Why You Should Create Content When You (think!) You Need it the Least

Photos by Freebird Photography for our brand shoot with Charleston & CoCo, a female-owned clothing boutique.

My father-in-law is an old school blacksmith…yup, the kind that you would see at village museums depicting what life was like back in the 1800’s. In fact, he was the blacksmith for many years at our local Massachusetts village, where families would stop at the wonder of him hard at work for the village horses. Now, he spends his time making really cool colonial lights for homes and (some pretty notable) businesses. He is the epitome of the one-man show. He is the Craftsman. He is the Head of Customer Relations. He is the Business Manager. He is the Head of Marketing. He is a soloprenuer at its finest, and he has taught me many lessons over the years. In addition to which chilled white wine pairs best with his signature fondue, one of the most standout things he taught me early on my years of entrepreneurship is “market your business when you don’t need to”.

Back then, I was slinging flowers at a rapid pace for my then floral design business. I was a self-taught florist with little business experience, none of which had anything to do with actually owning a business. The product (my designs) were speaking for themselves, and I was busier than I anticipated. Without the capacity to take on much more, I never really held tightly onto his advice…until the first off-season came around. And then I got it. Here in New England, our wedding season typically runs from May-October, aside from the brave souls who go for a winter wedding. With that kind of drastic seasonality, I could easily see, feel, understand the stark difference between being swamped without the room for much more versus WAITING for the inquiries to come in. If you can relate to this nature of a business, then you know exactly what I mean, especially if you are a solopreneur like Mark and me.

It feels like it’s never going to happen. No one is going to hire you…maybe ever again. That period of slow time, whether it be days, weeks, or months can be a bit terrifying. I quickly realized that Mark’s advice was right (just like his natural ability to pair any wine with any food, really). The last thing I wanted to do during that slow time was add any desperate measures to capturing clients, especially ones that I did not want to truly work with. I did not want to stretch to market myself (more than I normally would) just to fill my calendar. Instead, I wanted to confidently move forward with the marketing efforts I was making when I was thriving. I wanted to stand on the solid ground that was my brand foundation, continue to speak to my ideal clients and book them with the ease of the content I created when I needed it the last (4-6 months prior). And lastly, I did not want to have to financially back my marketing efforts during my slowest time.

Now as a brand consultant and content creator, I have the joy and honor of working with other business owners to help them see the value in listening to Mark’s advice. I get it…when you are a one-woman or one-man show (or managing a small team) it is really challenging to constantly be in a state of needing to think ahead, especially when things are currently going great. However, the importance of forecasting for the near future as a business owner is as crucial as the work you are currently doing. In order to keep things moving forward (and upward), it is essential to anticipate and plan for what is coming down the line.

If you’re like me and the business you own, manage, or market for has any seasonality to it, then this concept is that much more important.

One simple question you can ask yourself is “what do I suspect business will be like in 6 months?”

Is an off-season approaching like it was for me? Are you going to be introducing a new product or offering that requires marketing? Will it be summer when your clients are looking for a different experience than they do in the winter? Is there anticipated changes to the market in which your business operates? (The real estate market comes to mind for me on that last question). Keep in mind, these are all examples of things we might expect. This is not to mention the hidden twists and turns no one can anticipate.

After you get a rough visual for what the near future may hold, the next step is even more important. Here is when you imagine what your customers might need from you during that time and how you can best meet those needs.

And then we get to creating…

Creating cohesive, on-brand content that speaks to the connection you hope to have down the line is one of the best uses of your marketing efforts when you (think!) you need it the least. Like Mark said, market your business when you do not need to.

If the very idea of this gives you a sense of overwhelm (because you are already doing a million things, or you lack the ideas or the drive to make it happen), that’s where Golden comes in. We are well equipped at understanding your goals, the messages you want to send, the concepts of capturing more of your ideal clients, and how to best portray the connections you hope to make. This is one of the reasons I recently launched our Content Creation Subscriptions…so that business owners could take the guess work out of WHEN and HOW they will create ongoing content for their brands. The subscriptions also naturally lend to that future forecasting, since we are booking the sessions ahead of time and consistently.

Nothing excites me more in this business than when I can witness a business owner realize how they can best connect with their target audience. It’s almost as though I can see the relatability flash before their eyes. That is brand storytelling, leading to human connection, leading to business success at its finest.

Just like a sip of one of Mark’s chilled white wines after a bite of his fondue…perfection.