I keep hourglasses in my office, and I even wear one on a chain around my neck sometimes. I like to be reminded about how precious time is. You have so much to do in your business! Marketing is just one part of running your business. How do you decide what to do with that small amount of marketing time? It is easy to feel unfocused and overwhelmed. Ask yourself a few questions to help you see what to dedicate your time to.

1. Where did I get my last few clients?

This is a clue to what is working. If you got your last few clients from colleagues, spend some time nurturing those relationships and building relationships with similar colleagues in your circle. See my last post "Networking=Nurturing Your Relationships."

2. What can I follow through with?

Do a few things well and consistently. You can spend a lot of hours trying to keep up with dozens of marketing activities and not have an impact with any of them. Contacting someone once, writing one article, dipping your toe into social media, or having a not really done website are all ways to spread yourself too thin. Identify a few things that you can do well and don't stop doing them.

3. Am I using my marketing time to market?

I define marketing as creating and nurturing relationships to let your ideal clients know you're here to serve them. Marketing is incredibly important and yet not urgent. Important things don't get done if we let the endless urgent ones get priority. When it's time to market, don't let anything else take over.

Align every marketing activity with your core values and let it always reflect your love of what you do. This will ensure that your marketing time is always moving you towards your ideal business.