Ignore marketing trends. Focus on substance.

I have been in the marketing industry for more than 14 years helping small businesses to grow. And I have noticed that marketing trends and business trends, the latest software, the latest techniques you've got to use to grow your business, they come and go. They come and go. Now, some people try to chase the latest trends and they might get some temporary advantage, but then they'll, you know, lose that advantage and they have to chase another trend. And to me, that does not seem like the best use of our energy, our precious life force, to keep chasing new strategies and new trends. So what do we do instead? Well, we focus on the substance of our marketing instead of. And the good news that I have for you is that focusing your strategies on the substance also happens to align with a deeper purpose and a deeper joyful action. So what do we do to focus on? Well, first of all, let me tell you what I don't do to chase trends. Okay? Number one, I never try to keep up with the latest software, the latest plugins, the latest. Yeah, apps. Okay, let it go. Because there are 50 new ones, at least, that come out every week in the marketing world to improve your business. Probably more than 50 a week at this point. Plugins, apps, softwares that could just revolutionize your, Your way of doing things. Okay, so number one, I let go of tracking the latest software. Well, then, George, how do you keep up? I notice what my friends and clients and colleagues are using and trying out because I have a large enough network where there's always lots of people trying out new stuff. And so I just pay attention. And if they. Because usually they try stuff, it works well for a while and then it doesn't work anymore, see, Right. Or the software gets bought out, or this. Anyway, so I noticed. And then if something gets told to me, if a software gets told to me by multiple friends, clients, colleagues as being, oh, this is really good, then I'll take a look at it and I'll study it, I'll try it out. And if it really does, I can see it helping other small businesses, and it's easy enough for my clients to use, then I will learn it and I will teach it. You know, so software, I let it go. The latest second one is I let go of trying to keep up with the algorithm. Social media algorithm, search engine algorithm will just keep changing. But one thing doesn't change. The algorithms are trying to get human beings to engage with the content. Trying to get human beings to engage so that they'll come back. That's useful. If they don't engage, then they will go elsewhere. So the evergreen secret to algorithmic growth or algorithmic alignment is to improve the substance of your communication. You know, the resonance of your message with your audience and the expression that is more grounded, more powerful, because that never gets old. And that will always get people to pay attention. And if humans pay attention and engage, well, the algorithm follows. All right, so number three, I let go of trying to, you know, keep up with new marketing strategies and to get my audience's attention, to get their attention with techniques. I'm supposed to talk in this way. I'm supposed to dance for you on Instagram reels and you know, words will come up here and words I. That exhausts me. Now, some of you enjoy dancing and pointing at words and editing the video so that words, that's fine, go ahead and do it if it's fun for you. I just hope that you are using your life force in a way that you really enjoy and that's sustainable and that is sort of like builds on top of itself over the years rather than, well, now that's no longer available to me and I have to dance a different way now, or I have to edit the video a different way now. It's like, come on. It's so tiresome. So what do I do instead? I talked about three things I avoid. Now let me tell you three things I do instead of chasing the latest trends. Number one, I focus on consistently showing up with authentic content. And now again, I know, do not feel exhausted by that idea. You design it based on your rhythm, design it based on your cycles. You can take breaks when you want to take breaks. For example, I take a one week break, one to two week break, every four to five weeks of making content. You'll notice that I do this. I show up consistently for four to five weeks and then I'll take one to two weeks off. No content, no meetings. I still do some work, but it's much lighter those weeks and I'm kind of recovering my energy because expression takes energy. Okay, so consistent content at whatever rhythm or cycle works well for you. But to, to see content, not as a chore of, well, I got to make content so that people discover me, so that I can really do the work that I love with clients. No, that's too exhausting. Content is the opportunity for you to express, to explore what's important to you publicly in service to humanity. Because your expression and exploration is going to serve somebody else. Maybe not today, but as you put it up there and as you allow it to stay up there, it will serve somebody and you'll notice. And step number two, okay, number one, is to kind of see content in a different way. Not as a chore, not as a to do item, but as an opportunity to explore what's important to you publicly in service to humanity. And so therefore it's aligned, I think, with a deeper purpose of, you know, one possible purpose of life, right, is to grow through service, to grow our character, our value, our embodiment of a higher source, to grow through serving others as best as we can. And that's what authentic content consistently is a practice of. It's a discipline of doing so. So that's one. Secondly, as I also track, I'm organized. I practice being organized and tracking what content and what offers are resonating the most with my audience. So this is a practice of concentration. It's good for your brain. You'll be staying alive and vibrant with your brain longer if you do this practice of tracking, practicing your analytical skills. All of us have some of that practice tracking the engagement of your content and the engagement of your offers so that you know better how to meld, how to integrate your joys with the world's hunger. And that integration of your joys and talents with the world's hunger and the markets wants is that integration is your calling. And so the tracking allows us to do that. And step number three is to continually try to be in connection with your ideal audience members, one to one, if possible, and if not possible, through a group kind of thing. Meaning I'm always trying to understand from my audience their buying patterns. Let me say this again, step number three again, continually meet with your audience members to discover their buying patterns. Because where does, where does your income come from? Your income comes from the spending of your audience members. They decide to spend some money with you and you have money, okay? So you have to. Part of your work as a business owner is to become an expert in the spending patterns of your audience members as related to your work. Your audience will buy lots of things. They'll buy coffee, they'll buy, you know, a Netflix subscription, they'll buy some clothing. That may not be related to your work. But what do they, what kind of retreats do they go on? What kinds of workshops do they buy? What kinds of services are they buying? Those kinds of conversations, I call them market research. You can call them whatever you want. I continually try to notice them and try to have those conversations so that I become an expert in what they're buying, what they're seeking out, so that I can produce that for my audience to serve them with what they want. So anyway, you might want to watch this video again. There's a lot packed into this short video, but I hope this is helpful. I hope this helps you to not have to chase marketing trends anymore and focus more on marketing substance, which in my opinion, authentic marketing substance is aligned with a deeper purpose, which means we get to take joyful, fulfilling action. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. Thank you so much for being here and see you next time. Thanks so much.