4 Reasons You’re Not Consistent With Your Content Creation (and Online Marketing)

Business Tips and ToolsVisibilityBranding

Jul 2

Written By brandmerry

Consistency is key when running an online business, but why is it so dang hard? Learn 4 reasons why you might be lacking consistency in your business. Read more here: https://www.brandmerry.com/4-reasons-youre-not-consistent-with-your-content-creati…

Yes, we’re talking about consistency again this week!

For four years I’ve surveyed my audience and do you know what the number one struggle is?

Actually showing up.
Not just once.
Not twice.
But, consistently.

But, dang it’s hard.

The reality is creating content can actually be overwhelming. Most people go through the typical cycle of, “Oh, I've got a great idea! Wait is this actually valuable? How do I know if this is valuable? Maybe I should think of another topic!"

And even when we start to figure it out, we find ourselves repeating the cycle month after month.

This is why it’s important to pinpoint and correct why we’re not consistent in the first place, so today’s post is going to share 4 of the most common reasons you might be lacking consistency in your business.

1. LACK OF COMMITMENT TO YOUR BUSINESS

Ok, I’m bringing this up with so much grace and love because I want you to know that you’re not the only one who is sitting in this in-between, but we've talked about this lack of commitment a lot with time management conversations.

For example, I always say that one of the reasons time management is a big struggle, especially when growing your business, is because your business isn’t taking top priority in your schedule.

I know it can be easy to see entrepreneurs who are “making it” and think, “Wow, they're so lucky.” But the truth is that the people who have done this and are doing it successfully have done it with intention. This success didn’t happen by accident.

This intention comes from making a commitment and in this case a commitment to your business.

Have you made this commitment? Here are three questions to help you determine if you’re downplaying your business, even if subconsciously.

QUESTION #1
Have you told anybody about your business?
Really consider if you’ve told the people that you love most about your business and if you’ve had conversations with them about what you imagine your business can be.

QUESTION #2
How do you refer to your business?
It’s time to really think about how you refer to and think about your business, yes this includes calling it a side hustle. For me, the term side hustle carried a heavyweight and made me think of my business as something less important, which absolutely wasn’t true.
This way of thinking subconsciously made my business less important and not a time priority. So when I had time, I’d work on my business as opposed to making the time to work on my business.

Really consider the way you view and openly talk about your business. Are you talking about it as a fun side project, or is this a goal that you're working towards? How bad do you want it?

Entrepreneurship requires work, yes, but most importantly it requires a commitment. One thing to consider is having a specific time on your calendar for your business, especially as it relates to content creation.

If you do not have designated time on your calendar we're running into a problem, because that means that your business is not a priority. We use our calendars to prioritize the things that we have to do all the time, think the dentist, meetings at work, soccer practice for the kids.

The beautiful part of this is there isn’t a right or wrong way or number of hours you need to work on your business, it always comes down to your goals, timeline and availability. So your scheduled time might only be two hours a week or five, but having the time carved out is part of this commitment.

#2 A LACK OF SYSTEMS = A LACK OF CONSISTENCY

One of my favorite quotes from James Clear in his book Atomic Habits is, "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."

I love it so much we talked about it last week, but I truly don’t think there is a more important conversation to have in regards to consistency than your systems.

If you’re already pressed for time, and only have so many hours to come up with content, ideas, and so much time to write our content and then so much time to get it out there, we have to get our systems in place.

These systems in your business look like clear and defined workflows, thorough weekly checklists and frameworks for getting your content written and out for distribution.

One of my favorite parts of my business is taking one piece of content and repurposing the crap out of it, seriously I wrote an entire blog post on my process. The art of repurposing not only allows you to spend less time creating content, it allows you to create a weekly workflow that can be repeated week after week.

This repetition takes the guesswork out of marketing your business and gives you more time and energy on fine-tuning and improving your craft.

Every week I take one video, the one you can watch below, and I turn it into a blog post (yes, this one), 3 social media posts, an email and multiple videos for Instagram. And every single week this workflow is repeated.

This type of system and there are many to choose from, allow you to rinse and repeat, minimize the time and energy you’re spending and maximize output.

Inside The Consistency Guide, I share an 8-part framework for showing up more consistently in your business. One of these pieces is centered around your workflow. I walk you through my process of determining your core content and repurpose schedule, then you get a behind the scenes look into my business and my workflow so you can implement it in your business with ease.

Content might be Queen, but if your content isn't consistent it won't do you much good. The Consistency Guide teaches you how to release beliefs holding you back and put systems in place that allow you to succeed in business week after week after week.

Get the consistency guide now

#3 STOP TRYING TO BE ON ALL THE PLATFORMS

One of the most popular reasons for not showing up consistently in business is that you’re trying to be too much, create too much and show up too much!

“What?! Michelle you teach marketing and you’re telling me I’m doing too much?”

YES! As with all things we need to be strategic and I’d rather you show up fully on a few platforms then stretch yourself thin with mediocre content on a bunch.

The truth is when we start our businesses, and even in that first year, shoot, even in your fourth year, it can be really easy to look and see where everybody's showing up and think to yourself, “Well, I should be there too. I definitely need to be there. Um, I'm not on Pinterest, I need to be on Pinterest. I'm not on Instagram, I need to be on Instagram. I need to be doing a weekly live stream as Michelle does.” Sound familiar?

