This post is going to help you figure out which marketing tasks to stop doing so that you free up time and reduce overwhelm.
After all, sometimes the marketing you’re doing is a distraction rather than a necessity! So, let’s figure out what’s essential and what’s not.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Daily Achiever’s Weekly Action Planner
[Meghan] If you’ve overcommitted and become dragged down by all that you’re doing in your business, this episode is for you. One reason for getting into this situation could be because you’re wasting time on distractions, such as ineffective—or even unnecessary—marketing tasks.
[Theresa] Previously, we talked about prioritizing your marketing tasks, which helps you streamline your work and get the right tasks done in the right order.
[Meghan] And by “right” we mean the most effective, most efficient, and most productive. “Right” is different for everyone. Ultimately, the goal is to avoid wasting time and to increase your marketing productivity.
[Theresa] To refresh your memory, in episode 59, I shared a way to categorize your tasks to simplify prioritizing them. The process is called “Dump, Defer, Delegate, and Do” or as I like to call it “The 4Ds.”
This post is all about the “dump” step in that process. In other words, how to figure out what marketing tasks to pause or eliminate in your business.
Negotiable vs Non-negotiable Tasks
[Meghan] A good starting place is to focus on the non-negotiable tasks in your business. Strip away anything that isn’t essential to running your business. This can improve your time management.
[Theresa] Non-negotiable tasks are those actions that you must do to run a functional business. They’re non-negotiable because if you don’t do them, you’re at risk of your business failing. Things like:
- filing taxes
- generating leads
- finding clients
- delivering services
- managing legal requirements
[Meghan] On the flip side are negotiable tasks. These are the actions that are optional in your business. They don’t contribute to the livelihood and existence of your business.
For example, your business can survive without posting three times a day on Instagram.
[Theresa] One very important thing to note is that negotiable tasks don’t always stay negotiable tasks. Sometimes you give something up because you don’t have the resources due to your current circumstances, so you make a decision to let it go for now. Then, when your circumstances change, you can add the task in.
For example, you may not have the resources to create video ads for Facebook right now. So you dump them and stick with carousel ads. The revenue from those ads allow you to hire someone to help create video ads, so you add them in. Or you replace carousel ads with video ads.
The point being that when you’re overwhelmed, re-prioritizing tasks gives you the time that you need to run your business.
[Meghan] You’re getting rid of the weeds and pruning the garden so it’s manageable again, so to speak.
[Theresa] The Dump step is about stripping away non-essential work to allow you to focus on the must-haves so that you can have a manageable business again. Otherwise, you end up being in a constant state of chaos.
Once you remove the extra, unimportant stuff, you’ll be able to get a better handle on your productivity, which will make everything easier. Then you can add tasks back in and try new things if you want.
How to Analyze Your Marketing Tasks to Determine What to Dump
[Meghan] So, how do you analyze your tasks to see what’s working and what’s not?
First, list your marketing tasks out so you can visualize your workload and see where you’re spending your time.
[Theresa] Once you have your list, assess each task and group them by marketing tactic, project, or goal. This helps you remember WHY you’re doing a particular task and how much time you’re devoting to a particular tactic.
So, for instance, let’s say you have a goal to create a “monthly promotional social media campaign.” You would group the tasks for this goal underneath it like this:
- Write social media post
- Create accompanying visual
- Schedule post
[Meghan] Next, look at the marketing tactics and tasks on your list and ask yourself:
- How are these things contributing to my bottom line?
- Are they supporting my non-negotiable, essential tasks? or
- Are they distracting me from more important, essential things?
- Is there something I’m already doing that’s getting much better results, so I should focus on it instead?
[Theresa] You’re looking for tasks and tactics that:
- don’t serve a clear business goal or produce tangible results
- take too much time or effort for not enough reward
- pull you away from revenue-generating tasks
- overlap or are redundant
[Meghan] We’re talking about marketing tasks here. So, these actions should obviously and outright contribute to essential things like lead generation and client acquisition or sales. If they don’t, then now’s the moment to dump them to free up time to focus on the bare necessities.
[Theresa] Choose your marketing tactics with effectiveness at the forefront and a solopreneur’s time limitations in mind. This will lead you to the marketing tasks that you need to keep on the to-do list…and the ones to dump.
