9 things you can do now to stop f*cking up your business

A guest post by Desiree Wolfe

And yeah, if you are out to make money with your skills, it is a business. This includes writing.

1. Thirty minutes is not a long time. Marathon marketing is exhausting and I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t fucking work. You’ll never want to do it and you won’t be consistent. Spending four hours marketing yourself is useless. And it doesn’t make up for the last week of not posting a single thing. It makes you look like am inconsistent douche-tool. Keep your social media and blogging to less than thirty minutes to stay on top of things without feeling overwhelmed.

2. Automate it. Did you know that 80 percent of your marketing materials don’t have to be original? Follow the 80 percent shared content and 20 percent original content rule and you’ll save yourself a shitload of time trying to come up with content to write. Set up an account with Hootsuite or Sendible and automate retweets and hashtags. Create autoresponders that handle emails to your list. Get some Google Alerts sent to your inbox. Shit is just waiting for you to share it.

3. Sometimes less shit means more shit. Not every marketing piece has to be fucking brilliant. If you aren’t feeling it, keep it simple. Just do it.

4. You don’t have to UNFUCK all of your marketing at once. Pick a platform you like and work it like Julia Roberts on the streets of Hollywood.

5. Take a fucking break. Put down the phone. Shut off Facebook. Don’t check your email. Being ON for 24 hours leads to burnout and that shit sucks.

6. A little effort now will save you time later. Create a marketing plan so you aren’t fumbling for content when it’s time to make shit. Schedule an editorial calendar so you have future topic ideas. You don’t have to create every blog post from here ‘til fucking Christmas. Just brainstorm some topics and titles.

7. You can’t UNFUCK those around you. You can only UNFUCK your own strategies. Don’t worry about other authors or writers, or designers or poets. They are not you. Worry about your own damn self.

8. Stop making excuses. Read this one over and over. Read it every time you come up with an excuse not to go to a networking meeting. Don’t lie to yourself about skipping that blog post. And for fuck’s sake, it’s not okay that your website looks like shit. There’s help for that, no matter how broke you are. Excuses will get you nowhere.

9. Get off your ass. Marketing your business is not an inbound sales job. Readers and buyers aren’t going to flock to you. You have to make shit happen. Pick up the phone; hit the streets and the local bookshops, reader’s clubs and groups. Introduce yourself and stop hiding in the back of the room like a bad 80s movie Goth girl. You’re better than that. You’re a Goddamn Author for crying out loud. Be proud of that shit.

P.S. You know why there are only nine tips? Because fuck 10. Break the rules. Be Awesome. Be You.

P.P.S. There’s no “right” way to build your business. If something works, then do it. The key is to be consistent and be active. Don’t spend all this time working on business when you should be working in your business.

About Desiree

Desiree Wolfe is the founder of Desiree Marketing, which turns screwed entrepreneurs and authors into awesome moneymakers through marketing and public relations movements. Desiree’s mission is to give people the motivation and tools they need to get themselves to the next level. Profanity rocks and makes it all more entertaining. Desiree is also the creator of Mama Owned Business – teaching Mompreneurs how to build an “on-purpose” business. For real life marketing tips and advice, head over to http://www.desireemarketing.com