How to do your marketing in an hour a week

In this blog I’m going to show you how you can have your very own personalised “one-hour-a-week” marketing and brand-building strategy that delivers results.

But first, some marketing #realtalk....         

If you’re a personal brand, here’s some sobering, real-world, marketing advice you won't hear very often (if at all!).

If you’re spending more 1-2 hours of YOUR time on marketing each week, I reckon you’re overdoing it, and doing more than you need to.

I’ll hazard a guess and say you’re doing it because you’re not getting enough ROI on what you ARE doing.

So you yo-yo between doing “too much” and “nothing” – and in those times where you go full throttle it just takes too much energy for it to be sustainable, and ends up eating into your personal, social or self-care time.

I also have some #realtalk for those of you in "limbo land". 

Not doing anything because you don’t know where to start or put your focus.

If you’re not investing an hour a week sharing your unique thought leadership and building connection with your audience you are missing out on such an extraordinary opportunity that could be compounding your digital footprint and revenue.

Too many people are out there looking for the “magic beans”  that fairytale Jack stumbled upon when trading his cow.

They're intent on pursuing the elusive "beanstalk strategy". thinking it'll shoot their business into exponential growth overnight.

Doesn’t exist.

With nearly 3 decades of doing this, working with over 1000 brands, I’d consider myself pretty seasoned.

And sure, in the personal brand space I’ve seen people shoot up seemingly overnight. Where chance, opportunity and an extraordinary amount of sweat equity and hustle combined.

But it’s rarely, if ever sustainable.

ESPECIALLY when you are a PERSONAL brand.

That has a life. That does other stuff besides marketing.

And without a huge team. 

Definitely not how I want to live, work and be. 

I've also done "all the things" over the years in an effort to understand and figure out what works and create easier ways for myself and my clients. 

And seen it all through fad after fad, era after "new era"

So I want to give you another way to look at it.

A way more powerful and effective way.

Become a farmer.

I love the farming analogy, and taking this approach has served me and my business (and my family life!) so well over the years. 

Just like a farmer with her field, with my personal brand I am a massive proponent of the business benefit of….

Preparing,

Planting,

Watering,

Tending,

Pruning,

Harvesting,

Reaping,

….on a cyclical basis.

And letting the NATURAL law of growth kick in and do the majority of the work.

But here’s the thing.

This doesn’t happen with good intentions.

It doesn’t happen consuming countless YouTube videos, blogs, late night Googling, watching more webinars and events, and filling your head with endless online chats and discussions.

It starts – and continues – with small, focused, decisive actions.

The right foundation, a clear strategy, and the right tools and know-how.

Just like a farmer needs fertile soil, a clear plan for what she wants to grow, the right machinery, fertiliser and equipment, and the knowledge of what to do when.

(they also know what to get others to do - and hint, it's not deciding which crops to plant or what equipment to buy!)

“Spraying and praying” everywhere isn’t going to yield you sustainable, cyclical, measurable results.

Focused, decisive, consistent, strategic actions will.

Which is why I live by the “one hour a week” philosophy – when you are a PERSONAL brand.

Anything more – it’s likely not sustainable for more than a month or two. You’ll dip out and it’ll end up in the “too hard basket”

You’ll lose intererest, momentum and become the yo-yo.

And you and I both know that does. not. feel. good.

That said, anything less than an hour a week, and you’re missing a massive opportunity to tap into one or two highly leveraged actions, that are UNIQUE to you, to.....

......build your audience,
......be in front of them regularly, and
......build the connection that leads to sales and bigger impact.

In my Marketing Me Experience I work with every single participant to identify their highest leverage points – adapted to their own skills, lifestyle, strengths, capacity, business plan and appetite for growth – and most of all, what sparks joy in them.

Sure, I have a proven process – one that works, and that every single person who has been through it has found life-changing and business-changing.

But it’s more than just the process (you’ll be able to read about that in my upcoming book that’s being released in a few months).

It’s my finely-honed and intuitive ability to extract those unique leverage points for each individual, and gently nurture you inside a 6-week incubator to get you settled into this new groove.

And build the muscle memory that will get you "doing more with less" and attracting the right people now, and equally, serve you over the long term too.

As you plant your seeds into the right soil.

This was *actually* my garden when I lived in New Zealand some years ago. (and yes these are my kids too!).

I was extraordinarily proud of this vege garden. The produce was phenomenal.

But the truth is I had very little to do with the success of it.

I’d tried my hand several times in the past, in dry rocky soil of my parched Melbourne backyards and had little to no success.

