If you are like many smart marketing leaders, you accept the fact that marketing methods and strategies have changed greatly over the past few years. If you haven’t already started incorporating Inbound Marketing techniques using social media, you know you need to – and you know you need to do it soon or you’ll be behind in your industry.
SEO, blog writing, blog publishing, Twitter, Face Book, LinkedIn, social media engagement, just to name a few - it’s a lot to take in, it can be overwhelming, and if you’re like me, you are already burning the candle at both ends and working more hours each week than you would like to admit. Spend less time with your family and friends, spend less time with your hobbies, have less private time with yourself, that can’t be the answer, what’s going to give?
Are you going to magically find a way to create more hours in the day? The truthful answer is – not likely. You can only wear so many capes at one time. So here are a few ways to make the transition into Inbound Marketing world a little less dramatic than throwing yourself off a cliff.
1. Set a goal of dedicating 4 hours per week.
2. There is no #2 for right now, focus on #1.
This is the same advice we share with our clients to get started. Don’t say, “I’m just too busy right now”. Here’s why – it is cost-effective, it is good for branding, and it builds long-term benefits that won’t fade away after the next clever print campaign ends. Don’t stop doing what you’re doing with print. Don’t throw yourself off a cliff. Relax, and just focus on #1 and #2 for now. The details will come to you when you actually start planning and sticking to a schedule of 4 hours/week.
Considering the traditional 40-hour workweek. That’s 10% of your time. What if adjusting your time management strategy by 10% resulted in an increase of 30% in sales? What if, in addition to increasing your sales by 30%, you also significantly lowered other costs associated with customer support or R & D?
Follow the steps (#1 & #2 above) and you’re sure to get excited and all of a sudden it will click and you’ll see how those 4 hours can change your entire approach to your current marketing strategies, your marketing budget, your ROI and your bottom line.
The other choice, is to keep thinking about it, talking about it, dreaming that there will be a better day when you actually will start doing it. That approach comes with the risk of stringing it out forever.
