Have you been guilty of seeing another business with more followers than you and feeling bad about yourself? Or have you saw a competitor’s content and thought I wish I could be at the level they’re at? Or even worse have you compared and nitpicked yourself to the point that you feel like you shouldn’t even bother trying to show up at all? Today we’re going to chat about kicking the comparison game to the curve and moving forward in your marketing one step at a time.

 

Aside from consistency, the number one killer of progress that I see when it comes to marketing your business online is playing the comparison game. Whether you realize it or not, you consume hundreds of pieces of content every day. From searching on Google to scrolling through social media we are surrounded by seeing what our peers and competitors are doing and sharing. 

 

Now if you’re like me and like I’ve found most business owners to be, I’m never fully satisfied with what I produce. I’m always looking for ways to improve and constantly brainstorming what I can do better. As entrepreneurs, I think it’s natural for us to always be thinking about what to do next to build on what we’re already doing. Which is why spending a ton of time on social media to see what everyone’s doing can actually end up being counterproductive and hurting us in the long run.

 

The reason the comparison game can pose a threat to our marketing is because it can affect how we show up and the strategies we pursue and can even diminish our authenticity. If you walk away with nothing else from today’s episode I want you to hear this, “you and your brand are unique and when you embrace that, that’s when you will see the biggest results from your marketing because that’s when people feel emotionally connected.”

 

Everyone has different opinions on what will bring you success in marketing and the field is rapidly evolving and shifting all the time and I’m not saying you shouldn’t be adaptable with your marketing, but there’s a difference in marketing smarter and marketing like our competitors. So here are some things you can do to stop playing the comparison game.

 

The first is to shift your mindset about where you are at. I can give you all the tactics in the world, but mindset is SO huge! If you have a mindset that you’re not good enough, you’ll do things that will create a self fulfilling prophecy for yourself. We live in a world where we wanted things yesterday and it’s so easy to set ourselves up for disappointment. The reason my business is called Marathon Marketing & Branding is because your marketing is like a marathon. Think about how you would train for a marathon. You would show up consistently. You would create a training plan to build on your progress. You would have a strategy for how you’re going to approach the course. And most importantly you would listen to your own body as you’re training and adapt as needed. These are all things that apply to your marketing. Appreciate where you’re at right now and understand that progress and results take time. I challenge you to think about perseverance. I looked up the formal definition of perseverance which is persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. How can you shift your mindset to remain perseverant?

 

The second big thing I want you to do is to stay consistent! So many times when we start to feel discouraged, we are actually on the cusp of a breakthrough and I want to give an example of this. Consistency is going to help you build trust and be seen as the expert in your field or that go to business when they need your product or service. If you’re not showing up at all or not enough for people to remember you then you’re going to stay in the trap of thinking nothing’s working and then you’re way more likely to go seeing what others are doing to try anything out. Think about how many times you may have seen a post from a business you follow before actually giving them a try. It’s not in our nature to take action right away or we may not need what a business has right away. By staying consistent, you’re at least staying top of mind.

 

And this leads to number three. Create your marketing strategy or content before you have been scrolling social media or looking at what others are doing. Ideally, set time first thing in the morning when you can brainstorm and just focus on your own ideas and thoughts without being influenced by what you’ve just seen or read. It sounds super simple, but it’s super effective. This may mean not reaching for social media first thing to start your day. I promise you’ll surprise yourself with what you can come up with when you give yourself the space to be creative. 

 

Success is not an overnight thing – Even the most influential entrepreneurs today had a journey to the top and they didn’t end up where they are overnight. Put in the hard work and remember that small steps that move the needle forward in your business are a big deal! Got 5 new followers in one week? That’s great! That’s 5 people that now know about your business that didn’t before. Each of our journeys are unique and I can’t wait to see how yours evolves. 

 

If you’d like to go back and review anything from today’s episode you can view the show notes at marathonmarketingbranding.com/11. I’ll also post a few free resources there to help you get started in your marketing. The first is a guide that walks you through how to set up your marketing system in a day and the other is a list of 7 free content prompts, so if you’re feeling a little stuck and need some inspiration this can help. I’m not giving you captions because I want it to be authentic and sound like your business, but the prompts can inspire some ideas and get the brain going. Until next time, keep running your race.

 

Resources:

Download 7 free content prompts for a whole week of content

Download the guide to start simplifying content creation

60 day free trial of Constant Contact

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