Not sure which marketing strategy is best for your coaching or consulting business? With email, SEO, podcasts, LinkedIn, YouTube, speaking, and paid ads all competing for your attention, it’s easy to second-guess everything or try it all at once.
The best marketing strategy is the one you actually enjoy, because enjoyment fuels consistency. In this episode, I walk you through 3 steps to find your strategy and commit to it.
I spent years trying to build my business on Instagram and could never get past $4,000 a month. Once I leaned into podcasting and speaking, marketing stopped feeling like work, and my business took off.
Click play to learn:
- Why the marketing strategy you enjoy will outperform the “best” one (and the psychology behind it)
- How to tune out the online noise and find the strategy that fits your strengths and lifestyle
- How one client went from dreading Instagram to overflowing with ideas after switching to Substack
- The hidden cost of Shiny Strategy Syndrome costs you, and how long to commit to a platform before you judge it
- How going all in turned the podcast into my number one source of leads and new clients
Links & Resources
What’s the best marketing strategy for coaches?
The best marketing strategy for you is the one you actually enjoy. For every strategy out there, you can find people succeeding and people who haven’t made a dime, so the strategy itself won’t make or break your business. What matters is choosing one that suits your strengths, values, and lifestyle, then committing to it.
Here’s how to find yours in 3 steps:
- Tune out the online noise and tune into what you enjoy or feel curious about.
- Go deep, not wide, by becoming an expert in one strategy or platform.
- Commit for at least 3-6 months, so it has time to work.
Why the strategy you enjoy is the one that works
“The best marketing strategy is the one you actually enjoy. The more you enjoy it, the more effective you’ll be.”
You’ve heard that consistency is the key to success. What nobody mentions is how hard it is to be consistent with something you don’t enjoy.
We’re hardwired to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Psychologists call it effortful self-control when you make yourself do something you don’t want to do, and people who rely on it report feeling more depleted and are less likely to reach their goals. If you hate writing emails, how often will you email your list, and how good will those emails be?
I’m living proof of this. I tried to build my business on Instagram for years, even though I hated social media, and I could never make more than $4,000 in a month. When circumstances pushed me to try podcasting, speaking, and teaching, I fell in love with marketing. Recording an episode doesn’t feel like work to me, and it produces far better results.
Step 1: Tune out the noise and listen to what you enjoy
The answer won’t be found scrolling Instagram. Everyone online is selling you their opinion, and the person telling you LinkedIn is the best way to find clients is usually selling a LinkedIn course. That’s their marketing strategy, and you’re looking for yours.
So close the apps and give yourself some quiet. Grab a journal and ask yourself the question I love to ask my clients: if you knew you could be successful with any platform or strategy, what would you choose? Because you can be.
One of my 1:1 clients kept telling me she hated Instagram and short-form video, but felt she had to do it because everyone else was. She also kept saying she loved writing and wanted creative freedom instead of performing for the algorithm. She landed on a Substack email newsletter, and her energy shifted instantly. Marketing went from something she dreaded to something she was overflowing with ideas for.
“You should be excited about your marketing, both the message and the medium.”
If you’ve been in business for a while, look back at what you’ve tried. Was there a glimmer of fun, or something that came easily? If you’re not sure, pick something you’re curious about (a podcast, an in-person workshop, blogging and SEO) and try it as an experiment.
Step 2: Go deep, not wide
Whatever you choose, become a world-class expert in it. Posting on LinkedIn without really knowing how it works is very different from going all in on LinkedIn.
Find people who are crushing it on your platform and study them. Ask what makes their podcast so successful, or why you love their emails, and how you can apply those principles in your own way.
My Substack client hesitated at first because she hadn’t seen business owners in her niche succeeding there. So I sent her an author I follow who serves a similar ideal client and writes in a similar long-form, philosophical style. That gave her proof it was possible and inspiration to make it her own.
Your people are out there. If you’re tired of Instagram, your potential clients probably are too. The classic advice to “go where your audience is” has value, but think of it as a Venn diagram: look for the overlap between what works for your audience and what lets you show up as the most natural version of yourself. That’s where you become magnetic.
Step 3: Commit to one strategy for at least 6 months
One of the biggest marketing mistakes I see is flip-flopping between strategies and platforms. I call this shiny strategy syndrome: webinars one month, podcast pitching the next, then paid ads. You end up a jack of all trades and a master of none.
