If you’re deep in the slush of social, wrestling with keyword research or on the content treadmill, chances are you’re feeling some kind of marketing overwhelm.

It’s a universal plight (aka pain in the arse) for busy business owners – no matter what stage of biz you’re at.

It feels like there’s always another shiny marketing tactic to master or a tantalizing $25 workshop to sign up for (and then not put into action – whoops)

When I’m in a tiz and not sure what marketing actions to focus on, I remember what the job of marketing is…

…to start conversations with strangers, build deeper relationships with people who are paying attention, and deliver huge wodges of value in exchange for their time, trust and money.

So why do we often forget this and slide into marketing overwhelm? 

Cos we get tripped up in hashtags, counting the likes, and find ourselves lip-synching to Beyonce.

Cos we’re led to believe we need to buy our audience’s attention; we’ve been sold on the premise that to be successful online we need eyeballs – lots of them.

And that we have to constantly feed the marketing machine to make moolah.

But newsflash. Success isn’t a numbers game. It’s a relationship game.

And each opportunity to serve or sell comes attached to a real-life human person. 

So, if you’re heading down the marketing overwhelm rabbit hole and trying to keep up with the algorithm. If you’re feeling the pressure to produce, produce, produce and wondering if TikTok is a hell yeah or a no-go, just…

Take a breather and think about what relationships you and your biz need right now?

  • Do you need to create some new relationships?
  • Cultivate those you already have.
  • Or invite collaborations, ie ask people to work with you?

When it all feels a bit too much, and you’re overwhelmed, overawed, and over it…use the 3 C’s to structure your marketing activity.

Create. Cultivate. Collaborate

  • Don’t have much of an audience – then create some new relationships.
  • Need more people sharing your message – then cultivate and nurture those you already know.
  • Have an engaged audience but sales are low? Then invite others to collaborate (work) with you.

 Here are some ways to activate the 3Cs that focus on relationships and remarkable experiences:

Create

  1. Send an email to your personal network asking for referrals. Click here for an example
  2. Get SEO-savvy; make sure your blog posts, and website can be found by Google bots. loveatfirstsearch.com is my go-to for all things SEO. 
  3. Engage with accounts and posts you genuinely like on social. Comment thoughtfully and you’re likely to get a comment, and a follow back. 

Cultivate

  1. Offer gift sessions to supporters or invite them to a market research call 
  2. Reach out to your fave fans (check your open email rates or social supporters) and ask them if they have any Qs they need answering or send them links to content you know they’ll dig.
  3. Consistently go deep with your newsletters and encourage feedback and shares

Collaborate

  1. Directly invite those who you know are a good fit to work with you. (PS I use Bonjoro.com to send personalised, heartfelt invitations)
  2. Create a workshop or joint offer with your business bestie and share it with both your audiences.  
  3. Become an affiliate for a service you’re a huge fan of. Or set up a paid referral programme (if someone refers you, pay them) with others who share your audience

Which 3 C are you?

Now I know that we all lean naturally toward one of these three roles, so which one are you most comfy with?

  • Are you an instinctive creator; do you dig spending time on social, trying new platforms, and cranking out new posts that get likes and follows, and shares?
  • Or a natural cultivator i.e you love writing deep content, sharing your work through email newsletters, in Facebook groups, maybe a podcast
  • Maybe collaborating is your thing; sharing your offers via paid advertising, tweaking your sales pathway, and inviting people to work with you.

The key to connected marketing and business growth is to balance all three of these activities.

So, my call to you;

Each week plan out your create, cultivate and collaborate activities, and consider what value you need to add to each interaction in order to feel fulfilled and connected.