Halfway through the year. Is your marketing actually working?

HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR... SO HOW'S YOUR MARKETING REALLY GOING?

We're now halfway through the year and for some business owners that will feel exciting. They'll be looking back at new customers, new opportunities, increased visibility and perhaps even some goals they've already achieved. For others, it might feel slightly different. Perhaps you've spent a lot of time online this year. You've posted consistently, attended networking events, created videos, updated your website, invested in training and tried to stay visible. Yet when you look at your enquiries, sales or overall business growth, it doesn't quite match the amount of effort you've put in. If that's you, don't worry, you're certainly not alone.

One of the things I've learned over almost 30 years working in marketing, communications and brand development is that being busy isn't always the same as being effective. In fact, some of the most overwhelmed business owners I meet are often doing far more than they need to be doing. They're showing up everywhere but without a clear plan, creating content without a purpose, networking without a follow-up process and trying to be visible without really understanding what that visibility should be leading to. Before anyone feels attacked, this isn't a criticism. I've been there myself. There have been times in my own business where I've had to stop, review what I was doing and ask myself whether the activity was actually moving me closer to my goals or simply keeping me occupied. There's a difference.

I had an interesting conversation recently about an entrepreneur who offers marketing services yet isn't particularly active in promoting their own business. It got me thinking about how often business owners are encouraged to follow advice from people who don't necessarily demonstrate what they're teaching. Now, before anyone gets upset, I'm not suggesting someone has to be online 24 hours a day to be credible. Not at all. However, I do think it's reasonable to expect the people advising you on marketing, branding, visibility or business growth to have some evidence that they understand what they're talking about.

As many of you know, I don't call myself a guru and I never have. What I do have is almost three decades of hands-on experience working across corporate organisations, charities, start-ups and small businesses, delivering campaigns, managing budgets, solving problems and helping organisations communicate more effectively. That experience has taught me that good marketing isn't about sounding clever, using the latest buzzwords or being visible for the sake of it. Good marketing should ultimately support your business objectives and produce measurable outcomes.

That's why I always encourage business owners to ask questions before investing in a coach, consultant or agency. Can they show examples of their work? Can they demonstrate results? What experience do they have? What have previous clients said? What support will you actually receive? What outcomes can reasonably be expected? Most importantly, do they understand your business, your audience and your goals? Marketing isn't a one-size-fits-all exercise. What works brilliantly for one business may be completely wrong for another.

The halfway point of the year is actually the perfect time to stop and review what's happening in your own business. What's generating enquiries? What's leading to sales? What are people responding to? What feels like hard work with very little return? What needs to change? Sometimes the answer isn't more content, more networking or more social media. Sometimes the answer is a clearer message, a stronger offer, a better follow-up process, more consistency or simply a more realistic and achievable plan.

Get marketing support for your business, from a trusted coach based in the UK

In July, I am offering a 30 Day Coaching programme, you can message me for more details on this.

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Don't give up. There's still plenty of time left in the year. You don't need to wait until January to make improvements and you certainly don't need another hundred content ideas or another social media platform. What you do need is an honest review of what's working, what's not and where your time would be better spent. If the first half of the year hasn't delivered the results you wanted, perhaps that's not a sign to give up. Perhaps it's simply a sign that something needs to change.

I'd love to know. Looking back over the year so far, what's been your biggest marketing lesson so far?

Watch this video if you're considering coaching support this year. I have a few weekend/evening coaching sessions available.

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