Experimenting is a rite of passage in your first few months of business. But if you’ve been throwing spaghetti at the wall for longer than about 6 months, it’s time to graduate to commitment. On most platforms, it takes at least 3-6 months (if not a year) of consistent, quality effort to see traction.
“The specific strategy you pick is less important than the fact that you pick something and stick with it.”
This podcast is my own example. When I started it in late 2023, I skipped weeks and kept trying other things. My first podcast episode is still out there if you want to hear how far I’ve come! The moment I committed to making it my primary platform and number one lead generator, everything changed: my energy, the people I attracted, the leads, traffic, and downloads.
Staying power is how you stand out. By one estimate, 90% of podcasts don’t make it past episode 3, and 90% of the rest quit before episode 20. The people with massive platforms are simply the ones who stuck it out. And when you choose something you enjoy, sticking with it gets a lot easier.
Key takeaways:
- The best marketing strategy is the one you actually enjoy, because enjoyment makes consistency possible and consistency drives results.
- Choose your strategy away from the online noise, then go deep by studying people who are succeeding there.
- Commit to one primary platform for at least 3-6 months. Flip-flopping between strategies keeps you from getting good at any of them.
If you’re tired of forcing yourself onto platforms you don’t enjoy, my program Sales Liberation helps you find the marketing strategy that fits your strengths and build a sales system around it. The entire program is 100% social media optional. Click here to learn more and join Sales Liberation now!
FAQs: Choosing the Best Marketing Strategy for Coaches
How long does it take for a marketing strategy to work?
On most platforms, plan on at least 3-6 months of consistent, quality effort before you see traction (sometimes longer). Podcasting, blogging, YouTube, and speaking are long-game strategies that build over time. Paid ads can speed things up.
Can I market my coaching business without social media?
Yes! Social media can work well if you genuinely enjoy it, but it’s one option among many, and it does tend to be a slow burn. My business grew much faster after quitting Instagram. You can listen to that story here!
How many marketing platforms should I be on?
Start with one primary platform and go deep before you add anything else. Spreading yourself across several at once keeps you from getting really good at any of them. In Sales Liberation, teach a two-pronged approach: build your own platform while also showing up on other people’s platforms, so you grow faster.
What if I don’t enjoy any marketing strategy?
Look back at what you’ve already tried and notice anything that felt fun or came easily. If nothing stands out, ask yourself what you’d choose if you knew you could succeed on any platform. Or pick something you’re curious about and try it as an experiment. You’ll never know whether you’ll enjoy it until you try!
Should I choose a marketing strategy based on where my audience is?
Your audience matters, but so do you. Look for the overlap between what works for your audience and what lets you show up naturally. You’ll attract people who share your values, so if you love long-form writing, there are people who love reading it.
Got a takeaway, question, or story from this episode? We’d love to hear it—email us at podcast@megansmyth.com. You might even inspire a future episode!
Enjoyed this episode? A 5-star review only takes a moment and helps this show reach more women who need it.
You might also like:
- Why That Strategy From 2022 Stopped Working and What to Do Instead
- How to Quit Social Media as a Coach + Make MORE Money (Your 3-Step Escape Plan)
- Stop Relying on Instagram: Turn Your Podcast into Your #1 Lead Generator with Rachel Traxler
Full Transcript
[00:00:02] Welcome to the Blaze Podcast, where we’re all about tearing down barriers and building up community. My name is Meg and I’m a former pre-med student turned online business owner. I started this show because entrepreneurship can be lonely as hell sometimes. And I want to remind you that no matter where you are on your journey, You are not in this alone. Our community is here to light the way, cheer you on and pour gasoline on your fire. Most importantly, we’re here to help you find your unique way of doing business because no advice is one size fits all. And the best strategy is the one that feels good to you. So whether you’re just getting started or you are already blazing your own trail, you are in the right place, friend. Let’s get started. Hello and welcome back to the show. Thanks for being here for joining me today. You picked a good one to tune into because this is one of the most common questions I get, which is what is the marketing platform.
