Just for giggles, I sat down and looked at my 2024 projects so far, and mapped out how long it took for a client to express interest to actually book a project with me.
Wow... eye opening stats.
I would say 50% of my clients made the decision relatively fast. They had a new offer to sell and needed sales copy like yesterday, or were simply just READY to update their stale website copy or create content marketing plan so they could make money faster.
But the other 50% of my projects came from a long sales / decision cycle.
For example:
- A client that expressed interest in December finally booked the project for June (6 months later)
- A discovery call that I had back in August finally turned into a project for July (11 months later)
- And sometimes I've even had clients that took 1-2 years to make the decision!
So what does this mean from a marketing perspective? And what does it mean when you have openings in your calendar NOW and don't want to wait for 6 months for someone to be ready to work with you?
Welp, here's the thing. People will only buy/engage when they're good and ready.
They have to have the need, the want, the budget, and the time in order to proceed with a sale or project. And the truth is, we cannot control the timing, budget, or need of our prospective customers.
But the good news is that we CAN control the seeds of marketing that we sow and nurture.
The best way to get clients both NOW and several months from now is to:
Market consistently in places where your buyers (or even referral partners) are hanging out.
Get in front of new people.
Stay connected to your existing audience.
In other words, continue to grow brand awareness, build trust, and continue to share your offer (in a non-pushy way).
When we do this, we can connect with both the "I'm ready right now" clients as well as the "I like it but the time isn't right yet" clients.
This can actually be very simple and very focused. In fact, I use a very simple process called the "Power of 3" to focus on the 3 most impactful areas for your business, and go from there.
The 3 most effective channels for the business (where do I get the most NEW clients)
The 3 most relevant content topics that lead directly to a paid offer (these are your content pillars)
The 3 content types that are easiest for you or your team to create (Do you prefer to write? Talk into a camera? Show off your products?)
Part of creating a smart marketing strategy is to release efforts that don't have a high return, don't drive sales, and are difficult for you or your team to produce. Whenever we introduce friction to the process, tasks will take longer than expected, or the team will procrastinate. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to content marketing. It's an art, not a science - so lean into the strengths of your brand and your team.
Marketing is most effective when it's consistent - it's what we do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis that counts.
Many of us will have longer sales cycles, depending on the offer. The sales happen on the customer's timeline, not ours. Consistent marketing can place you in front of people who want to buy your offer now, and keep you top of mind for the prospects who will want your offer eventually.
Christine McShane is a content marketer and freelance copywriter for service-based B2B and B2C businesses, thought leaders, and knowledge experts based out of Massachusetts.