The one critical decision to attract clients

[00:00:00] Amel Derragui: The time is now episode 307. It is so important to know clearly how you want to run your business, and for that you need to be decisive about the strategy you are using to reach your goals. But also you need to be really clear about the resources that you are ready to invest in your business to get to where you want to be.

[00:00:29] Welcome to the time is now. The podcast show designed to take action and stay on top of your game to make a bigger impact with your business while creating more freedom and purpose in your life. This is your host, Amel Derragui. As your business and marketing coach, I am here to help you get the clarity and the action plan You need to position yourself as the go-to expert in your field and grow a business that is aligned with your needs.

[00:00:59] This [00:01:00] is your time to create more growth, alignment, and impact with your business. Today we are going to talk about the strategies that you're implementing in your business to attract your ideal clients, specifically your marketing strategies. But more specifically, I would love to talk about the key decision you need to make in order to facilitate the process of choosing the right strategies for you.

[00:01:31] In fact, one of the things that I rarely see with small business owners and self-employed entrepreneurs is to consider the resources that they are willing to invest in their business in order to implement the right strategies for them. I am here to help you really uplift your business. I am here to help you [00:02:00] think about your business.

[00:02:02] As a real company, and that's a little bit, the idea of this episode is to kind of shift some of the ways that usually small business owners and solo entrepreneurs consider their marketing strategies and the resources they're put into them while hoping for the best in terms of results. Before I go into this, I would like to back up a little bit and talk about some key foundations about how to choose your marketing strategies.

[00:02:32] I'm not gonna go into the details, but there's one simple way for you to really reflect on your marketing strategies if you haven't yet, and it goes with three key questions. The first one is to ask yourself, who is your ideal? Client and it has to be very, very specific. And if you have multiple segments in your business, know that you need one marketing strategy per segment.

[00:02:59] [00:03:00] So that's the first question. Then comes to second question, which is, where is your ideal client? By that I mean, where is your ideal client spending time to look for solutions to the problem you solve? If you don't have that answer really clearly defined, then it is time for you to sit down and do your market research or sometimes not sit down, but actually run around

town, but also around internet to figure out where are your ideal clients really making that research and spend the time as well.

[00:03:36] Interviewing those ideal clients, doing some surveys and listening to them of how they are. Uh, doing the process of fixing the problem that you wanna solve for them. It's only once you know where they are looking for the solution that you will know, which marketing strategies to choose. [00:04:00] Which leads to the third question, which is how to convert them into clients.

[00:04:07] So I'm going to give you a very simple example. Let's say you are a nutritionist and you did your research and realized that your ideal clients, when they're trying to find the right recipes that are aligned with their, um. Dietary requirements, the first thing they do is to Google a recipe or to search on Google the information that you provide.

[00:04:33] So if Google is the first place where your ideal clients goes, it means that for you, your key strategy has to be around search engine optimization. In other words, SEO. So this SEO is a very good example of the key point that I will try to make by the end of this episode, which is about the key decision you need to make to figure out [00:05:00] how you are going to implement that strategy effectively.

[00:05:05] In fact, it's one thing to know what you have to do. It's another thing to actually do it right, and you want to be able to implement that strategy in a way that it actually works for you. And here is the biggest challenge for small business owners and self-employed entrepreneurs. It's the allocation of the resources to actually implement that strategy effectively.

[00:05:32] Bottom line. What I always tell to my clients is that as a solo entrepreneur or small business owner, you basically only have the choice between two things. Either investing time or investing money for you to implement the right strategies. And SEU is a very good example of. That dilemma that you will need to [00:06:00] solve for you to be effective with your strategies.

[00:06:05] Let's say here the typical example of SEO, the next decision, once you know that this is the strategy for you, is to decide whether you are going to focus on organic solutions or paid solutions. So organic marketing. Are marketing there are based on your efforts in time to implement those strategies. For instance, with SEO, it will be putting a real focus and time in creating your content in a way that it helps you to show up on Google, which means that you will also have to spend the time to educate yourself to figure out how to do that effectively.

[00:06:43] So the organic way with SEO is to create the content on your website so that you show up, but it doesn't always work, and that's where the second pillar comes in, which is the paid marketing strategies. And with SEO for instance, you [00:07:00] could create ads on Google to show up when people type a certain question.

[00:07:05] So that's the first decision is are you going with organic marketing strategies or are you going with paid marketing strategies such as advertising? I can tell you from the get go that paid marketing strategies, the big advantage of it is the speed. As I said, you either have time or you have money. So when you have a budget and can invest, you'll actually probably get faster result, as long as the strategy is the right one and implement it.