[00:01:01] What is the best strategy? And more importantly, what is the best strategy for you? Because this is really what I have become known for and what I special in with my clients is helping them Stop following the shoulds in their business and kind of disconnect and tune out from all of the noise on social media and online that tells you what you should be doing in your business and figure out what is actually going to work for you. Your lifestyle, your values, your strengths, and just the way that you naturally like to show up in the world. And it can be a hard question to narrow down because there are approximately 8 million different ways to market a business. There are so many options to choose from that it can be overwhelming. You know, there’s email marketing and lead magnets and social media and paid ads and blogging and SEO and sales.
[00:01:48] speaking and podcasts and LinkedIn and YouTube and just all of it, right? It’s like if you’re new, you’re like, where do I even start? It can be super overwhelming to think that you need to be on all these platforms and all these different places doing all these different things. And if you’re more experienced, it can be even more daunting because it’s like, am I doing the right thing? Am I on the right platforms? Like, is this really working? Is this where my people hang out? Do I need to change platforms or strategies? You know, like, Five years ago, everyone was on Instagram and everyone’s on threads and tick tock. And should I be changing my strategy too? I don’t know. So this question comes up a lot and today’s episode is really going to help you walk away with a clear answer to that question of what’s the best platform for you and a clear plan to stop second guessing and just start getting the fuck out there.
[00:02:40] Marketing yourself and your business with confidence. So if you’ve ever felt like your marketing is a bit of a stab in the dark, or you feel like you have tried all of the things, but nothing has worked, or maybe some of it has worked, but nothing has stuck long term, today’s episode is for you. This premise of finding what works for you and building your entire sales and marketing system around it is the core premise of my signature program, Sales Liberation. We go deep in that program on what are your natural strengths and superpowers, what are your values? What does your business need to do to be able to support your lifestyle? Do you enjoy social media? Do you enjoy speaking? Do you enjoy writing? Like what does that look like for you?
[00:03:24] We help you hone in on that and then really develop those skills and build a system around it. So Sales Liberation is going to be opening up again soon. If you are interested, this is for you. If you are a coach or consultant who wants more consistent clients, You want a sales system that actually feels good to you and your audience, by the way. They’re going to enjoy when you talk about your offers and they’re going to be excited to work with you. And the system doesn’t rely on social media. So it is 100% social media optional, including the new community element, which I am so excited for. We’re having so much fun in there already. There’s coaching, there’s community and accountability and just everything that you really need to build a thriving business and sales system, including one new feature I’m really excited about are the personalized copy audits.
[00:04:14] So whatever you’re working on in your business, whether it is copy in a traditional sense, you know, an email sequence or it’s a proposal for a client, a website page that you’re working on, whatever it is, you can submit it and I will give you personalized feedback that you can take right away and implement. Because for those of you who don’t know, I started off as a sales copywriter and messaging strategist. And I know that that is something a lot of people struggle with. And it’s also just really hard to write your own copy and work on your own messaging. And so that is one thing I’m really having fun with being able to offer our community members. So if any of that sounds interesting to you, make sure you’re on the wait list for Sales Liberation.
[00:04:55] When we do open doors, it will be for a short period of time. So make sure you’re on that priority wait list at megansmyth.com/waitlist. And we’ll put the link in the show notes as well. Now back to today’s episode, honing in on your right fit marketing platform and strategy. So when we’re new in business, we tend to automatically look to other people for answers. You know, we see someone doing something successfully and we just sort of assume that because they’re successful, we should also be doing that thing. We’re like, oh, they built their business on Instagram. They got all their clients there. So that’s what I should be doing too. Okay. And this is no judgment, no shame, because that was literally me. A hundred percent.
[00:05:36] I idolize these people that I saw build really successful businesses on Instagram. And I just assumed that that was what you had to do to build a successful business. But as your business grows and matures and you start to grow mature as an entrepreneur, you start to realize that’s not really the way it works. What worked for that person might not work for you for all sorts of different reasons. And for every platform out there, you can find examples of people using it successfully and unsuccessfully. So with Instagram, for example, Yes, there were plenty of people who built really successful coaching and service based businesses on Instagram and made six or seven figures doing that. There are also plenty of people posting on Instagram every single day, trying to get clients and make sales, and they haven’t made a dime in profit.
