Why creative business owners hate marketing

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from working with creative freelancers and small business owners for a couple of decades – most of you don’t love marketing – am I right? (There’s a reason why my most popular webinar is called Marketing For Creatives Who Hate Marketing LOL).  The most common refrains I hear include:

• I don’t know what to share (and does anyone even care?)
• There’s so much noise, I’ll get lost in the mix
• I’m not good at writing/self-promotion/being on camera, etc.
• I’m worried I’ll appear desperate or cheesy
• I don’t have time

Any of these sound familiar? Believe me when I say you’re in good company. But the unavoidable fact about being a freelancer or business owner is this:

If you’re in business, you’re in sales. And if you’re in sales, you’re in marketing. 

I’ve yet to find a way around it. So, we have a couple of options here folks:

1. Continue to avoid and/or practice haphazard marketing, all the while beating yourself up about it (I really don’t want that for you!)
2. Understanding the mindset, necessary information, and strategy you need to be a successful and happy marketer (no tacky tactics required)

I vote for #2.  What do you say? Since I’ve covered a lot of the mindset and necessary information aspects of this equation you can check out a shorter post here or a more in-depth guide here, I’m going to dive into marketing strategy (which is what I know you want more of anyway, right?)

  First of all, let me define what I believe a successful marketing strategy is, and what it is not: A marketing strategy is:

• Based on the needs, interests, and desires of a specific audience
• Of deep interest to the creator (that’s you!)
• Serving a specific purpose
• Sustainable and fun

A marketing strategy is not:

• A tool or platform
• Driven by trends
• A plug and play formula or set of rules
• Unsustainable and painful

And contrary to popular belief, being a good marketer is an entirely learned skill, but you’ve gotta let the resistance and stories about how you’re so crap at it go, K? Let’s get to it! As a business coach, I love a good metaphor. They just come to me, but even I was surprised when a golfing analogy popped out of my mouth and landed for a client struggling to market his newly positioned creative business (you could say it was a hole in one LOL!) 🏌️️ It’s a simple framework to ensure you know who you’re creating a piece of content for and what you hope they will do as a result.   In marketing, you’re playing one of 3 games:

1. the long game
2. the mid game
3. the short game

When you know which game you’re playing, every piece of content will have an explicit purpose and desired outcome. Will every one land? Nope, but you’ll hit more home runs (help, I can’t stop with the sports metaphors!), saving yourself a whole bunch of effort and time in the process.

1) The Long Game of Marketing ️️️️️🏌️

In golf, this refers to the drive made from the tee to cover distance. I’m no Tiger Woods, but I’m told a well-placed drive sets up the rest of the game. How this translates to your creative business: The long game speaks to your overall vision, strategy and brand positioning. Essentially, who your customers or clients are, what they need, where they are in their journey, and how you help them meet their needs. The fundamental aspects of long game marketing activities are: relational, educational, and trust building. Examples of “long game” marketing activities include: 

• Brand messaging (yes, I consider this to be a marketing activity)
• Writing a newsletter, substack, or blog
• Writing guest posts for other blogs
• Starting a podcast
• Creating long-form guides e.g. a lead magnet, free download, or writing a book (e-books and self-published count!). You can check out my latest guide Pricing Creativity if you’d like more reference.

BONUS: This kind of marketing activity is great for SEO and beefing up your organic search!

2) The Mid Game of Marketing ️️️🏌️

In golf, the mid game is about approach shots that bring the ball closer to the green. How this translates to your creative business: The mid game is about tactical execution—the specific marketing activities that are more targeted and focused than broad strategy. For example, this could be taking a deeper dive into something specific, growing a specific audience segment, or collaboration. These are steps you take to advance toward your goal, but still require precision and attention to the overall game plan. The fundamental aspects of mid game marketing activities are building credibility and expertise with your target audience and inviting them to take a step closer to buying from you. Examples of Mid Game Marketing Activities Include: 

• Webinars or workshops
• Being interviewed on podcasts
• Speaking/Talks
• Writing a book
• Collaborations with like-minded professionals who share your target audience. This could be anything from a limited edition product line, a panel interview, or joint workshop.

BONUS: This kind of marketing activity is great for challenging you to develop high-quality, and highly specific content, events, or products for your target audience. You’re growing your audience, building your reputation, AND growing as a professional at the same time!

3) The Short Game of Marketing🏌️

In golf, this refers to the final strokes to get the ball into the hole, like putting. How this translates to your creative business: In marketing, this could translate to flash sales or offers, or working on your internal processes e.g. building a sales funnel, improving your sales process, or elevating your client’s experience. These are the details that might fall into things “you’ll get to at some point”, but are crucial to converting potential leads into actual clients. It’s about follow-up, personal touchpoints, and turning interest into action. The fundamental aspects of short game marketing activities can immediately bring money into your business! Woo hoo! Examples of Short Game Marketing Activities Include: 

• An email/social media post announcing a flash sale or offer you can deliver immediately. These campaigns create buzz, encourage fast action-taking, and have the potential for an immediate ROI aka SALES!
• Send an email to your close friends, contacts, or colleagues sharing a new business, service, product, or website. Ask them to introduce you via email to anyone they think might be a good fit (and offer to return the favor of course!). The caveat is that this must be warm, concise, and include a clear request. Beating around the bush won’t work!
• Create a lead magnet for your website aka the freebie someone receives when they give you their email address. This is a great way to stay in touch with folks who are interested, but not ready to buy.
• Put a clear call to action on every page of your website.
• Create a questionnaire on your contact page that is more than “your name, your email, anything else you’d like to share.” Feel free to check mine out for reference.
• Make it REALLY easy for people to pay and work with you! Have your terms and invoice easy to deliver, sign, and pay a.k.a digitally. If your work involves client bookings, an online calendar will make your operation more efficient and professional looking.
• Create an onboarding PDF or page on your website telling new clients exactly what they need to know to have a successful experience with your company.

BONUS: These activities are things you can do TODAY and potentially bring in revenue very soon after! Notice in this entire article about marketing your creative business we barely mentioned social media or specific marketing activity!  Rather we focused on the intention and approach of successful and sustainable marketing. You dig it? I do! OK, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Drop a comment below with your biggest takeaway.