[00:07:34] Effectively, but also let's say that you do choose to go with paid marketing. Even then, you are going to have to choose between spending the time to learn how to do it or to pay the right people who know about it, to do it for you. Because the investment here is going to be, first of all, towards, in this [00:08:00] instance Google that provides the space, but you'll also need to invest either time or money on the ad itself, producing the ad itself, and not just distributing it on Google and not just the visibility part.

[00:08:16] The fact of. Paying for the service of showing up on the top results of Google. And I do think that this is the key part that most entrepreneurs don't consider. I do believe in organic strategies, and I'm the one who myself use it all the time. And most of the strategies that I work with on, with my clients are based on organic marketing, marketing strategies that you can implement yourself as long as you're consistent and make the time for it.

[00:08:46] But maybe you do have a certain budget that you can locate to marketing, so I don't want you to completely dismiss this part and make that decision consciously [00:09:00] and spend the time to research. What would be the budget needed for you to accelerate your marketing strategy with paid marketing? For instance, if SEO is the right solution for you, then you will first do some research to figure out what would be the monthly budget of advertising you would need to build on Google so that you can start showing up on the top links of Google.

[00:09:33] Also, if you had to pay somebody to do it, what would be the budget that this person would charge? Side note about SEO, it's one thing to know how to run an ad. It's another thing to be good at creating the copy and the images for it. So that's another thing to consider. Most people who actually run and sell advertising campaigns on Google are not [00:10:00] necessary good copywriters and.

[00:10:02] Graphic designers, so that means that you also need to think, are you going to study and learn how to write the right copy and the right images, or are you also going to invest in experts who will write the copy for you and the images for you? Okay, so technically there's no images with Google, but this is a very typical example.

[00:10:24] For instance, when we do social media ads on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, copy and images are very important for Google. Copy is gonna be more important. It's rare that there are images that associated to the ads. Just a little clarification. But just wanted to give that example of needing sometimes extra skills or variety, different skills for that one strategy.

[00:10:48] Before I move on with the paid marketing strategies, I do want to give you a couple of quick tips of how to go about them to make sure that you are minimizing the [00:11:00] risks of your investment. Obviously when you invest in paid advertising, you will never have a hundred percent guarantee that it will work.

[00:11:08] However, you can make sure to put a maximum of safeguards so that you increase the potential of your paid marketing to work so. Quick tips about that. The first one is, whenever you choose a marketing strategies that is paid ad, for example, make sure to define clear goals. Ask yourself, what am I trying to achieve by investing in this ad?

[00:11:33] For example, with SEO I'm trying to achieve, to be on the top results when somebody searched for X, Y, Z keywords. Then the second tip is define measurables and define key, what we call KPIs, but also define a timeframe. Ask yourself, how long do I give to this strategy to give me results? In [00:12:00] fact, very often, for example, with ads, you do need a a little bit of time, for instance, three to four months, depending on the ad, depending on the platform, for you to know if this strategy is actually hel helping and working.

[00:12:13] So. On top of having, um, KPIs, like key measurable indicators, make sure to give yourself as well a timeframe. Let's say you're running a ad on social media to promote your lead magnet and to grow your email list. You want to say, for instance, for the investment and for the cost per click that I have, I'm hoping to get, let's say, for each ad.

[00:12:37] At least a hundred side up. And I want to give it until this date to make sure that this ad works, right? So that way you already decide on some measurables that will help you know if this is working for you or not, instead of just putting the ads out there, here and there. And then just hoping for the best.

[00:12:58] And this is what I see a [00:13:00] lot of solo entrepreneurs do. They run their ads, they invest for the actual space, for the, for. What I call a space and what we call space in marketing is the actual exposure or sometimes on top of it they add for the expertise of the person to do it for them, but there's no measurables to know if it is worth it or not.

[00:13:20] And then we get frustrated 'cause we feel it's not working, but we can't really explain why it's not working. Right, besides the fact that you don't get results and you don't know if you should continue a weight. So decide those measurables before and do the research to know what could be those reasonable KPIs.

[00:13:38] For instance, one of the KPIs to have is the cost per click. So do the research to know in your industry, what is the average cost per click for an ad in your industry. And again, if you don't know how to find it, how to research it on your own, then reach out to the experts to help you find those answers.

[00:13:58] Which leads me to the [00:14:00] third tip, which is when you hire external service providers to help you with implementing these ads and these paid marketing strategies, make sure to ask them as well to give you some measurables that they can be accountable for. So. Again, you cannot demand from a service provider to guarantee you the results a hundred percent.