[00:06:24] So the platform itself isn’t the answer. And instead of asking what’s the best platform, a better question to ask would be what’s the best platform for you. And I think a lot of you are in that place. And so I get those questions so often and why so many people sign up to work with me or join my programs, because I’m very clear that I am not handing you my roadmap to success. I am an open book. I will share whatever you ask me transparently about how I built my business. But copying and pasting what worked for me is not necessarily going to work for you. That’s not my goal. My goal is to help you find what is your unique roadmap and blueprint for success. So I’m going to help you answer that question today in this episode, and it starts with understanding one crucial fact, which is that the best marketing strategy is the one you actually enjoy.
[00:07:16] The more you enjoy it, the more effective you’ll be. This is the principle that my own business and also my programs are built around. And I know it sounds a bit like a platitude, like, oh, just go and have fun and you’ll make more money. But this is actually just science. You know, we’ve all heard that consistency is the key to success, but when no one really talks about is the fact that it’s really fucking hard to be consistent with something you don’t enjoy. Seriously, think about this for a second. If you hate writing emails, but you tell yourself that you have to, because that’s just part of being an online business owner. How consistently are you going to email your list and how well written are those emails going to be really if you didn’t enjoy it?
[00:08:01] We are hardwired to seek pleasure and avoid pain. And we have a limited supply of willpower, which means if you don’t enjoy marketing, you won’t do it consistently and therefore you won’t see consistent results. What is the number one thing every entrepreneur wants, at least in the early stages, more clients, more consistent clients. You can’t have more consistent clients without more consistent marketing. And there is a difference. I want to pause here. I’m going to pause here. Just as an aside, there is a difference between your business having consistent marketing and you being consistent as a human being. There are ways you can set up systems in your business to be consistent for you without needing to literally show up and be on camera or write a new post every single day. And that’s what we teach you inside of Sales Liberation.
[00:08:50] It’s what I call hands-off sales and marketing. So that’s just an aside by getting back to consistency, you know, trying to white knuckle your way through something doesn’t work in the longterm. You might be able to do it for a week or two, but people who rely on what psychologists call effortful self-control, which is, you know, making yourself do something you don’t really want to do. Not only do those people report feeling more depleted, but they’re also less likely to achieve their goals. Yeah. So in other words, if you don’t enjoy Instagram, but you keep forcing yourself to show up there, it is not only exhausting you, but it’s also ineffective. It’s not going to generate results for your business. But on the flip side, if you can find a platform, strategy, tactics, that feel easy to you, that feel natural and dare I say fun, you will do it more often, you’ll do it more consistently, it will take less effort, and it will lead to better results.
[00:09:48] I am living proof of this. For those of you who don’t know my story, I tried to build my business on Instagram, as I hinted at earlier, for years, and I failed, essentially. I could never seem to make more than $4,000 in a month. My clients and leads were few and far in between, and I was just… on the struggle bus, basically. And I did this for years because I thought it was what you had to do, what you should do to grow your business. You want to build an online business? You have to be on social media, even though I hated social media. It wasn’t until a couple years in when I was forced through circumstances to learn other marketing strategies and I discovered that, hey, marketing and selling can actually be really fun. You know, I discovered podcasting and speaking and teaching and eventually coaching and I really fell in love with it to the point where this day, you know, recording this episode for you right now.
[00:10:39] This doesn’t feel like work to me. This is genuinely fun. It is light and easy and enjoyable. And guess what? It produces a hell of a lot better of results. So let’s start with that, that it’s not what’s the best strategy, what’s going to be most effective. What’s going to be most effective is finding something you enjoy. So let’s start with that question of what feels easy and natural and fun to you. And if you don’t know, stick with me because we’re going to go deeper on that. but we have to start there. Some of you already know this. It’s not new information. You’re like, yeah, that sounds great. Inferior. I would love to find something I enjoy. How do I do that? How do I find that elusive, enjoyable marketing strategy? Step number one is get off of social media. Now, I know I’ve already given away my own bias is that I’m not a social media person.
[00:11:26] I’m not a fan of it as a marketing strategy for most entrepreneurs. I’m not saying that here because social media could be something that you enjoy. I’m talking about getting off of social media in the context of just making this decision for your business around what your primary marketing platform is going to be. it’s not going to be found scrolling Instagram. That’s not where the answer is. And so I’m just advocating for taking a step back, getting offline and closing out the apps to make this decision on your own. Because what happens is when you’re so plugged into social or even things like a podcast or course content, a coach that you’re listening to, whatever it is, it’s really easy to get sucked into, oh, they’re crushing it on LinkedIn or YouTube or whatever it is.
