Do one thing well

Do one thing well, and the leads will follow

A short while ago, I was talking to a business owner who had been told by their mentor to:

• Post a video every day on TikTok and Instagram

• Post every day on LinkedIn

• Write a weekly newsletter

The person in question? They were running a small consultancy firm that so far had a headcount of two: herself and her partner.

My jaw? Dropped. My flabbers? Ghasted.

The mentor was asking them to effectively produce content like they were a 3-person marketing team with no other work to do.

(Did you know most big brands have ONE person to manage their social media and will often only post on each channel 2-3 times a week? Now you do.)

This advice was insane and rubbish. For many reasons, but here’s my top three:

• They were not a 3-person marketing team; that many hats is insane on top of running a small business

• They were completely burnt out by it and found themselves posting excessively and then ghosting for weeks on end

• They didn’t generate any leads using this strategy

Number three, in my eyes, is enough of a reason to stop.

So here was my counter-advice:

Do one thing well, consistently.

Here’s what I mean

Doing one thing well is all you can really achieve as a small business owner.

When you’re a small business owner, and you are also doing the one thing you’re actually good at (whether that’s being an accountant, a lawyer, an HR consultant, the list goes on), you then also have to be a bookkeeper.

You have to be a marketer.

Sometimes you have to be an HR manager.

Oftentimes, you even have to dabble in operations and health and safety, too.

The list goes on. You cannot also be a three-person marketing team. Instead, realistically figure out what one thing you can do well and consistently.

How to do one thing well, consistently

When I say doing one thing well and consistently, I am saying two separate things.

You need to figure out what you can:

• Do well

• Do once a week

Something you can do well is actually better phrased as something you enjoy doing. It should not drain you, tie your brain up in knots, or fill you with dread.

For example, I really struggle with writing my own LinkedIn posts.

Other people’s? A doddle. I can strategise, write, and post with ease.

My own? Thoughts over thoughts over more thoughts. I spend hours perfecting every line and then deleting it immediately after posting.

It is, therefore, not something I can do well (for my own content, at least.)

Long-form content (ahem, like newsletters)? Love them. Can write for hours. Or more specifically, an hour and then hit publish.

This is, therefore, something I can do well.

You, however, might be super confident and really chatty and great in front of the camera.

You might be like my friend Jeni, a 10/10 sales consultant and someone whose life is hilarious and, therefore, has a lot of good thoughts and content for LinkedIn.

She does nothing else marketing-wise.

Why? Because she’s good at it and she can do it consistently.

She is now, subsequently, also fully booked. All of the time.

I know that Jeni’s life and work are busy, but she has the time to consistently post on LinkedIn.

So that’s what she does.

She does one thing well, consistently.

So how do you find something you enjoy? Ask yourself:

• Do you like writing long-form content (newsletters, blogs)?

• Do you like writing short-form content (social posts for LinkedIn)?

• Do you like recording videos (Instagram, TikTok)?

• Do you like talking to people (networking, webinars)?

Figure out the marketing activity you enjoy, then figure out how much time you can realistically spend on it each week.

Can you spare 10 minutes? LinkedIn content might be great for you.

Can you spare an hour or two? Newsletters might be your thing.

The perfect formula is joy + time.

For example, I can spare one solid hour a week during my son’s nap time for some dictation (I like to ramble!) into Substack, before editing and publishing.

You may have 10 minutes a day to film in your car after school drop-off.

Find the time you have, find what brings you joy, and do it once a week.

Surely I should be doing more?

You might be questioning, “Coral, I should be doing more. Everyone online says you should be across social media, LinkedIn and newsletters AND updating your website!”

Yes, there is a theory to that, but fundamentally, we do not have the time or the headcount for that when you’re an SMB owner, founder, or agency.

If you can afford to outsource it to a marketing consultant like me, great, happy days! Do a bit of everything.

Until then, do one thing well.

For those people around you who seem to be doing it all, doing it all really well, and getting loads of leads from it, they’ve probably hired someone like me. But for you, you’re focusing on what you can do well, consistently, on your own.

Consistency is key

Now here’s the point on the consistency game. Consistency to you may look like showing up once a week, or three times a week, or five times a week.

But fundamentally, to algorithms, consistency isn’t what you achieve in one week, or three weeks, or 12 weeks, before having a hefty break (read: burnout).

Consistency for social media algorithms, SEO, or your newsletter readers looks like being predictable. Reliably there.

Posting five times a week for three weeks, burning yourself out, disappearing for three months, then coming back again to do it all over again harms your reach.

Why would LinkedIn, Google, or your readers want to promote or engage with something that blows hot and cold?

Being inconsistent loses you credibility, loses you trust, and - more importantly - loses you engagement.

So quiet the noise around you that says you should post three times a week.

Posting once, regularly, is enough. But here’s my cheat code on how often (minimum) you should post depending on the channel:

Social media: once a week

Newsletter: fortnightly

Blog: once a month

Anything more is a bonus.

So take heed from someone who’s been there, done that, and burnt out in the process: figure out something you can do regularly that you enjoy, and focus on that.

The leads will come, and your sanity will stay intact.