Hi Reader,
Hope you enjoyed a nice and relaxing International Self-Care Day on Sunday!
I'm a huge believer in the benefits of regular self-care and I really needed a proper day off!
Due to a series of unpredictable circumstances in my life, I've had very little control over my time lately which resulted in a lack of headspace, energy as well as time for working on my business on investing time into extracurricular activities.
That's also why this email is landing in your inboxes a bit later than it should.
But after a very relaxing weekend filled only with things that refill my body, mind and soull, I feel recharged and ready for another week!
So, let's get to the topic of this week's letter... CONSISTENCY!
For a while now I had this theory that you can achieve a lot by being consistently inconsistent.
We all know that being consistent is super important for our marketing to really work, but it’s not that black and white!
What I mean is that it’s better to do something inconsistently, but keep showing up whenever you can instead of beating yourself up whenever you can’t stay seriously consistent all the time. That will only assure that very soon you’ll feel demotivated and under the pressure, you might stop your efforts anytime you cannot maintain your current level of consistency for whatever reason…
And we all know that life is super unpredictable all the time!
Let me explain…
For example, one of the rules for a healthy lifestyle is to exercise at least 30 minutes every day or is it 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week or maybe it is a vigorous-intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 minutes three days a week?
See, there’s never one fits all solution! None of the guidelines that you can find online won't apply to everyone at all times forever. We’re all unique and so are our goals, our starting point, our capabilities and resources…
Does it mean that if you only can do 15 minutes of exercise every day or every other day or maybe even once per week, that it’s not worth doing it, that you won’t see any results if you don’t follow the exact recommended regime?
No, of course not!
Every little movement helps to keep you a little more active than you used to be and make sure that you’re getting stronger, more flexible and healthier. One step at a time!
So what does all this has to do with marketing?
Well, consistency is a big buzzword in marketing!
Take this quote from Forbes in 2019:
“Content Consistency Is King!
Whether you publish blogs every day or once per week, it’s crucial for your organization to choose and adhere to a schedule. When your content quality, quantity or schedule isn’t consistent, it can confuse your customers. Keeping with a regular strategy not only helps create a better customer experience but it also helps build credibility, reputation and brand trust.”
We get it, being consistent is important and it definitely can have a huge impact on your overall marketing results, customer experience and ultimately business growth!
BUT…
… what if you can’t post on your Instagram every day, should you not post at all? If you can’t keep up with a weekly newsletter and you miss here and there, should you stop altogether? If you only manage to publish a blog once a month instead of weekly, is it even worth it?
It’s easy to feel discouraged to keep going when we feel like we cannot output exactly what we thought we should. Should is the keyword here!
There isn’t one bulletproof solution that would work for everyone 100% of the time. There isn’t one consistency rule that if you follow religiously, you’ll reach your goals and you’ll see the expected ROI from your marketing.
In the same way, our bodies are unique and require different exercise regimes, our businesses are different too, and our resources, goals and skills vary.
Consistency is great, but not if you use it as an excuse not to start with something (blogging, newsletter, podcast, LinkedIn Audio Rooms, Instagram Live etc.).
Consistency is great, but not if you’ll beat yourself up for missing a day, week or a month and feel discouraged to get back on track once you feel you have the time, energy and headspace again.
Consistency is great, but it’s not the holy grail of great marketing as it’s sometimes presented. Simply being consistent is not enough!
Relevant, meaningful, targeted, helpful content and proactive engagement are more important.
And if you’re consistently inconsistent with your efforts, and you can still grow, you can still hit your goals, you can still achieve all that you’re working towards.
Plus, you might be able to enjoy creating content, working on your marketing, and engaging with your audience a lot more if you take away all the pressure to be perfect, be religiously consistent and be always present!
What do you think?
- Is being consistently inconsistent something you practice in your marketing?
- Do you think that we have to be consistent 100% of the time to achieve our goals?
- Are you able to stay consistent with your marketing day in and day out without missing a beat? If so, what’s your secret?
I’d love to hear from you and see how you’re getting on with your marketing!
Lenka
Come to our upcoming Cambridge Social Media events:
- Talks about healthy & sustainable marketing | LinkedIn Audio Event | Mon, Jul 25, 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM BST
- Why you need a sustainable digital marketing ecosystem? | FB Live | Fri, Aug 29, 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM BST