didn’t know if the workshop would work – but I tried it! I was passionate and determined. Those relaunches made up 60% of my business in 2020.
Will I do it again? YES!
What will I try in 2021? Just keep watching!
What will you try in 2021?
5. Having a marketing/profit plan saves you time!
Some of you might think that having a plan in 2020 was a waste of time! But I can tell you – it was the best thing ever! An action plan gives you focus and focus gives you FREEDOM.
You see, each year I create my marketing plan for the coming year based on what went well the previous year. In other words, I doubled down on what worked; and eliminated or tweaked what didn’t work.
I knew that in 2020, I had to do more teaching and speaking (about marketing). In March, when everything changed and went online, the only thing I had to change was HOW I delivered that teaching & speaking. I didn’t throw out the plan – it just needed tweaking.
So, do I have a comprehensive marketing/profit plan for 2021? Certainly! Will it need tweaking throughout the year – of course, because plans aren’t tattoos; they can be changed easily.
As I head into 2021, I’m going to FOCUS so I can have more time freedom!
In order to have more focus & more freedom, here are the essentials for your marketing/profit plan:
- Set realistic goals (I like to create 3-5 goals to focus on).
- Know your dream client better than they know themselves so you can create your position as THE OBVIOUS CHOICE.
- Have an action plan for HOW you’re going to achieve those goals so you can have time for what matters most
- Outline your ‘content’ plan to support your sales strategies.
- Be daring and take bold action (you’re the expert!!!)
How about you?
What will you focus on for 2021?
- If you’re having difficulty deciding on what to focus on….
- If you’re looking to kickstart your 2021….
- If you’re looking for more FREEDOM ….
- If you want to see massive momentum….
- If you want client-attraction easier…..
Then join me January 4th for my new FREE Freedom & Focus Masterclass! Register here
I’ll share with you:
- What you should be spending your time DOING in your business for success
- A game plan for increased productivity
- A simple strategy to make time for what matters most
- The ultimate way to stay focused and achieve your goals
- Powerful systems for success
Looking forward to seeing you there!!!
Diana
P.S. Client-attraction (marketing) can be easy. It can be fun especially when you FOCUS! Register here.
