Marketing a small business is stressful for a lot of people (no explanation needed). The thing is, marketing is level 10 stressful for some and level 1 for others. And even though there are a lot of reasons you might fall on one end of the spectrum versus the other, I wanted to talk about a specific reason today—because I see it all. the. time.
And that reason marketing might be stressing you out the most? It’s because you’re overthinking your marketing.
So let’s talk you off the overthinking ledge today—or at least give you a few tips for marketing a small business to help you back away from it. Because I know being an overthinker isn’t something you can just decide to not be one day. There’s some time, practice, and dedication to doing things differently that’s gotta happen. And that’s what these tips are here to help you do: stop overthinking your marketing so you can feel more confident about both your plan and your ability to get it done!
This article is guest-written by our friends at Enji!! Enji is marketing software for small business owners who have to do their own marketing but aren’t marketing experts! I’m low-key obsessed with them. The team at Enji believes in empowering small business owners with an actionable marketing strategy and easy-to-use tools that help you plan, organize, and do your own marketing. Because complicated, convoluted, and riddled with confusing jargon aren’t your thing—and they aren’t ours either.
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Ready to stop overthinking your marketing? Here are 4 things to know
Thing to know #1: Your Marketing Isn’t About You
One of the biggest hurdles in marketing is the (very human) tendency to center it around ourselves—assuming what we like, what we want to hear, etc. is what the “right” marketing is. Basically, we get so tangled up with our businesses that we forget the golden rule: marketing is about your customers, not you.
So here’s what I want you to do. Do some customer research, you can figure out what your audience truly needs to see, hear, and feel. This shift in perspective allows you to make decisions that resonate with your target market, rather than getting stuck overthinking things. Remember, stepping outside your bubble and viewing your marketing from your customers’ standpoint will simplify your decision-making process and make your messaging more effective.
Thing to know # 2: Stop Trying to Do It All
In the age of information overload, it’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you need to be marketing your small business in all the places. And with all the marketing experts and successful business owners you follow (who are all telling you this marketing thing is a must-do thing), it’s no wonder you feel overwhelmed. But here’s the secret: you don’t have to do it all.
So here’s what I want you to do. Simplify your marketing by focusing on the platforms and strategies that truly align with your business goals. By focusing your energy, you can put your time and resources to the things that will get the best return, freeing yourself from the burden of overthinking every possible option.
Thing to know #3: Get Your Marketing Plan Out of Your Head
A marketing plan that only exists in your head is like a map with invisible ink—useless when you need it most. So if your plan is just a collection of ideas floating around in your mind, you’ll find yourself overthinking each step and second-guessing every decision.
So here’s what I want you to do. Take the time to document your marketing plan—on paper (or at least digital paper). By getting your marketing plan out of your head, you turn vague concepts into actionable steps. This allows you to switch from planning mode to doing mode, making it easier to execute your marketing tasks without getting bogged down by indecision (which is definitely the result of overthinking things).
Thing to know #4: Consistent Doesn’t Mean Constant
The pressure to churn out fresh content constantly can be exhausting and lead to overthinking every detail. Is this the right idea? The right trend? The right time? You know the list of things you question goes on and on.
So here’s what I want you to do. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel with each piece of content, embrace the mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle. A.k.a. repurpose your high-quality content across different platforms and formats. This not only maximizes what you get from the time you spend creating content, it also alleviates the stress of having to create something new from scratch every time. Remember, consistency is key, but it doesn’t mean you have to be in a perpetual state of creation.
How Enji Helps Kara Do Her Own Marketing (without overthinking it)
If you’ve been following Kara for any amount of time, you know she’s on top of helping other small business owners get their marketing done. But the special experience folks like her have? Welp, it’s very much like the cobbler has no shoes. Because when you spend so much time doing marketing things for other people, it can be really hard to have the energy to do it for yourself too.
And we all know we don’t make our best decisions when we’re feeling exhausted. Nope. That’s actually the space where we can go down the overthinking rabbit hole. (Not saying Kara does this though LOL.) But what I do know about Kara is that she uses Enji to help her stay on top of marketing her small business without overthinking it.
Here are just some of the ways Enji helps her do her own marketing (I asked her!).
- The done for you marketing strategy: When you’ve made enough decisions for what feels like multiple lifetimes, having someone (or something) just tell you what to do can feel like a gift. And that’s exactly what Enji’s marketing strategy generator does, it helps Kara lay out her marketing plan in no time without having to make a ton of decisions
- The marketing calendar: Marketing has moving parts and knowing what you need to do and when is way less of a challenge for Kara because she uses Enji’s marketing calendar to keep track of all the things she needs to do
- The KPI Dashboard: Maybe the best thing you can do to stop overthinking your marketing is track your results because the numbers will show you the way. And Kara tracks her marketing metrics with Enji’s KPI dashboard that turns her numbers into easy-to-read charts and graphs
Overthinking your marketing can lead to analysis paralysis, which leaves you stuck in a cycle of indecision and inaction. But by shifting your focus to your customers, simplifying your efforts, documenting your plan, and repurposing content, you can step away from overthinking your marketing and towards a more confident version of yourself. Remember, marketing is about making meaningful connections with your audience, and with the right strategies, you can do just that—without losing your sanity in the process.