[00:12:12] And maybe I should be doing that too. And that’s not what we want. Okay. We want the answer to come from you and not someone else because everyone on the internet is selling you their opinion. and that person telling you that LinkedIn is the best way to find clients in 2026, they’re selling a course on LinkedIn. That is their marketing strategy and we’re trying to uncover yours. You know, have you maybe heard the saying around social that if the product is free, you are the product. Your attention is the product. And so many entrepreneurs, you know, they’re on social media to sell their services, but they are also being sold too. And from the second you open that app, you’re inundated with ads and opinions. And so I think the easiest thing here is to just step away.
[00:12:56] Go somewhere quiet, sit in a cafe, sit in the forest with a journal if the weather allows, if there isn’t snow on the ground like there is outside my window right now. Just get outside, give yourself some quiet, some space, put on some… viby music if you want to and open up a journal or a notebook or just take a second to listen to your own inner voice because some of you maybe haven’t given yourself that time, that pause, to just listen to yourself for a minute here. How often do we get that chance to really slow down and listen to our intuition? We’re so busy running our businesses and supporting our families and being there for our friends and running from one thing to the next.
[00:13:38] So this first step in its own can be really powerful, is just getting quiet. Maybe you already know. Maybe that inner voice is trying to tell you, I would really love to do blank. to start a podcast or write a newsletter, but maybe I feel like I have to do this other thing or I won’t be successful. I don’t know if there’s a market for it. I don’t know if my people are there, blah, blah, blah, all the doubts start to creep in. But what was that first thing that you would really love to do? And that’s a question I love to ask my clients is that if you knew you could be successful with any platform or strategy, What would you choose? Because you can be.
[00:14:19] That’s the secret here. That’s what no one tells you is that it’s not the platform or strategy that makes your success. Yes, you need a strategy and you need some level of consistency and commitment to that strategy, which we will talk about shortly. But that in and of itself is what’s going to make or break your success. For every platform out there, like I said, you can find people doing it well and people doing it not so well. And there is a way for you to be successful doing that thing that you love. So let me give you an example from one of my one-on-one clients. You know, I tend to attract two types of people, two types of entrepreneurs, those who come to me and they’re already crystal clear that they don’t want to be on social media. Like that’s why they want to work with me is because they heard that’s my specialty and that’s part of the reason that attracted them to me.
[00:15:06] They’re like, I heard you can do this. Like, can you show me how? But they’re not quite sure what the alternative is yet. They’re like, I know I don’t wanna be on social. That’s not it for me, so I need help figuring out what is gonna be it for me and what’s the alternative. Then there are the people who come to me and they’re intrigued and curious by the no social media aspect. And they’re like, that’s great, but they still feel like they have to be on social. Like they believe it’s possible for me and maybe some of my other clients, but they’re not so sure it’s possible for them. It’s almost like they’re waiting for permission in a sense for someone to say that, yes, you can do this. You don’t have to do this thing. You can find your own way. And yes, you can be successful on your own terms. And sometimes that takes time and it takes, you know, seeing the proof of what’s possible when they start experimenting with other strategies and they hear, you know, new ways of marketing that they maybe hadn’t considered before.
[00:15:59] So this client, she fell into the latter category. And what I was hearing from her on our first, you know, initial calls was I hate Instagram. I don’t want to be on Instagram. I don’t want to create content like that. I hate the short-form video thing. It just makes me want to puke. I don’t see it as, you know, high value or educational, which is what I want to do, but that’s what everyone else is doing. So yeah, it feels like I have to too. And so she came to me and she’s like, I’m gonna be on Instagram and this is what I’m gonna do. And this is the strategy and I just gotta do it. You know, I just gotta make myself do it. I gotta get over this thing. And I was like, okay, I hear you on all of that. And we sort of explored that further because here’s the thing, if one of my clients or anyone genuinely enjoys Instagram and wants to show up there and it’s doing good thing for their businesses, I think that’s wonderful.