[00:14:22] On an ad, for example, you cannot say, um, if I don't get a hundred people for this ad, then I want my money back. Unless that's part of the contract and they offer it, that's another thing. But you can ask them to give you some KPIs to measure together whether the ad is working or not. And based on those KPIs, you will know if they're doing a good work or not for you.

[00:14:48] Same if you are implementing the ad on your own. Those will help you know if your ad is working. And last tip, if you are working with other people, then ask them to give you examples of [00:15:00] past campaigns or past. Marketing strategies that are implemented, they're as close as to what you are planning to do, and that way you will know if these people are the right thing.

[00:15:11] Because one of the thing that's really hard, when we do paid marketing strategies and use this external service providers, it's sometimes really hard to choose and to know if this person is the right person, especially if it hasn't been recommended. And sometimes even if it's recommended, you don't have a guarantee.

[00:15:29] So ask for examples of past clients that, and the results they got for them, and also measurable results with key KPIs and results. That way it will help you as well make your choice. Okay, so I made my point about making sure to not dismiss paid marketing strategies in your business because they often help you to get faster results.

[00:15:57] The only downside of it is that you [00:16:00] have to keep investing in them. To work on the long term. So it's a continuous investment. You cannot pay it just one time and then hope that that will be enough. Very often you need to have a consistent budget dedicated to that strategy, whereas with organic strategies, they don't have results as fast, but usually they do provide more long-term results and more sustainable results on the long-term.

[00:16:29] A combination of both is also great, but again, as a sole entrepreneur or small business owner, it's really hard to use all the strategies possible. So it's really important to make strategic decision of where you will put your focus, and most importantly, where you'll put your resources. Which leads me to my biggest point for this episode.

[00:16:55] If you want to run your business like a real business, and [00:17:00] effectively you need to choose the right strategies for you, but also you need to decide very clearly what are the resources that you have and that you will commit to implementing those strategies, and those resources you have are either time or money.

[00:17:21] And if you can't put in none, then my friend, it's going to be very difficult for you to see any results in your business. So if you struggle to making time in your business, it means that you are not doing something right in the business or spending the right focus in the right place in your business.

[00:17:43] And for that, I will really invite you to check my previous solo episode on this topic. Episode 305 or share with you my tips of how to make the right time in your business and also stay tuned in the next episode with Emily [00:18:00] Roger, where we will talk about real life case study of an entrepreneur who is also a mother of two, and how she manages to stay consistent with her organic marketing and putting the time in it and being extremely consistent with it.

[00:18:17] While making sure to not get overwhelmed, and most importantly, to build quality time for her self-care and her family. So if you struggle with that, check the episode 305 and 308. That will be right after this one. So quick summary here. Number one, do the research to define your key marketing strategies.

[00:18:43] Number two, decide which resources you have that you will be investing in your business to be able to implement those strategies effectively. And third, whether you go with organic or paid marketing strategies, set some [00:19:00] measurables, set some KPIs and a timeframe to know if the strategies you're doing are actually working for you.

[00:19:08] Instead of going and trying different strategies here and there, make sure to stick to one to three marketing strategies max, and then set a timeframe to measure the results so that you know what next to do. And if you struggle to go through these steps and have the answers you need, then get the help you need.

[00:19:29] Don't wait until things become too frustrating in that you spend so much energy in your business without having results. And if you need any help in terms of defining a marketing strategies and your processes to be consistent, I am here to help you. Schedule a free assessment call with me during that assessment call.

[00:19:49] We will go through your challenges and define some key directions that you can take in your business, and I will then share with you how I can work with you to help you [00:20:00] through the implementation of the recommendations I will give you. To schedule your free assessment call, you will find the link in the show notes of this episode.

[00:20:10] Go to the time is now biz slash three seven. In summary, my goal for you with this episode is to really shift your mindset about how you are looking at your business and how you are being very mindful and aware about the strategies you are using and what are you doing to be consistent with them. And in order to be consistent in your marketing strategies so that you can get results, you need to also decide.

[00:20:43] What resources you will invest and how you'll invest them, and those resources are either your time. Or your money, you have to choose. When you have both, it's amazing. But usually when we don't have time, we invest money. And usually if we have money, [00:21:00] then we don't need to spend too much time either because we can pay people to do things for us.

[00:21:05] So. Knowing that, I hope that you can now look at how you are investing resources in your business to attract more clients, to grow your business, and to really make the impact you want in your business, and to allow yourself as well, to be ambitious about your business, to look at yourself as an entrepreneur and a business owner, and not just.

[00:21:28] As a service provider. All right, do we have a deal? I hope that this episode was helpful and led you to reflect on your business, and I can't wait to meet you in the next episode or to connect with you directly. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Stay tuned to turn your challenges into great opportunities to create more growth, alignment, and impact with your business.