5 ways to make more time for marketing

Are you struggling to find time to market your small business effectively? The weeks are zooming by but your to-do list remains untouched?

Don’t despair, help is on hand.

As a busy small business owner, it can be really challenging to proactively market your business on top of all the other demands on your time.

But in the absence of big budgets, little and often (regular, consistent marketing) is the absolute key to gaining traction, building brand awareness and forming a strong foundation for growth. (If you want results, you can’t get away with leaving your marketing until last thing on a Friday afternoon!).

So, this week we’re sharing 5 tried and tested ways to help you make more time for marketing your business:

1. Make a plan:

Not only will you create more time, businesses with a plan in place are 20% more profitable than those without. Having a succinct, targeted marketing plan for your business allows you to focus on core priorities and schedule the less pressing activities for a later date.

Developing a clear, manageable plan will help you feel more in control of your marketing, enabling you to make confident decisions and reduce stress. And it doesn’t have to be complex, a simple marketing plan is better than none at all.

2. Jot down your weekly priorities:

Got your plan in place? Great! Now you need to break it down into actionable tasks that you can power through each week.

Scheduling your marketing activities into a planner will hugely increase the chances of them happening. Whether you like to use an app, online project management tool, wall planner or tear-off desk pad – the logic is the same. What doesn’t get written down won’t get done – fact. (Plus, it’s very motivating to tick items off as you go).

Don’t forget to check out our Resources section if you’d like to access our downloadable weekly planner. Each day is broken down into hourly time blocks to keep you focused.

3. Time your tasks:

If you’re short on time, allocate a rough time estimate to each marketing task you have on your list. It may be a quick 10-minute phone call, a 1-hour networking group you need to attend, or a more time-intensive content planning session.

Start by blocking out the biggest chunks of time you need first; this will give immediate structure to your week. Shorter, 10-30 minutes marketing activities can be then be plugged into windows of free time (either planned or additional pockets of time that crop up). I often work on train journeys to make use of otherwise dead time – quiet, uninterrupted time that’s perfect for planning out blogs or social media content.

4. Work in 90-minute focus blocks

If you need to be more productive in order to free up time for marketing, a top tip shared by Talented Ladies Club is to work in 90-minute focus blocks.

Have you tried it? It really works.

Focus blocks are dedicated, highly productive pockets of time in which you concentrate solely on the task in hand. No tech distractions. No emails. No phone calls or interruptions. You’ll be amazed at how much this will boost your productivity and create free time.

If you think you could be using your time more effectively, handy time tracker apps like Toggl are also great for boosting productivity and winning back your time.

5. Find yourself an accountability partner:

Did you know that you’re a whopping 95% more likely to achieve your goals if you have an accountability partner?

That’s seriously impressive! If you find that you’re dragging your heels with a specific marketing task or bigger project, find yourself an accountability partner and get it done! It might just be a procrastination habit that is holding you back.

Why is having an accountability partner so effective? Because when you’re accountable to someone for something you said you would do, you engage the power of social commitment which dramatically increases your chances of success. Give it a try! I highly recommend it.

 

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[Blog illustration by Chloe’s Office].