[00:16:50] I’m not telling everyone to quit social media and never post there again. Again, it’s about finding what works for you. But I started by just reflecting back to her. I’ve heard you say the words, I hate Instagram and I don’t want to be there. several times now. She was saying things like, I want to have creative freedom instead of performing for the algorithm. I love writing. I want to do something long form and creative. So why not explore that further? That’s what we did. The platform that we landed on for her is actually a Substack email newsletter. She came to that decision on her own. It was something she had experimented with in the past. And as soon as she made that decision of, you know what, I’m going to let go of Instagram and I’m going to go all in on this, her whole energy shifted and she was actually excited to get started.
[00:17:40] Marketing instantly went from something she dreaded to something she was excited about, overflowing with ideas, excited to get going. It felt so much more authentic than trying to force record short form video. It felt good. And that’s the feeling we’re going for because hot take, but you should be excited about your marketing, both the message and the medium. So if you have been in business for a little while and you’ve already done some experimenting, Look back at what did you actually enjoy? If you’re not sure, just pick something. Pick something you’re curious about. Like, I’ve never tried podcasting, but it seems fun. Or I think I might enjoy hosting an in-person workshop. Or I’d really love to work on my writing skills, so I’m going to try blogging and learn SEO.
[00:18:27] Pick something that sparks your curiosity and try it out as an experiment, because there’s no way to know until you try. Now, if you are the person who has been in business for a while and you still have no idea, you’re like, I’ve tried all of the things and I still don’t know what I enjoy. I’m going to invite you to join us inside of Sales Liberation, because that is what we will help you figure out. We have processes and exercises and coaching for you. And you also get to connect with other entrepreneurs who are using all sorts of creative marketing tactics. Right. that don’t rely on social and that is the number one thing i hear from clients and students is i didn’t know marketing could be this easy this light this fun for the first time i’m actually excited to create content and put myself out there and who knew it could be like this right that’s a really wonderful feeling to have that’s what i want for all of you whether you join us in the program or you do this work on your own start with an audit of just looking back at things you’ve already tried in the past. And is there a glimmer of anything in there that is either enjoyment and fun, or it was easy to you, it worked really well, and or something new that you might be curious about. So that’s step number one is to tune out the online noise and tune into yourself in terms of what you enjoy or what you’re curious about pursuing more.
[00:19:46] Step number two is to go deep, not wide. So whatever platform or strategy you choose, become an expert in that become a world-class expert in podcasting or YouTube or blogging or SEO and contrast this here. You know, the difference between someone who says I’m going all in on LinkedIn, for example, versus online. I’m posting on LinkedIn, but I don’t really know what I’m doing or how it works or if I’m getting results, if I’m doing the right thing. I would say the latter is actually more common in a lot of circumstances is we don’t go all in and we sort of try things out, but we’re dipping a toe in and we’re we’ve got this backup plan over here and we’re trying all sorts of things at once. Go deep, not wide. Find people who are crushing it in whatever area or platform it is that you want to be on and learn from them. You don’t necessarily need to buy their course or hire them as a consultant or whatever it is. Just start to unpack what is it about their podcast that’s made it so successful.
[00:20:47] Why do I love their emails so much? What are they doing here that works so well? And how can you apply those same principles to your content, to your marketing in your own unique way? So going back to my client with the Substack newsletter, part of the reason why she was hesitant to commit to that initially was because she didn’t know, you know, is that the best way to reach my clients? I haven’t seen any business owners. running really successful substacks in my niche. So I shared with her an example of an author I follow who serves very similar, ideal client to her, similar niche. He writes in a similar form, long form, creative, a bit philosophical. And I thought this might be her style. So I sent her that. And that does two things.
[00:21:29] Number one, it gives you proof that it’s possible. There are people out there doing this successfully. And number two, it gives you inspiration. You know, how can I take this and make it my own and make it work for me? The bottom line and the reassurance that I offered my client and I want to offer you here is that your people are out there. It’s a big planet. It’s a big world. There is an audience for everyone. And if you’re tired of Instagram, for example, your potential clients probably are too. Okay. If you love writing long philosophical newsletters, there’s people there who love reading long philosophical newsletters. There is a market for everything and you will naturally attract people who share your values. You know, obviously my business is one example of that.
