On this week’s Dear Katie, our question relates to many firms and business owners: Lately, I’ve been feeling uninspired and when I’m uninspired, I lose motivation to do any sort of marketing or networking. Do you have any suggestions to get back on track? 

Ommpff. I’ve been there. And I bet anyone who is a business or firm owner long enough falls into this category. You might even fall into the marketing trap where you slow or stop your marketing efforts because everything is going well, so you’re not motivated to seek out new clients.

Take a breath and realize that marketing is fundamental to your firm’s success.

You might be uninspired (who isn’t sometimes?), but it’s time to get back on track.

Here’s what works for me.

1. Set New Goals

Think back to when you:

• Started your firm, or
• Bought your practice, or
• Became a partner

What did your goals look like? I bet they were lofty. 

You also had a lot to figure out, such as landing your first client, leading a team and the best technology to invest in.

Inspiration comes naturally when every day is a challenge.

If you’re feeling uninspired, you’re not alone.

Did you know that 47% of small firm owners do all of their marketing on their own? Many of these owners have times when they’ll lose inspiration to market and network even more.

I encourage you to look at your goals, right now, to reinvigorate your efforts:

Are your goals helping you grow and reach the “next level?”

You might be at the point where you’re making enough revenue. Working more may not be your goal. And that’s 100% fine. 

Also, know that your goals do not need to be revenue-based. Instead, they can be finding new technology, delegating tasks or removing yourself from parts of your business.

Once you have your goals in place, it’s time to think about your networking.

2. Ask Yourself: How Often are You Meeting With Other Business Owners in Person?

Are you making an effort to get out and network with other business owners? Personally, I tend to feel LEAST inspired when I work from home and do not make it a priority to get out and meet with other business owners regularly.

I know how hard it can be to get out and do this, though. Many of us are working from home now, so it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and deprioritize in-person human connections.

For me? 

I have to be realistic about time. I have two little ones at home and a husband who works full-time. But that doesn’t mean I can’t find some pockets of time to meet with other business owners.

Here’s my minimum for maintaining in-person business connections:

• 3-4 in-person conferences per year
• 2x/month happy hours, lunches or dinners
• A few other business- or social-related trips sprinkled in

And yes, it IS important to meet with other business owners. 

Why? Because they understand the struggles and goals you have. 

Plus, the conversations you have may spark inspiration and motivation to get your marketing back on track.

Also, if you’re feeling as if you don’t have time for these in person connections, I promise that you DO have time. And it will be worth it to get a fresh perspective.

3. Who or What Are You Listening To?

At the end of last year, I found myself stuck in a state of lack of inspiration:

• Every time I picked up my phone, I found myself getting caught up “in the scroll.” . 
• Every time I had a catch-up call with someone, it turned into a vent session (note: I was part of the problem!).

All of that negativity tanked my creativity.

I think we all can relate to this type of scenario. 

So, I challenge you to ask yourself:

• What are you surrounding yourself with?
• What is coming out of your mouth?
• What are you listening to?
• Are you surrounding yourself with people who are energized, creative and excited about the future?
• What types of conversations are you having in groups?

Even a subtle shift in your conversations and surroundings can make a huge difference. Try swapping one podcast for something more positive. Start following creators who inspire you. Steer your next convo toward opportunity and optimism instead of complaints.

At the end of the day, the conversations you have and the content you consume shape how you feel about your work (and life). 

If you’re surrounding yourself with things that make you feel inspired, marketing becomes easier.

4. Introduce Play Into Your Marketing

If your old marketing efforts feel like a drag, why not shake things up and make marketing fun?

I challenge you to pick something new (and maybe a little bold) to experiment with in the next 30 days.

Here are some ideas to inspire you:

• Sponsor a local event that your ideal client would actually attend.
• Host a small dinner for business owners in your niche.
• Get creative. Share a funny story online that happened this week, or spotlight a client and their wins.
• Launch a team-wide marketing challenge. For example, have your team to post on LinkedIn every day for a month.

When you have fun with marketing (without thinking about the ROI), you’ll naturally be motivated to show up.

At the end of the day, you’re only human, and humans feel uninspired from time to time. Every business owner (myself included) goes through these periods. 

The key is to recognize that you’re in a slump and take steps to shake things up before it becomes your new normal.

So, here’s my challenge to you:

• Pick one idea from above.
• Act on it this week.

Sometimes, we just need a little spark to reignite the fire.

And, that’s a wrap on this Dear Katie question.

__

Now I want to hear from you. Do you have a question? 

Submit it here

Until next time, cheers to your success!

Katie