Across industries and niches, entrepreneurs are confused and stalled by the ever-evolving marketing monster. Here are the 5 areas you should focus on in your 2020 marketing plan. They are all about who you are and how you show up for your tribe. Which tools and strategies you should use, we’ll figure out. The right strategies and skills are important, but what I have often seen is that a tendency to strive to become professional ‘corporate-like’ brands instead of making the distinctive and unique qualities solopreneurs naturally have the very cornerstone of the business. In the 2020s, the human-centered approach ought to be the pivot of marketing strategy, and that starts with showing up as a relatable human.

1. The happy customer is your best marketer

Distrust, discomfort, disrespect and a sense of overstepping boundaries arise in many of us when exposed to traditional marketing. This nasty gut feeling is sparked when we remember the decades of lies...

Conversations on the topic of list building seem to lack nuance with a tendency to focus on which media is performing best. The thing is, your first question should be, how your niche is distributed in 5 different audiences based on your current relationship.

Are you targeting cold traffic who have no idea who you are or warm traffic who have previous knowledge of who you are and some level of trust?

WIDEN THE NET USING CONTENT - COLD TRAFFIC

• Cold Audience 1: Friends of Friends
  
  Some of the people in your niche won’t know you at all. When they see your name for the first time, they will have no idea about who you are or what you can do for them. But there is an opportunity to engage those who already know you in activities that are broadcasted in the news feeds of their friends on social media. Who would you listen to more? Someone you never heard of or someone your friend listens to?
  
  Activate and engage your followers in activities RELEVANT to your business...