[00:22:12] I’m not a social media person. I prefer books and podcasts and long-term content, and I tend to attract people who also enjoy those things. I know this is a bit counterintuitive to the traditional marketing advice, which is to go where your audience is, and I do think there’s value in that. But the way that I see it is marketing and your sales system and all of it isn’t just one or the other. It’s not you or your audience. It is a Venn diagram and you want to find the overlap in that Venn diagram of what works for you and your audience. Because if you take what works for your audience and you combine it with platforms and places that are really authentic to you and allow you to show up as the best version of yourself, the most authentic version of yourself, a way that feels natural and easy and highlights your strengths, you become magnetic to those people.
[00:23:05] Okay, moving on to step number three is once you’ve chosen your platforming strategy, you’ve found some inspiration, you’ve found proof that it is possible for you, I need you to commit. Give it three to six months to start seeing results, minimum, because I hinted at this earlier, but one of the biggest marketing mistakes entrepreneurs make is flip-flopping between platforms and strategies. I call this shiny strategy syndrome. It’s like every other month you’re changing strategies. You’re like, I’m going to do webinars and workshops. And then next month, I’m going to do podcast pitching. And then I’m going to start my own podcast. And then I’m going to do an email newsletter. And next month, I’m experimenting with paid ads. And it’s just all over the place.
[00:23:49] And what happens is you become a jack of all trades, but a master of none. you haven’t given yourself a chance to become really good at any given platform. Because let’s be real, the internet’s a crowded place. It’s very noisy. There’s a lot of content out there. A lot of it is now AI drivel and slop. And if you want to stand out and attract your people, it’s not enough to just show up somewhere. You need to show up in a really powerful, consistent, quality way. And to some extent, you know, the… Throwing spaghetti at the wall and experimentation, that is a rite of passage in business. So if you’re flip-flopping strategies every month and you’re like three months into business, that’s fine. This isn’t for you. Okay. Come back in a couple of months and revisit this conversation.
[00:24:38] But if you’ve been in that phase for longer than let’s say the first six months of business, it’s time to graduate from the throwing spaghetti at the wall phase and move on to the next phase, which is commitment, which I know can be scary for some of us, past version of myself included, because here’s the thing. When you’re new in business and You don’t know what you enjoy. You don’t know anything. I mean, at least I didn’t. Some people come to business with a background in marketing and business. That was not me. I was a pre-med student. I had like no context, no concept of the online business world. So it took time and experimentation and a lot of throwing stuff at the wall. But for most of you listening, you’ve done that already.
[00:25:22] You have already tried enough things and you’re waiting to find the one that works. But the truth is none of them are going to work until you double down and give it a real shot. Okay. and on most marketing platforms, it takes at least three to six months, if not a year, of consistent quality effort to see traction. Building your platform and your audience takes time and this is why in the program I teach a two-pronged approach to marketing where we’re both building your platform and simultaneously leveraging other people’s platforms to help you grow faster because this is a long game investment for the most part paid ads can accelerate that absolutely but if you’re talking about something like a podcast a blog YouTube speaking those are more of a long game strategy.
[00:26:12] And the bottom line is you can’t expect to post twice and have potential clients just banging down your door wanting to work with you. Any platform and any strategy takes time, it takes experimentation, it takes dedication, and it also just takes time to get good at it. Right? Like, I don’t know about you, my first podcast episode, it makes me cringe to think that it’s still out there. You can scroll back and listen to it if you want. I won’t ever remove it because I think it’s so important to document that journey from people to be able to see. Like, the way that I show off on this podcast now and at skill level is… nowhere near what I started with. It’s taken me years to even get to this point. And I’m sure two years from now, I will look back at this episode and cringe and think of all the things that I could have done better because we continue to grow. And just to continue this thread of this podcast, as an example, when I started this podcast in, I think it was late 2023, I had to learn all And it took a lot of time and effort before I started seeing a payoff in terms of leads and sales.
[00:27:17] I probably could have seen a payoff sooner, if I’m honest, if I was more consistent with it, if I had been more dedicated, if I had committed to making this my primary platform and going all in on it sooner. Because… I didn’t. I was still trying other things. I was skipping weeks here and there and putting things together last minute. And when I committed to, nope, I’m going all in. I’m going to make this podcast my primary platform, my number one lead generator and source of new clients and connections. And the moment I made that decision, I kid you not, everything changed overnight. Okay. The energy I was showing up with was different.