Examples of Marketing Tasks We Stopped Doing
[Meghan] We’d love to tell you what to get rid of in your business! But, we can’t come up with a universal “Dump List” because each business is at a different stage with a different budget and in a different industry.
So, we thought we’d share an example of an instance where we stopped doing a marketing task or tactic.
Theresa’s Example
[Theresa] Prior to building my coaching business, I was a tenured Professional Craft Designer in the Craft and Hobby Industry working business to business. As blogging, Facebook, and Twitter emerged, those tools became my main marketing channels.
So, I created a highly sophisticated (at least for the time) marketing strategy using social media to drive people to my blog, while using my blog to grow my social media following.
The audience I built not only led to design work, but it also prompted manufacturers to hire me to help them with their social media.
My marketing strategy was super effective for my goals at that time. So, when I moved into coaching, I figured I’d simply change my content topics from crafting to business and it’d be all good.
However, I quickly discovered that my strategy no longer worked. That’s when a coach encouraged me to get out from behind my computer and try some in-person networking. When I did, my coaching business took off.
The networking is what led to coaching clients. The blogging/social media strategy did not. To top it off, I was totally overwhelmed.
So, after honestly assessing my actions, it was clear that I needed to let go of my old strategy and focus on the one that was actually generating income. Plus, the time I was saving allowed me to do more networking, which led to more revenue.
Meghan’s Example
[Meghan] I’ve got TONS of stories and experiences that I could share! But, I’ll limit myself to just one anecdote, and it’s one that very few people know about.
We used to run a business that offered computer support for senior citizens. At first, I focused on three marketing tactics: a website, sponsorships, and print advertising in local retirement community publications.
After trying out the tactics, I went through a very similar exercise as we’re talking about here. The end result was that I dumped the sponsorships. I also stopped working on the website and left what I had in place because that demographic didn’t care about the site.
Instead, we went all in on local print ads that included a phone number as the call to action. The ads were a huge success. We received tons of leads and clients for a really low investment. And that tactic was great because the few advertising-related tasks were totally manageable and sustainable for me, which was really important since this was a side gig for me.
[Theresa] I want to emphasize here that Meghan didn’t continue doing all the things. She chose to focus on the right things. She used data to determine what tactic was income-generating and dumped the wasteful activities resulting in more time and money. So simple it’s brilliant.
The Takeaways
[Meghan] The takeaways here are that, again, you don’t need tons of marketing tactics. Often, one is enough! And, you don’t have to bog yourself down with marketing tasks. Find something that works well, go all in on it, and streamline your tasks to support it.
And, base your tactics on your demographics and audience, especially if you serve a specific niche. This can make your marketing even more effective and possibly even simpler.
Say Goodbye to Marketing Tasks that Are Really Distractions
[Theresa] Sometimes what we think is important and what is important are two different things. In fact, you may find yourself spending more time doing the tasks you LIKE to do versus doing the tasks you NEED to do.
For instance, you may invest a lot of time in social media. Does it help to be present on social media? Perhaps, but that’s not the question.
[Meghan] A better question may be: is the time that you’re spending on social media as effective as another tactic that you’re doing or could do?
Because if it’s not working, then it probably is more of a distraction.
[Theresa] Exactly. Sometimes there are more reliable and consistent tactics. That’s why I focused on networking rather than social media. It was far more effective for acquiring leads and clients. And, the related tasks were more manageable and even more enjoyable!
Recalibrate your mindset around goal setting rather than getting hyper focused on doing everything or doing what’s popular.
Your business goals drive your marketing tactics, and your marketing tactics determine your marketing tasks.
And if you need help with planning those goals and tasks, be sure to download the Daily Achievers’ Weekly Action Planner.
[Meghan] The reality is that there are probably things that you’re doing that aren’t required to run a successful business.
After all, you’re inundated with distractions. Then the distractions become the things you focus on rather than doing what is necessary and what is effective.
It becomes difficult to see the difference between distractions and non-negotiables. And then you become the barrier to success!
Just one or two successful and manageable tactics are more effective than five or six tactics that produce mediocre results while also running you ragged.
[Theresa] You definitely don’t have to do it all or all at once. And you don’t want to even try since that would be a productivity nightmare.
Hopefully today’s topic helped you either recover from a messy moment or avoid one altogether! Perhaps we at least gave you some food for thought about your business.
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