My Weekly Marketing

7 Tiny Shifts That Get Big Results

• Janice Hostager • Season 1 • Episode 125

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Feeling stuck in your marketing, even though you're doing all the right things? Sometimes the problem isn’t effort, it’s direction. In this episode, I’m sharing seven subtle but powerful shifts that can make your marketing more effective without a full-blown overhaul.

These aren’t trendy hacks or expensive strategies. They’re intentional mindset and messaging tweaks that help you focus on what truly moves the needle. Whether it’s how you talk about your offer or where you spend your time, small changes can lead to surprisingly big results.

If you’ve been pouring energy into your business but not seeing the traction you hoped for, this episode will help you rethink what’s working, what’s not, and what simple adjustments can move you forward.

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Janice Hostager:

I'm Janice Hostager. After three decades in the marketing business and many years of being an entrepreneur, I've learned a thing or two about marketing. Join me as we talk about marketing, small business and life in between. Welcome to my Weekly Marketing. Can I let you in on a secret that I've noticed? Most of the time, it's not a giant overhaul of your marketing or a big, expensive marketing campaign that changes a business. It's the tiny shifts, the little tweaks that, bit by bit, make things click. Marketing can feel overwhelming. We feel like we need to do it all and do it perfectly, but sometimes just changing the way you phrase something, the way that you show up or the way that you connect with your customers can completely change your results. So today I want to share seven tiny marketing shifts that can be absolute game changers for your business. These are simple, doable things that you can start applying right away. And stick with me to the end, because I'm going to give you a free tool to help you see which shift will make the biggest difference in your business right now. Okay, shift number one from talking about you to talking about them.

Janice Hostager:

One of the most powerful shifts you can make in your marketing is realizing that you are not the hero of the story, your customer is. Too often we step into the spotlight and lead with our credentials or our process or our experience, but our customers are really living in their own story, with their own challenges and their own goals. What they need is a guide, someone that understands where they are, knows the path ahead and can walk with them to the outcome that they want. Think about movies like Star Wars with Luke Skywalker. He has Yoda, right? And Harry Potter has Dumbledore. You're not meant to be the one slaying the dragon. You're the one handing your customer the sword and giving them the tools. But so often our marketing starts with us.

Janice Hostager:

I'm a business coach. I have 20 years of experience. Here's my process, and that can be important to add down the road. But people don't buy because of your resume. They buy because they believe you understand their problem. So, instead of leading with who you are, lead with what they need. For example, instead of saying I offer bookkeeping services, try I help small business owners stop stressing about their numbers to finally pay themselves consistently, which one makes you lean in a little more, the second one right. Or instead of saying I'm a certified life coach who helps clients set life goals. You could say something more specific, like I help women who feel lost after their children leave the nest and get them on a clear purpose to move forward. Tiny shifts in wording but completely changes how a potential client hears it. Having this change in your emails or on your homepage or anywhere that you're addressing a cold audience can be an immediate game changer. This tiny shift makes your customer feel seen and when they feel seen, they're much more likely to trust you.

Janice Hostager:

Okay, shift number two from posting randomly to posting with a purpose. How many times have you stared at your phone and thought I should post something today and then just slapped something together? I think, if we're really being honest, I think we've all done this. That's posting randomly. It checks the box but doesn't move people forward. First let me say I get it.

Janice Hostager:

Social media can be a black hole in our productivity and it's so discouraging to spend an hour doing a post only to have two or three likes. But if you try posting with a purpose, every post will have a clear job and your audience will see that as well. So you want to post something. That number one builds trust in your expertise. Show them what you know and even share a free lead magnet for them. Or build connection, show them you're confident sharing your offer. And if you're a personal brand, work to move past the fear of showing up in front of the camera. I get it, I don't love to be in front of the camera either, but it just takes practice and your brand will grow because of it. Or share a client story or testimonials. Or maybe how you can overcome objections and move them closer to the sale. Know your ideal customer well enough that you know what objections they might have. Or turn that trust into sales. Don't be afraid to promote your offer on social media. So before you post, ask yourself what job is this doing? That one tiny shift can completely change your content and completely change your social media results.

