If you’re anything like me, or like literally anyone I’ve worked with, there are times when your marketing gets stuck.
And what I’ve realized over time is that these blockers are rarely strategic.
Sometimes they are. Sometimes we need a better strategy, or more clarity, or we need to be doing more of the right types of marketing. But more often than not, the issue is mindset and psychology.
As people who do marketing, we should be aware of this. We focus on the psychology of buying a ton when we’re trying to convert prospective customers. But we rarely think about our own psychology when we’re trying to get stuff done.
So today I’m digging into three of the most common psychology-driven blockers I see, in my own work and in the work of others.
Blocker #1: Taking on too much all at once
When we look at a big strategy or a big marketing idea as a whole, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the little things we have to do.
I see two things that can be happening here. Either we haven’t broken the work down small enough, or we legitimately took on way more than we have bandwidth for.
1A. You haven’t broken it down until it’s tiny
We are not really programmed to take tiny steps. They feel like they’re not enough, like we’re somehow taking it too easy. We know we’re capable of more, so why not plan to do more?
But when we don’t break things down small enough, it’s hard to build the momentum to start. We see the work as this huge, abstract thing, and we freeze.
Starting a podcast is a good example. “Start a podcast” is a pretty big to-do to have on your list. There are a lot of pieces that go into it, and some of them are more overwhelming for certain people than for others.
When I was thinking about starting this podcast, I froze for a little bit. The biggest problem plaguing me at the time was the technology. I had no idea what I needed for a podcast or for recording software. I didn’t know how to make things sound good or how to edit them.
Then I realized I had a friend who had already solved that exact problem.
So my tiny step was: text Corrie.
Once I texted her, I got so many answers. They snowballed into figuring out the tech really fast and getting things up and running. That small task seemed completely inconsequential, but it gave me the momentum to keep going.
You may be facing something similar with your marketing. The big campaign feels vague. So ask yourself: what is the small next step I can take that doesn’t feel as overwhelming?
Maybe it’s simply opening up the product page for a piece of software you’re trying to use. Maybe it’s sending an email to someone who has done this before and who you’d like to learn from.
1B. You took on something way too big from the start
Sometimes the problem is that the project was too big from the beginning. The extra mileage we get from that scope of work isn’t worth all of the work.
People with activator energy, the ones who love to start things, often find themselves here. They take the tiny step, and then they realize how much is ahead of them. Either they’re overloaded because they stacked something big on top of an already full schedule, or the project fizzles out because they just can’t get it done.
What people don’t often realize is that the marketing idea can be made a lot smaller.
That happened to me with my email list. Email isn’t the primary revenue engine for my business, and I don’t need to send a ton of emails to keep things running. But I did want to get a list started.
I had an idea for an email concept that was going to be super minimalist and really on brand. I loved it. I still think the idea was good.
But it never got done.
I thought this was minimalist. I thought it was the bare minimum of what I could or should be doing. So I had to challenge myself: this isn’t getting done, so what would be a simpler approach?
I landed on the fact that I already release two podcast episodes a month. I could just summarize them and link to them. That’s it.
It gives me the touch point I want with past clients, it takes very little extra work, and it builds on what I’m already doing. What I thought was the smallest version of this marketing idea wasn’t the smallest version at all. I could make it smaller and take some of the work off my plate.
How to get through it
Whether you’re dealing with 1A or 1B, you can ask yourself the same question multiple times. It’s like asking yourself “why” over and over until you get to the root of something.
- Can I make this smaller?
- Can I make it smaller again?
- What about now? Can I make it even smaller?
Once you land on what feels like the smallest version that will still be effective, ask one more question:
- What is the tiny next step I can take?
Blocker #2: Expecting too much of yourself at the start of something new
When we think about a new marketing idea, whether it’s a campaign, a new channel, or a new habit, I think we picture the perfect way to do it. We have a vision for how we want it to look and how we want it to turn out.
Sometimes that perfect vision blocks us from starting at all. Other times it keeps us from shipping something we’ve been working on for days, weeks, or even longer.
When I’ve worked with people who are trying a new channel, or showing up as the face of their brand for the first time, the ramp-up can be pretty time-consuming. You’re learning new things. You’re figuring out how to fit the marketing to your brand and make sure it meets the standards you have for your business.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge proponent of quality work. But I think this commitment to quality can be sneaky. Oftentimes it’s a cover for the fear of failure, and the fear of putting your brand out there.
What we have to remember is that the first time is not going to be all that great. Even when you’re trying really hard and doing your very best, the first couple of times will be a little shaky.
We waste so much time trying to make these things perfect, when we don’t even know if the perfect version of this marketing is going to work. We can’t guarantee it.
A big part of the practice of marketing is throwing things against the wall to see what sticks. If you’re stuck in perfectionism, you’re not throwing anything against the wall. So you can’t figure out what’s going to stick.
That fear of failure is what we have to get past before we can get through this blocker.
How to get through it
- Where am I spending too much time perfecting something?
- Is the extra 20% I’m giving this going to make the difference between it succeeding or failing?
- What am I afraid of that’s driving this perfectionism? (This is the harder one.)
- What is a small version I could ship to start testing this marketing out?
Blocker #3: Doing marketing that isn’t aligned with your strengths
We don’t always have the luxury of only doing what we like to do. But I think we often forget to lean into what we’re naturally good at, and what’s more fun.
The problem with marketing that isn’t aligned with your strengths is that it’s always going to be a slog.
Some days you can gear up and push through the things you don’t like. We all have to do a lot of that. It’s part of life as a business owner or a marketer.
But if the majority of your marketing plan is misaligned with your strengths and what you enjoy, your marketing is going to drop off when things get crazy.
I see this all the time. The best-laid plans, and then things get busy. Since those tasks aren’t things people truly want to do or feel committed to, they fall off.
You need systems and business development strategies that keep you going even when things aren’t ideal, and even when the environment around you isn’t ideal.
And that looks totally different for each person.
I worked with a business owner who is fantastic at winning people over. He was spending hours writing blog posts for search optimization on Google. Together, we identified that he needed to be in rooms with other business owners: grabbing lunches, connecting, and building his relational network. That’s how he worked best, and that’s how he got business.
So I’d like to invite you to let go of what you think you should do, and consider that you may be able to find a marketing channel that’s both strategic and aligned to you.
How to get through it
- What am I dreading in my business development?
- Is there something else I could do that would both move the needle and be something I enjoy a little more?
- If I can’t get around this task, what can I do to make it a little more fun?
Where to go from here
If one of these blockers sounds familiar, you’re in good company. I run into all three in my own business, and I see them in the work of nearly everyone I partner with.
I also created a quick quiz to help you find your marketing style and figure out how to get past some of the common blockers for that style. You can take it at downeystrategy.com/quiz.
Here’s to doing less, but better, with intention.
This is a written companion to a solo episode of Do Less Marketing. Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.
Find your marketing style (quiz): https://downeystrategy.com/quiz