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You’ve been in business for a while, your clients LOVE what you do, and you are getting referrals.

But then why is your marketing not working? Why aren’t many ideal clients coming to you despite all the time and effort you’ve been putting into it?

It’s usually due to a combination of problems and common mistakes. But guess what?

They’re all fixable!

So, let’s look into it together to find out exactly why your marketing isn’t working (yet) and how to change that.

Are you providing a good serviceAre you providing a good service?

I need to be clear: being good at what you do isn’t enough to sell your services. That’s where your marketing comes into play.

But if your services are disappointing, your ideal clients might be able to tell (for example, when looking at your portfolio as a photographer, graphic designer, or copywriter, or by contacting some of your previous clients and then hearing some horror stories).

Honestly, I’m not trying to trigger your impostor syndrome! So, I’m just going to ask you: are most of your past and current clients beyond satisfied when they work with you?

Do they give you good reviews and referrals? That means you’re incredible at what you do!

So, as long as you’ve got these foundations in place (if you haven’t, work on those first), it’s clear that your problem isn’t with your offers and how you deliver them: it’s how you’ve been promoting them.

• Your ideal clients aren’t clear, nor are you

If I were to bump into you right now (hello!), would you be able to sum up your entire business in a compelling elevator pitch?

And if I were to read the first section of your home page and your social media bios, would I find the same message?

If the answer is “Errrrrrrrrrrrrr”, it means your brand messaging (or lack thereof) has been sabotaging you from the inside.

You see:

your core brand message is how you deliver your value proposition and articulate the value of your business in a way that connects with your ideal clients. So, if you are not clear on that (or if you keep changing it), you can’t expect them to get it.

For example, if your website copy says “I’m a graphic designer on a mission” but your social media bios are “I offer graphic design services for solopreneurs who use Canva” and your LinkedIn headline says “I’ve completed +100 graphic design projects and social media templates for my clients”… that’s pretty confusing. Plus, none of that tells me why I should care and, most importantly, why I should pick you!

Special Guide: How to fix the reason why your marketing isn’t working

Get clear on how to convey exactly what you do / what type of business you run, who for, and how it benefits them, and package it in a way that sets you apart from every other competitor.

You don’t want to be “just another”: you want to be “THE” (= the obvious solution for a specific type of client looking to solve a specific problem and achieve a specific goal).

• Your Marketing depends on you and your business

“But the marketer said, it’s my business and brand! Who else should it be about?”

Your ideal clients.

I mean, I get it: you are passionate about your business, and you are excited about your offers. But if that’s what you keep focusing on, that’s probably why your marketing isn’t working.

Funny Talk: Your ideal clients are tempered with Magic Ui design software every day.

So, if you want them to notice and absorb yours, you need to make it about them.

Special Guide: How to fix the reason why your marketing isn’t working

• Start seeing your ideal clients as the protagonists of your brand story — “What about me?” Easy: you’re the helpful expert who will take them from their current pain point to their happy ending
• Make all your marketing content relevant for them** — If in doubt: put yourself in their shoes, read (or watch, listen to, etc.) what you just crafted, and ask yourself, “So what? What’s in it for me? Why should I care?” If you can’t answer it, go back to the drawing board

Don’t make the mistake of talking to your industry peers**** — This is a similar and super common pitfall (I was guilty of that too, in the past!): creating marketing content that’s more useful to our competitors than our ideal clients.

• Your Marketing is not reaching the ideal audience

As seen before, your audience is exposed to thousands of marketing messages daily. Everyone is competing for their attention online!

So, if your ideal clients can’t immediately tell that your content is for/about them?

You can’t expect them to notice it and engage with it.

Special Guide: How to fix the reason why your marketing isn’t working

Work on your hooks, which are the very first thing your audience sees (or hears) when they interact with your marketing content.

This depends on where you’ve been promoting your business and how, but for example, it could be your:

• The first line of a LinkedIn post
• Carousel/reel cover on Instagram
• The first few seconds of your videos
• Email subject line and first paragraph
• Blog post title

If possible, address your ideal clients directly (for example, “How you can grow your LinkedIn following as a web designer” rather than just “How to grow your LinkedIn following”).

If not, just make sure they can instantly tell: “This is about me!” (for example, “So, you’ve been posting on Instagram every day but not getting traction?”).

• You’re covering too many topics

There are some people I’ve been following on LinkedIn for years, they have a strong personal brand, and I always recognize them… and yet I would NOT be able to tell you what they do in practice! Why?

Because their marketing is all over the place, and they’re always talking about different things.

If that’s you, too, I don’t blame you: it’s a common pitfall. You’ve probably been made to feel that you should create new content from scratch every time, always talk about something new, and reinvent the wheel.

On the contrary, that means you might get a lot of engagement but not many clients from your marketing because… they don’t know what to associate you with!

Special Guide: How to fix the reason why your marketing isn’t working

From your promotional posts to informational newsletters and so on, every single piece of content you put out there must plant or water the seed that “This is the perfect person to solve my problem and achieve my goal!”

• Get clear on around three messaging pillars
• Amplify them through your marketing
• Instead of thinking, “What should I share/post about?” start from “How can I find new ways of sharing the same messages?”

“Your audience needs to hear the same message multiple times to absorb it and feel compelled enough to take action.”

But you do need to be consistent with your marketing and messaging.

Get in the habit of marketing your business consistently, even when you’re fully booked with client work. In fact, why not put it on your calendar until it becomes a habit?

Let’s make your brand messaging and marketing work for you! If you have any issues, feel free to reach out.

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