Janice Hostager:

Shift number three from a freebie factory to one strategic lead magnet. Here's a big one I see all the time. Creating a freebie factory. I've been guilty of this too. So what I mean by that is that you've probably been creating multiple freebies. A checklist here or a guide there, or maybe a template you whipped up because somebody said it would grow your list. Before long you've got six, seven, 15 or 20 lead magnets floating around, or maybe even more. But here's the problem. Most of those freebies don't actually lead anywhere. They collect dust on your website or they get downloaded to people who may never become your customers. You might gain them as a temporary email subscriber, but they'll probably never buy because it's not aligned with your offer. So what's the point of paying for them to be in your email system?

Janice Hostager:

A tiny but powerful shift is a focus on one strategic lead magnet, the one that acts as a bridge straight to your offer. Think of it this way your freebie should be the first stepping stone on the path to working with you. If your course helps women lose weight, then your freebie should solve one tiny part of that problem and naturally point them towards your bigger solution. For example, I have a marketing strategy playbook that aligns perfectly with what I teach. Marketing strategy. It pre-qualifies people for my offer. If they're interested in the playbook, they'll probably be interested in my offer. So here's my challenge for you. Take an honest look at your freebies. Ask yourself does this directly connect to my main offer. If not, let it go. It's better to have one strong lead magnet that consistently attracts and nurtures your ideal customer than several of them that just scatter your audience's attention.

Janice Hostager:

Okay, shift number four from selling to everyone to speaking to one person. This shift might feel a little awkward and a little scary at first, but it's one of the most powerful shifts that you can make. Instead of trying to talk to and sell to everyone, start speaking to one person, your ideal customer avatar or your ICA. Here's why, when you try to appeal to everybody, your message gets watered down. It becomes generic, and generic doesn't move people to take action. But when you focus on your one ideal customer, your words get sharper. You start addressing their exact problems or their fears or their desires, and suddenly your marketing feels magnetic. Think about it like this. Imagine you're at like a crowd somewhere, maybe a party.

Janice Hostager:

Someone across the room yells hey and keeps talking. Most people will tune them out. Now imagine that same person looks directly at you and says your name. Like hey, Janice, I've got something you need to hear. You're going to lean in right. That's the power of speaking to that one person. Let's look at an example. A general message would be I help people live healthier lives. An ICA or ideal customer avatar focused message would be, I help busy moms over 40 lose weight without giving up wine or chocolate. Which one stops you? The second one, right, because if you're a busy mom over 40 and trying to lose weight, it feels like that coach just read your mind. And here's the best part. Narrowing your focus doesn't shrink your audience.

Janice Hostager:

It actually grows your influence. People outside that description might still hire you, but your clarity makes your marketing stronger for everyone. So here's your tiny action step. The next time you write an email or a social media post, or even an offer, imagine you're writing it to that one person that you know, your dream client, your ideal customer avatar. That one person is most aligned to your offer. Don't talk to all the people, don't talk to everyone, just one person. That small shift in perspective can make your marketing instantly more effective, and I do have a free download for that and I'll put the link in the show notes for that too, so that you can really identify who your ideal customer is. Okay, let's talk about a shift that'll give you peace of mind. Stop chasing the algorithms and just start focusing on building your email list.

Janice Hostager:

I heard this advice a long time ago when I first started my business, even my first business and I didn't listen for far too long, and I'm paying the price even today. Here's the problem with building your following on social media. They might follow you, but how many of those buy from you? Truthfully, you don't own social media followers. Instagram owns them. Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, any of them can change their rules tomorrow and you'd have zero control of it. I've seen it happen. One day, a post gets great reach and the next day it's crickets, and nothing about your effort has changed. And I've also heard of many people who get hacked and lose all of their followers overnight. That's because you're building on rented land.

Janice Hostager:

The algorithm decides who sees your content, not you, but your email list? That one's yours. No one can take it away. When someone gives you their email, it's like saying yes, I want to hear from you. You don't have to fight the algorithm. You have a direct line to their inbox. And here's the surprising thing, even a small list can outperform a huge social following. I know people with 200 people on their email list who sell out programs, while others with 20,000 Instagram followers struggle to convert. Why? Because the right list is worth more than a big audience that doesn't engage. The money is in the list.

Janice Hostager:

So here's a tiny shift. Prioritize growing your list over chasing likes and engagement. Add one new way for people to join your list this week. That could be a simple opt-in form on your website, or it might be mentioning your freebie on social media, using an auto-response tool like ManyChat to easily drive traffic to it, or even just dropping your freebie in an Instagram bio. Don't get me wrong I love social media as an awareness tool, but it should be the starting point, not the end point. The goal isn't more likes, it's more leads and, ultimately, more sales. Right, and those come from people who have invited you into their inbox where you can build real relationships. Remember, the algorithm is rented. Your email list is owned. Don't build unrented land.

