How much time should I spend marketing?

I hear too many new entrepreneurs repeating bad advice and one thing I’ve heard from many sources is the advice to spend at least 20 hours a week marketing.

How much time should I spend marketing then?

For a new business owner it’s a challenging place, because on one hand you’re looking for new clients and buyers, but in reality you don’t know where to get started. The hours seem daunting and it can often result in overwhelm and frustration.

What can you do instead?

The real question is how to better measure the output if you’re not measuring hours “input” each week.

Instead of trying to spend 4 hours a day “marketing”, focus on the tasks that need to be done. If you see a block of time for marketing on your calendar that doesn’t give you a clear picture of what needs to be done, try allocating time to complete a blog post, polish a free report or email contacts who might have leads or collaborations to share. Instead of thinking you have to fill up the time, focus on doing the task well.

Why this is a dangerous mindset

I love marketers but you have to remember that their entire day is spent marketing. They love doing all the tactics they’re teaching you and are happy to spend all their time in marketing (because that’s their job!).

But expecting every business to have the same approach is naive. Your personal trainer might spend 5 hours a day at the gym, or your day care provider may spend 7 hours playing with your child but that doesn’t mean it’s feasible for everyone.

You don’t need to do every tactic, but working on the best marketing for your business well. It’s okay if the marketing that worked for a marketing guru doesn’t work in your market – not every business should be on Pinterest or Google+, and not every business owner should be at the Chamber of Commerce or in BNI. Don’t waste your energy feeling guilty about all the things you “should be” doing and instead look to do what will work for your business well.

Additionally, the right marketing will work to bring in clients which you must make time for in your business. If you set yourself up to spend all your time marketing then there will be no space to serve the clients, administer your business, or enjoy life!

What do you focus on when you need clients?

Try not to allocate big blocks of time for “marketing”. Instead, here are 3 tactics to get started with systems to bring your clients with less stress.

1. Focus on content creation first, including free reports, blog posts, videos, anything that helps you showcase your business and skills.

2. Look for more connections and make quality relationships in your network and with colleagues.

3. Be creative with your time – draw an infographic, do a case study, get a scholarship client. When you stop painting yourself into a box things flow easier.

Bottom line: it’s not about who is spending more time marketing – that’s not the true measure of success. Instead of focusing on the hours, focus on the output, and then you can begin automating your marketing to bring in clients easily.