Let me tell you a story.
A Chinese farmer and his wife were walking through the market. They found someone selling the most beautiful bamboo they’d ever seen. They walked over and asked, “How long did this take to grow?” The crop owner replied, “Only 5 weeks!”
Seeing the amazing potential in front of them, the Chinese farmer and his wife decided to grow their own bamboo tree. They purchased seed from the crop owner.
They were ecstatic to go home and plant their own bamboo tree. They planted the seed, watered and nurtured the seed for 5 weeks.
Nothing happened. It looked the same as the day they planted it.
When planted, watered, and nurtured for an entire growing season the bamboo did not outwardly grow as much as an inch.
Then, after the second growing season, a season in which the farmer takes extra care to water, fertilize and care for the bamboo tree, the tree still hasn’t sprouted.
So it goes as the sun rises and sets for four solid years. The farmer has nothing tangible to show for all of his labor trying to grow the tree.
Then, along comes year five.
In the fifth year that Chinese bamboo tree seed finally sprouts and the bamboo tree grows up to eighty feet in just one growing season! Or so it seems….
Did the little tree lie dormant for four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth? Or, was the little tree growing underground, developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for outward growth in the fifth year and beyond? The answer is, of course, obvious. Had the tree not developed a strong unseen foundation it could not have sustained its life as it grew.
It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, it’s what we do consistently.
I’ve been a birth photographer since 2012, and photographer since 2009. I’ve consistently noticed 1 thing in those who are successful and those who fail.
It is not your pricing (although this is a factor).
It is not your social media strategy, or Facebook Ads.
It is not who you know or how good of a photographer you are.
Nope.
It is CONSISTENCY.
How often do we hear people say “I don’t have time to blog” or “I can’t keep up with social media.”
I totally get it. Life.
Here’s what’s up — You absolutely CAN do it, but do you want to?
When you are consistent your clients know they can count on you. Consistency builds trust. People buy from those they can like and trust.
A mama needs to see you 7 times before she will hire you. Being consistent keep you in front of your people!
Consistency is what your competition is not doing. If you are struggling to blog, so is your competitor. If you are struggling with what to post on social media, trust me… so is your competitor. Sticking to your content schedule most definitely helps you stand out above the competition.
We have a strange industry compared to most people. Our clients have to be pregnant or expecting a baby to hire us. Right? So, we need to be in their feeds and on their minds BEFORE they’re pregnant. This requires consistency.
“I can’t blog 2 times a week, I just can’t. I can’t post on IG 2 times a day. I just can’t.”
I hear you.
The secret to being consistent is SETTING A REALISTIC SCHEDULE for yourself. Don’t expect to post on FB everyday because your competitor is or because you think you should.
Do this quick exercise.
- Go to your social media account or blog.
- In the last 60 days how many times have you posted or blogged?
- Divide that number by 8. That’s how many times you should post per week.
- Divide that number by 2. That’s how many times you should blog or post per month.
BOOM. You just set your own schedule that you know you can execute consistently.
If you haven’t posted or blogged in over 60 days, start with 2 times per week on social media or blog once a month.
“What is to give light, must first endure burning.” – Viktor Frankl
Friend, I know it’s hard and I know it’s competitive out there.
Just keep going.
Be patient.
Results take time.
If you’re consistent, they will come!
Trust with your clients is built with consistency.
Trust with potential clients is built with consistency.
Trust with the community, with vendors, with other networks is built with consistency.
Reading content does you no good if you don’t find ways to apply it to your business!
3 action steps from this blog post:
- Grab a sticky note or piece of paper. Write down a motivational quote or snippet from this post and put it where you can see it everyday!
- Download the “birth workflow checklist.” Being consistent in marketing is very important, but referrals come from your clients having an over the top fantastic experience. This workflow checklist will help you give each client a consistently amazing experience.
- Set your content schedule in the exercise above to determine how often you should be posting on social media and/or your blog.
Did you find this information helpful? Any other tips you’d like to add? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
