Are you at capacity in your business?

We assume that when we are at capacity, we no longer need to market ourselves. But then when we have space we panic and go full speed ahead marketing ourselves like there is no tomorrow. Then we wonder why it takes so long to fill those gaps. Now if the pure idea of constantly marketing yourself throughout the year fills you with dread… it may be time to hire someone to do that for you.

Being at capacity is brilliant! Well done you. Now how do you stay fully booked? Here are some things that I do in my own business…

Post content – with a strategy.

Perhaps an obvious no-brainer, but most people skim past this first step. So let’s dive in. If you are a panic poster – this one is for you.

Posting something (anything) last minute because you panicked that there’s not been anything posted in ages probably means that you have put zero thought in. It is likely that you have scanned your camera roll, posted – then ghosted. Then sighed if it bombed. You are also likely to be part of the “posting on social doesn’t do anything for my business” crew. If you sell a service and a client purchased a 10 step plan then did one of the steps in a panic… it wouldn’t work either. It’s the same.

If you are totally stuck on what on earth to post:

Post value.

Value is evergreen – even when at capacity! If your ideal client can learn something from your content, they are likely to stay around. They will want to learn more. It is also likely that they will become more invested in your as a brand / person and turn into a warm lead.

If you are starting from scratch with our strategy, look at the month ahead. Scroll back to previous content to see what your audience liked, commented or interacted with the most. Take into account the current messaging that is going on around you (world events, news, trends etc.) Work on your strategy, test it, tweak it, repurpose it. But stop panic posting!

Stay consistent – even when at capacity.

You never know who is watching when you are too busy serving clients. What if it was your IDEAL client? I wanted to write this blog post because I learn’t this the hard way – and didn’t want you to have to repeat the lesson. There I was plodding along maxed out to capacity, I even hired more team members to help me. I relaxed my relentless posting schedule on Instagram for a few months. Stopped creating content, and even had my strategy at the back of my mind on that shelf of “to do when I have more time.” Then BOOM – the economy shifted, my existing clients adjusted their priorities and things changed for me.

So I thought – ARGH, now I need to go back to marketing myself. But the harsh truth is that I should have always been marketing myself. Even if my chosen platform wasn’t performing as I wished. Especially if everyone else had “given up” on my chosen platform. Vitally because now I found myself having to start again.

So if you are at capacity and a freelancer – always have in the back of your mind that things can change at any time.

The Freelance Rollercoaster – climb aboard!

In the words of Ronan Keating (never thought I would quote that!) “Life is a rollercoaster, you just gotta ride it.”

Welcome to the life of a freelancer business owner. It is a rollercoaster! The highs and lows, the ebb and flows. However, with a lot of strategy and a little consistency – you can make sure it is less of a turbulent ride. If I was to summarise on a super top level, I would recommend taking a real in-depth look at your strategy and work out a consistent posting strategy that you can commit to – even if you are super stacked.

Sometimes prospective clients can stumble across your social media on their hunt. If you are at capacity and have not posted in ages – they may assume you are no longer active. Our social media channels are our best C.V.s and a full, vibrant relevant C.V catches the eye.

 

If you are feeling a little fresh out of ideas, I offer individual Content Brainstorming sessions to help reignite that spark! Click here for more information.