In the fertile NZ north, planting and growth was easy.

I just needed to decide WHAT I wanted to plan, bought and planted the seeds and seedlings, then carried out small micro-steps regularly to water, tend and keep it in good shape.

The soil did the work.

And the authentic, magnetic personal brand is your "fertile soil" - that makes your seeds of marketing grow.

Without it you're just noise, clamouring for attention in a noisy space.

People screen you out and aren't interested in what you have to say

With a personal brand people gravitate to - everything changes.

That’s what I help people do in the first few weeks of working with me BEFORE they start planting the seeds of content and marketing and putting time on watering them.

So that you’re investing your precious time and energy into a place that yields the greatest return - that works for you! 

There’s no “one system” or platform or approach that’s right for everyone.

Sure there are some principles that I encourage everyone to implement as part of their one-hour--a-week strategy, and I'm happy to share these with you today. 

You three basic systems in place to make this work:

- A Content creation system
- A Repurposing system
- A Distribution system. 

And you want to ensure you are distributing in a way that makes you and keeps you:

- Front of Mind
- Findable
- Shareable

There you have it! The "bones" of what I teach about systems. 

However the implementation is finely nuanced. 

And that's when it becomes something of a "choose your own adventure" where you'll benefit from the guidance and support of a specialist to get you set up correctly and so you don't end up down rabbit holes that don't serve your business vision and strategy. 

Because the worst thing you can do is try to do what’s working for someone else, but it just doesn’t gel for you.

My approach is to help you find the thing that LIGHTS YOU UP – so that marketing becomes such a fun, energising and impactful activity – that not just builds your brand but drives (and draws in!) sales as well.

Because people know what you are about.

You’re Authentic. Clear. Confident. Consistent.

And Connecting with and attracting the RIGHT people.

I’m kicking off the next intake of the Marketing Me Experience next week and I invite you to join me and a small group of amazing people.

Don’t be fooled, this is not a “group program” per se. Where you’re herded through a curriculum and left on your own to implement. Nope - not my style. 

This is me working with you and supporting you personally, but inside an intimate container with powerful people who will support you and mastermind with you and enhance all of what you and I will do together. This is what I have found gets the absolute best results in the shortest amount of time. 

And with my help, you’ll build a foundation of fertile soil, and then we’ll get your unique one-hour-a-week marketing strategy in place.

That’s not to say you’re locked into never doing more – heck if you want to do media, PR, write a book, run an event, go for it. I often do “more” when I feel like it too.

But I'm not locked into it. 

I won't do it at the expense of my mental health or if I'm tired, or busy, or need a break. 

I know that my one hour a week keeps the flame burning brightly those in-between seasons where I want to take a step back, take time out, focus on something else.

I'm still present, visible and connecting with my audience. 

This is exactly why I spoon-feed my clients with the one-hour-a-week approach, and getting clear on the strategy that’s right for THEM rather than overloading with more options for you to work through and try and figure stuff out.

And by making sure you're working with fertile soil (your authentic brand that’s aligned with your unique identity) to tap into the natural and cumulative power of growth.

Click here to join me in Marketing Me LIVE

If you’re not sure if this is right for you, don’t stay stuck trying to figure it out, or ask ChatGPT for advice – talk to me!

We’ll look at your unique situation and chat about what you want to achieve and if I believe it will work FOR YOU, I’ll show you how what we’ll do together will get you there.

In the most easeful, energising, enjoyable way!

Because it's a core belief of mine that marketing should feel good both to your audience, and to YOU, too!

As it becomes a beautiful vehicle for creating impact and sharing your powerful message with the world!

******

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nina Christian is a Marketing Futurist & Global Marketing Mentor who helps people do their marketing in a more human way. 

She is a Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM), Life Member and Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute & AMI State Chair (Vic) and for 20 years was director of Braveda (Winner, Best Marketing Agency, Australian Marketing Excellence Awards).

Several years ago Nina saw the world of marketing shifting – this time as people became their own brands.  With this, she created a new business as a thought leader, combining her expertise in brand building with personal positioning, resulting in a breakthrough praxis known as Marketing Me™.

She has a knack for simplifying the complex which comes from being a hands-on mum to five children, and uses this to turn time-sucking activities into easy-to-follow systems and processes that make a lot of sense and get outcomes fast.

There are different ways to work with Nina based on your situation and organisation size - with all of them you'll see rapid transformation and tangible outcomes fast. Book a chat with Nina here.