Why A+ Efforts Can Yield C- Results
Consider this scenario…
Health coach Tina has been working with a handful of clients through a new program. Things are going well, and she’s ready to start bringing in more clients which means upping her marketing game.
She knows her ideal clients hang out on Instagram, TikTok, and sometimes FB so she’s been posting stuff on those channels a few times a week. Her content is good and she’s consistent which earns her likes and follows and some DM convos here and there.
Yet overall Tina feels kinda invisible and frustrated that her efforts aren’t bringing enough people into her coaching program.
All the SM stuff feels like a lot of work week after week, even with her VA Sam helping her out. She knows she should probably send out emails or do more networking but after keeping up with everything else that needs to be done in her business, she barely has time.
Or this scenario…
After several years working 1:1 with clients on a project basis, Syl has created a course to leverage their time and add a new revenue stream to their business. The course is really good because Syl is a seasoned expert and they did their research to know this offering is exactly what people have been asking for.
Syl priced the course modestly—plus people said they want it—so they're feeling pretty confident about projected revenue. Syl does the math and figures if they can sell 100 units this year, that’d be equal to half their earnings from the 1:1 work.
Two launches later over the course of 8 months with a handful of sales in between, they’ve sold 20 units. Good but nowhere near their desired goal.
Now Syl's dream of a substantive leveraged income stream feels quite distant, especially when they’re worn out between juggling everything that’s gone into the course launches along with their private client work.
For Tina and Syl, finding success with their efforts to bring in more clients and customers comes down to determining if they’re dealing with an offer, audience, marketing to model mismatch, or simple math problem (often a lead generation issue in disguise).
It could be any combo of these things, but for the moment I want to zero in on the marketing to model match issue.
Tina only needs to work with 10-15 clients per year through her program to hit her income goals which has her operating a revenue model based on low volume, high-dollar services. Working intimately with people means she needs to build relationships with prospective clients first.
As such, Tina would be better off focusing her limited time and resources on marketing activities suited for a low-volume, high-ticket revenue model such as networking as well as running workshops/classes for other people’s audiences and her own to give folks an experience of how she works. Email marketing for sure, because email marketing always.
By contrast, Syl would love to sell as many people into their course as possible since they’re looking to replace income with course sales and other planned digital products. Syl’s moving toward a high-volume, low-ticket revenue model. They’re not going to meet their goals simply by selling to their existing email list, as important as email marketing is, because their list is not big enough.
In order to make the conversion math work, Syl needs to get the word out to as many people as possible to grow their audience with steady incoming traffic so a high-visibility, big-reach marketing strategy like speaking (podcasts, stages, summits) and collaborating with others on summits and bundles should be priority. Both SEO and social media marketing could be really helpful here, too, especially if they have a fully built funnel. Investing in paid advertising will make everything happen faster.
While in every instance you must look at surrounding factors such as messaging and nurture, far too often I see people putting a disproportionate amount of time, energy, and money into marketing activities that are not the best fit for their type of business.
Essentially they have a marketing to model mismatch that accounts for at least some of their struggle and overwhelm.
All types of marketing can work at some level.
But if you’re limited on resources, as most of us are, it pays—literally—to prioritize a marketing strategy that accounts for your assets, style, and business goals.
When your marketing efforts produce the kind of results that are congruent with your revenue model, you’re closer to the money.
More importantly, when the strategy aligns with how you like to show up and interact with prospects, you’re far more inclined to be consistent with your marketing efforts—maybe even ENJOY the experience—which is key to steady income.
Next time you’re evaluating what to invest in to increase traffic, referrals, and/or conversions, consider what revenue model you’re operating and whether the marketing strategy or tactic is well suited to support it.
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