We feel we have to do #allthethings because we’re comparing our Chapter 1 to someone’s Chapter 10. Look, I was not doing all of this four years ago, I focused on the areas that felt most comfortable and where I could show up fully and then I continued to grow from there.

In my business, it looked like Facebook Groups and my Facebook Page first, then I added Instagram, then I got serious about Blogging and Pinterest, adding podcasting, weekly live streams, etc... came next.

No one is expecting you to do it ALL right from the start, that’s just crazy!

If you’re trying to do all of the things, all of the time, and find yourself consistent for a week, and then nothing on again for two weeks and then off again because you’re stretching yourself too thin, you’re not going to be able to give your full focus and energy to the areas you absolutely need to see growth, think high-value content.

I recommend two to three platforms most when you’re first starting out and when choosing these platforms you need to consider what is required from that platform.

For instance, if you don’t have a lot of time then you might not want to focus on Instagram or Facebook to grow your community which requires daily posting. Using your blog and Pinterest might be a better option for you and better use of your time in the beginning. Then as you understand and implement repurposing you can take that blog and expand it on social media.

So that's why it's really, really important to create a strategy that works for you. This is why I love authentic marketing and what it’s truly all about. It's about really looking at your life, your schedule, your audience, where you want to show up, how much time you have and create a workflow and a content creation plan to match that.

So much of this comes from your system and workflow. I’ve mastered this with my Repurposing Plan and I’m giving you my strategies to build your own system that you can rinse and repeat inside the Consistency Guide.

Get the Guide

#4 YOUR PURPOSE ISN’T DEFINED

Now, I don't mean your life purpose, although that could easily fit into your business if you know that go for it, but if when you hear the word purpose and instantly start to feel overwhelmed it’s not necessary.

What, I want to encourage you to think about is the purpose behind your business and how it’s deeper than your why.

Let me explain. When I started my business I remember my first coach asked me my “why”. I listed out a ton of reasons like being home with my son, bringing my husband home from his job, traveling more, paying off debt, shopping at Whole Foods.

It felt great! But then business got tough and I found myself no longer motivated by these very surface-level reasons for running my business. So I took the time to think about the true purpose behind my business, my mission, which is so much more than me and even my family.

It can’t be because of money.
It can’t be because of fame.

You can achieve those things working a 9 to 5, it has to be bigger, it has to focus on impact.

There will be months when you don't make as much as the month before, and you might have social media posts that do really, really well and then social media posts that don't.

You might have launches that do really, really well and then have launches that don't.

And when you're focused on the money, or the fame, or the, you know, influence or publicity, or whatever you want to call it likes followers, then you're going to struggle because you're going to question if you should be doing this!

When you think about your audience and impact, the reason you’re showing up you’ll keep going, you’ll keep creating and you’ll continue to be consistent.

If you haven’t already ask yourself,
What is the mission behind our business?
What is the purpose of you showing up every single day, even when no one is there?

Having this information at your fingertips, being deeply rooted in your purpose, allows you to pull yourself back up. As an entrepreneur, no one is going to do that for you!

Inside The Consistency Guide, there is an entire section on defining your purpose. I ask the questions needed to determine your purpose and feel deeply rooted and connected to it.

I've used my Consistency Framework to create consistent high-performing content for four years.

This has included weekly emails, weekly blog posts, at least two videos a month (now it's weekly), multiple social media posts on both Facebook and Instagram and so much more.

I've generated half a million dollars in cash from showing up consistently in my business, delivering what my audience wants and sharing my expertise in a way that is authentic to me.

This isn't another plug n play template, this is going to set the foundation you need so you STICK WITH IT.

Because plug n play is just a band aid, it doesn't solve the problem.

Get the consistency guide for $60 off!

The goal here is to make deep changes in your business both with your systems and mindset (because we both know it's needed).

My clients have used my Consistency Framework to break free from their blocks and get results.

...Romy has created weekly live streams, blogs and emails (all from one piece of content) to generate $3k - $5k cash months.

...Ariel shows up for her audience every week, posting multiple times on Facebook to create a 6-figure photography business.

...Kinsey has grown a following on Instagram by releasing weekly podcasts, posting consistently on IG to successfully launch her first group program and 1:1 coaching.

I know you can follow this simple framework and do the same.

I typically sell this guide for $97, but I wanted to give my readers the opportunity to get all the goodness of the guide for less. You can grab the consistency guide by clicking right here for just $37!

CONCLUSION

Remember consistently showing up in your business is essential. You want to find a pattern and routine that works for you, but also be aware of areas, four specifically, where you might be blocking your own success.

So much of what we do as a business owner is equal parts strategy and mindset. Find the area where you’re lacking and focus on building it up so you can start showing up!

If you want to grab The Consistency Guide you can learn more about my 8-part Consistency Framework, you can do so by clicking here!

Branding and Business Coach | Michelle Knight of Brandmerry

P.S. If you made it this far my guess is you’re ready to create consistent content and a sustainable business. So much of this starts with your marketing workflow which I’m giving you inside my free Repurposing Guide. You can download it here.

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