Most people's marketing would never get a second date.
I was running a lead generation and marketing session last week, and something became really clear.
Most businesses are great at getting attention. They're terrible at keeping it.
They post once. Send one email. Run one campaign. Then they wonder why the phone's not ringing. (Be honest. You might be doing it right now.)
So they decide marketing doesn't work. Or LinkedIn doesn't work for their industry. Or email is dead. And they go quiet for three months until the pipeline dries up and panic sets in, and the whole thing starts again.
That's a series of awkward first dates, and none of them lead anywhere.
Lead gen works like a relationship. Think about how trust actually builds between two people. Nobody meets someone once and hands over their savings. You see them again. They remember what you told them last time. They turn up when they said they would. Slowly, you start to believe they're the real thing.
Buying works exactly the same way.
Very few people will buy the first time they see you. Plenty need to hear from you again and again before the timing is right for them. If you've disappeared by then, someone else gets the call. Usually someone who was simply more consistent than you.
The fix isn't complicated. It just takes a bit of discipline.
Show up. Pick the places your ideal clients actually spend time and be there, regularly. One place done properly beats being everywhere.
Add value. Every post, email or video should leave the reader a little better off. A useful tip. A story they recognise. A question that makes them think. If all you ever do is sell, people stop opening the door.
Stay consistent. Once a week, every week, beats a burst of activity followed by silence. Consistency is what turns "who's that?" into "oh, I know them".
When you do those three things, people stop scrolling and start listening.
The same rules apply when you're trying to attract the right people to work in your business. If your business was on a dating app, would the best candidates swipe right or left?
Most owners put loads of effort into marketing for customers and almost none into marketing for team members. Yet your next hire could have a bigger impact than your next client. A top performer wants to see growth, opportunity and a business that looks like it knows where it's going. They'll judge that on what you put out there, long before they ever apply.
Your brand is for the people who might want to work with you too. So have a look at your marketing over the last three months. Is it a steady, reliable presence that someone could get to know, or a handful of big gestures with long silences in between?
How consistent is your marketing right now?
