I was a busy fool. Are you?
Why? Because I used to try and do everything for my business myself. I wrote and uploaded my own blogs and newsletter. I did all my own admin, from billings to contracts and chasing up approvals and payments.
Busy Fool Syndrome is rife in today’s world, whether you’re an overloaded business owner trying to do it all yourself, or a frantic parent trying to cram everything in (or, in many cases, both).
If you’re in any doubt, take a quick look at this quiz, from Women’s Health.
We often fall into the trap of wearing our ‘busy-ness’ as a badge of honour. After all, if we’re always on the go, and running our business is a 24/7 job, we must be in demand, and therefore successful, right?
Well, no. Not really.
Often, especially as a business owner, you’re busy and overstretched because there genuinely so much to do.
But we’ve all also met the work colleague or employee who has made a career out of looking busy, being first to arrive and last to leave, sending and replying to emails in the early hours, whilst not, apparently, producing anything tangible.
Frankly, I don’t want to be either of those people, and I suspect, neither do you. Trying to do everything yourself puts barriers in the way of growing your business.
I’ve learned that the hard way, and now I outsource tasks that get in the way – from my accounting and admin, to copywriting and social media management. That frees me up to do what I do best; designing and managing powerful marketing strategies for you, along with building my business.
How not to be a Busy Fool with your marketing
Marketing is dynamic and fast-paced, and it’s easy to get bogged down in countless tasks, whilst feeling that you’re not achieving much.
- Set clear marketing goals
Having specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals is essential in marketing. Clear goals help you stay focused on your priorities and track your progress.
- Prioritise high-impact activities
Identify and prioritise high-impact activities that align with your business goals, such as:
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
- Personalised and targeted email marketing
- High quality content marketing
- Leverage marketing automation
Marketing automation can streamline repetitive tasks like:
- Email Marketing
- Social Media Posts
- Lead Nurturing
Automating these activities can free you up for more strategic thinking.
- Data-driven decision-making
Take the guesswork out of your marketing decisions by using data to:
- Identify trends
- Refine strategies
- Measure success
- Focus on quality not quantity
However, high-quality marketing efforts are more likely to connect with your target audience and deliver better results. Focus on creating impactful content and well-executed campaigns that add value to your audience.
- The crux of the matter: outsource or delegate your marketing
Rather than trying to do everything yourself, delegate tasks to members of your team, or, if that’s not feasible, outsource your marketing to the professionals.
OPTION 1: Employ a marketing professional
Once a business gets to a certain size, it’s normal to hire a marketing professional (and ultimately a team) to take care of everything. For a growing SME though, that can be a challenge. Employing people adds a lot to your budget (especially with the recently announced increase to Employer NI contributions). And if you can only employ one person to begin with, how do you ensure you recruit someone with the who skills set that you need?
You could be looking for:
- A strategist
- A brand consultant
- A graphic designer
- A copywriter
- A video producer
- A photographer
- An SEO expert
- A website manager
- A social media manager
- A market researcher
- And more…
OPTION 2: Outsource your marketing
Outsourcing your marketing to a group of professionals (like The Marketing Associates) offers you the best of everything.
Led by an experienced marketing strategist (or Fractional Marketing Director as we’re sometimes called these days), your outsourced marketing team is built around your specific needs, offering you the range of expertise you need at any given time, without the overheads of employing all those people.
The team of Associates is managed through a central hub, giving you access to all the expertise we’vbe listed above, and more.
If you’d like to stop being a Busy Fool with your marketing in 2025, now is the time to get in touch to discuss how we can help.