How to Market Your Biz in 10 hours a Week.

Mar 18

Marketing your business can be one of the biggest struggles, and greatest places of growth, in your entrepreneurial journey.

There’s so much to do and there’re so many options for what to do.

In fact, it can be so overwhelming for some that they just don’t do anything. Do yourself a favor and don’t fall into this trap.

I’m here to help you get super clear on how to market your business online using only your time and a very small amount of money.

I recently wrote out a weekly marketing plan for my business with tasks and time estimates next to each one. This gives me a very clear picture of how much time I want to be spending each week in order to get all my marketing in. I then created a checklist to reference all week to make sure I’m on task.

Before doing this I had this feeling I “should” be doing more, but didn’t have a clear picture of what that meant.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the tasks I want to get done each week:

Blog 4 x per week for 30 minutes.
Post on Instagram 3 times.
Interact (comment on other people’s posts) on Instagram twice for 30 minutes each.
Post on TikTok every day.
Post on LinkedIn twice.
Interact on LinkedIn twice for 30 minutes each.
Send one email per week.

Time estimate for all tasks: 10 hours.

If 10 hours is too much for you , here’s a shortened list:

Pick ONE social media option and post 3 times/week.
Interact on this social platform twice for 30 minutes each.
Send one email to your list giving as much free value as you can.
Work on your blog 2-3 times per week for 30 minutes each. Post 1-4 times per month depending on how quickly you create content.

As you read on, I’m going to explain the tasks above in greater detail so you know how to market your business in 10 hours per week.

Online marketing is just one piece to the puzzle. I also recommend getting active with in-person marketing like networking groups, masterminds, business events and mixers, etc. I’ll cover these in another blog.

How I Use Blogs in My Business

Time Estimate: 2 hours/week. This could be one focus time or multiple 30 minute sessions.

One of my favorite practices is writing (blogging) for 30 minutes a day first thing in the morning, when creativity is highest for me. Seriously folks, blogs just write themselves.

Find the best time where you can focus and be creative and commit to one week of writing for 30 minutes each day.

Aim to write at least 2 blogs per month. If you’d like to do more, you can add time here, depending on how fast a writer you are. Do this as one block focus time or multiple sessions.

During this time you may be doing the following: brainstorming new blog content, researching for your blog, writing a rough draft, editing, writing a final draft, posting.

Here are some common blogging questions answered:

What do I write about?

What you think your customers want to know.
What you needed to know 1 year ago.
Books you’re reading or you’ve read.
What’s easy for you.
What you love.
Do some keyword research to find out what people are searching for in regard to your line of business.
Keep a master brainstorm list of blog ideas and add to it whenever an idea pops up.

Why is this important?

Blogging is great for Search Engine Optimization. I’m not an expert here but I do know that new relevant content on your website is GREAT for SEO. Once you get your blog rolling, adding backlinks and refence links to other articles you’ve written is another great strategy.

What if no one reads my blogs?

No one is going to read your blog unless you send them there. This site traffic is also super important in regards to SEO.

Once you blog, post to your little world what you wrote about and how to get there. This is a great way to re-purpose content for social media.

How to Use Email Marketing in Your Business

If there’s only one section you read in this blog, read this.

Time estimate: 1 hour/week. If there’s one marketing tactic to never let fall behind it’s growing and nurturing your email list. Once you have folks on your email list, you own that list and they are already warmed up to you. The transition to becoming a buyer is way quicker here than the transition for a social medial follower. Get into a weekly rhythm and email them the same day each week.

Here are some common email questions answered:

What email marketing tasks are important?

Growing your email list (which I’ll talk about in a later blog)
Sending a weekly email with something of value.
Crafting sales launches where you sell your stuff monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.

What do I email about?

A quick picture of your recent blog with a link.
Something short, of value, that you can do weekly.
A quick lesson.
A behind the scenes video.
An inspirational quote or story.
Start a brainstorm list so you’re never stumped.

What if I don’t have an email list?

Make it part of your marketing plan to grow your list immediately.
Create a freebie to drive traffic to your list (a PDF, short video, quiz, etc. that’s relevant to what you’re customers want)
Promote the heck out of your freebie on your social media channels.
Ask people in person to join your list.
Go to market specific events to promote your biz and grow your email list.
Create a giveaway to promote your stuff and collect emails.
Brainstorm: “how else can I grow my list?”

How I Use Social Media in my Business

Time estimate: 8 hours/week. Social media work includes creating content, posting and interacting.

Pick one to three platforms to show up on regularly. If you’re new, focus on one. If you’ve been rocking one for a bit, add another.

Content creation: I like to keep my content creation separate from my posting and interacting. Creation is a creative act so I need to be focused and not distracted by anything else on the platform.

Posting: depending on the platform I aim to post 3-7 times per week. I do this straight from the app or schedule my posts in blocks. Try out what works best for you. If you’re posting straight from the app, give your self a no-scroll rule so you don’t get derailed.

Social media interaction: This is where you are on your social media platform of choice following others and interacting by commenting on posts.

Give yourself a time limit for this and then be strategic about who you’re interacting with. Are they potential clients? Are they potential collaborators? Do their people also need your services? Commenting on other’s posts is a powerful way to be seen.

Here are some common social media questions answered:

What do I post about?

Create 3-7 categories that you can get excited about. For example these could be: 1) behind the scenes 2) inspirational quotes 3) book reports 4) quick tips 5) promote my freebie to drive email sign ups.
Start a brainstorm list that you can add to regularly. Set time aside to brainstorm.
Get in the habit of writing down ideas whenever they pop into your head. I send myself texts when I’m out and about.
Creativity is endless. Train yourself to open up to ideas and be in the flow.
Create blank space everyday to let the mind wander so new ideas can come in.

How do I stay focused?

Create some rules for social media so you stay focused. Here are some ideas:

Only follow people who inspire or lift you up.
Implement a no-scroll rule when on the platform.
Only spend your pre-determined time on the app each day.
Have a specified time to do your social media and stick to it.
Don’t hop on social media randomly, stick to your schedule.

What platform should I use?

Just pick one to start with. Don’t get wrapped up in this. Pick one where you can show up regularly.

Comment below with any questions you have about marketing your business online.

Greta Lewanski