Janice Hostager:

Okay, shift number six from guessing to tracking. This is one that I would say almost 100% of the clients that I see do not do. So many business owners are stuck in guessing mode. They post something on Instagram and hope it works, or they send an email and cross their fingers, or they run a promotion and just wait to see if sales magically happen. Hope isn't a strategy. That's not marketing. That's gambling.

Janice Hostager:

When you don't track, you can't tell what's working and what's not working. And that leads to one of two outcomes. Either you keep doing things that aren't working but you think they are, or you give up too soon on something that could have worked if you just tweaked it. But when you start tracking, you move from feelings to facts. You can look at numbers and say, okay, this email subject line got a 60% open rate. I should do more like that. Or this reel drove 50 people to my freebie. That's worth repeating. Imagine baking a cake without ever testing it to see if it's done. That's what guessing in marketing looks like. Tracking is like checking the timer and testing it with a toothpick to let you know when it's on the right track and when you need to adjust. And don't let the words tracking intimidate you. I'm not talking about building a giant spreadsheet with 100 KPIs. I'm talking about picking one number to watch it consistently. That could be your email open rates, website visits from Instagram, quiz completions or webinar signups. Any one of those. Watch the results. Just pick one number and track it for 30 days. That tiny action alone will give you more clarity than a year's worth of guessing. So it's a tiny shift with a huge payoff. Start tracking one thing, because what gets measured gets managed and what gets managed starts to grow. The numbers tell a story. Okay, shift number seven from selling once to serving beyond the sale. This last shift might be the most overlooked that I see with most of my clients.

Janice Hostager:

Don't stop at the sale. This is one of my key areas that I cover in my new course Modern Marketing Mastery. Most business owners pour all their energy into getting new clients hustling, running around on social media, creating endless content that attracts new people. And, yes, you do need new customers, but if you stop there, you're leaving so much opportunity and, honestly, so much impact on the table. Your best future customers are the ones who already trusted you once. They've already raised their hand, opened their wallet and said I believe in you and if you serve them really well, they'll come back for more and they'll buy your next offer, or they'll refer their friends and they'll give you a glowing testimonial. Think of it this way. Would you rather spend time convincing a stranger that you're trustworthy or serving someone who already knows and loves you?

Janice Hostager:

So here are a few simple ways that you can serve beyond the first sale. First, an upsell. Create a next level offer that naturally follows your first. For example, if you're a life coach with a six-week starter class, maybe your upsell could be one-on-one coaching. Or create a referral program. You can invite happy clients to share you with a friend. You'd be surprised how many will if you just ask them. Or a quick follow-up email asking for feedback. That not only strengthens your credibility but it keeps that relationship warm. And sometimes it's nice to just say thank you, send a handwritten thank you note or a small bonus resource or a personal check-in after the project wraps up. That little extra touch goes a long way to show that you actually care and that you care about the relationship.

Janice Hostager:

So here's a tiny shift you can try this week. Reach out to one past client, thank them for working with you and ask how they're doing. No pitch, no pressure, just serve them. That simple action might spark a referral or a repeat project or, at the very least, strengthen the relationship. Remember, marketing doesn't end when someone clicks buy. That's where the real opportunity begins. When you shift from selling once to serving beyond the sale, you stop chasing clients and start building a business with some staying power. Okay, so there you have it. Seven tiny shifts that can make a huge difference in marketing. And notice, none of these require you to overhaul your entire business. They're all small and doable. They're all just tweaks.

Janice Hostager:

Now here's your next step. I've created a quiz called the Marketing Momentum Scorecard. It's a free quiz that I created to help you see exactly which stage your marketing is strong and which ones might be holding you back. It's not just a fun quiz. It diagnoses your biggest marketing gap and then I send an email to you so you can learn what to do next. That next best step just for you, based on your score. So if you go to janicehostagercom forward slash quiz, you can take it. I'll also put a link in the show notes for today. You'll get a personalized score and your next action steps that you can apply right away. Remember, you don't need to do everything. You just need to do the next right thing, and this quiz will show you what that is. So, thanks so much for joining me today. For more information about anything we talked about, visit myweeklymarketingcom. Forward slash 125. See you next time. Bye for now.

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Janice Hostager

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