[00:28:00] The people I was attracting are different. The number of leads coming through the podcast, the amount of traffic, the number of downloads, the team that I attracted who now helps me produce it at a higher level than before. It’s just everything clicked, but it all started with that decision. And that’s what I want to remind you of here is that nothing happens until you commit. Okay. In Sales Liberation, I call this your primary platform and the specific platform you pick is less important than the fact that you pick something and stick with it. There’s no right or wrong decision. And if you do end up hating it, you can always change your mind. but give it six months. Pick one platform for six months, get really freaking good at it, and watch what happens because you will be amazed how much progress you make.
[00:28:46] Just take a second right now to imagine if you had done this a year ago, if you had picked one platform and stayed consistent with it and posted regularly and got really good at it. You develop the skill, the strategy around it. You built an audience and a following there. You’d establish your brand. Where would your business be by now? How different would it look? How many more people would you have in your audience? What skills would you have built? And if that’s making you feel like, oh no, I’m behind. I should have done this a year ago. you can make that decision right now. And the version of you a year from now will be thanking you, trust me. So to recap for you the three steps here, number one, get off of social media stop listening to other people and ask yourself what you actually enjoy do you love writing speaking networking teaching and then pick a platform that allows you to make the most of that and if you’re really not sure just follow what piques your curiosity so what would you love to do more of in your business or what could you see yourself really enjoying? What’s a skill you would love to develop? Step number two, go deep instead of wide.
[00:29:55] Stop trying to be all of the places and do all of the things. Pick one platform to go all in in, and then learn the skills. Put your reps in, find examples of people who are doing what you want to be doing and learn from them. Become an expert. Step number three, commit, stop spreading yourself thin and do one thing really well. Stay consistent. Don’t get distracted by new shiny objects and give it time because marketing is a marathon, not a sprint, especially when it comes to building an audience and a platform for yourself. But here’s the best part. If you choose something you enjoy, it doesn’t feel like a marathon. It’s not hard to stick with it when you enjoy it. And the more you do, the better you become, the more fun you have, the more results you generate, and it all just starts to snowball over time.
[00:30:46] That is how you create real momentum in your business is number one, choosing something you enjoy, which is gonna make your life so much easier. And then number two, just making the decision to commit and stick with it. Give it time to pay off. Because that is how you’re going to stand out in this oversaturated information overload era. Is that the people who actually last and attract an audience and really build a platform and a sustainable business are simply the ones who stick it out. If you need a reminder of that, just remember 90% of podcasts don’t make it past episode three. And of the remaining 10% that do, 90% of those quit before episode 20. 20 episodes.
[00:31:33] Okay, we’re almost at 100 here. And I know people who are in the hundreds and even in the thousands of their podcast episode. Those people have massive platforms, following, and businesses, and brands. And people look at them and they’re envious. But the question to ask yourself is… Are you willing to record hundreds of episodes or whatever that platform is for you? Are you willing to put in the time and the reps? Because that is what will make or break your success. And I can’t answer for you, but I personally am in it for the long haul. And chances are, if you listen to this whole episode, you are too. And I appreciate you so much for being here and for hanging out with me today. As always, I hope you found this helpful.
[00:32:15] If you did, please consider sharing it with a friend or with your audience, because chances are, if you liked it, they will too. So thanks again for being here, friends. If you are interested in joining the waitlist for Sales Liberation, that link is in the show notes. And I will see you back here same time, same place next week. Take care. Hey, Trailblazer. Thank you so much for listening to the show today. If you found this episode helpful, please help us spread the word so we can get more valuable, free content in front of more people who need it. Share this episode with a friend, post it on social, and tag me at saleswithmeg on Instagram. I would love to hear your biggest takeaways. Until next time, remember that fortune favors the bold, but success favors the stubborn.
[00:33:00] Keep going, friend. You got this.
Megan Smyth is a former pre-med student turned sales coach, podcaster, and full-time digital nomad. She helps women coaches and consultants grow their businesses to 6+ figures without social media or burnout.
Meet Your Host
Get Clients Now
Swipe my proven 3-step process to fill your pipeline with warm leads ASAP (no social media required),
