You know that you need the habit of marketing on a consistent basis in order to create a prosperous business.

But you’re busy and you may not make the time for marketing or perhaps you don’t really enjoy it.

The good news is that there are ways to create new marketing habits and change old marketing habits that don’t serve you and your business.

A great resource for information about habits is Leo Babuata, check out his work at Zen Habits.

Another interesting resource is a new book by Charles Duhigg called The Power of Habits: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. I’m going to apply the concepts outlined in this book to your marketing so you can make marketing a habit and grow your business.

Duhigg describes a ‘Habit Loop’ that is comprised of a cue, a reward, and a routine. In addition to the loop, there needs to be a craving for the reward.

A habit loop example he uses in the book is about e-mail. The cue is your mobile device vibrating or chiming with a new message. The reward is the momentary distraction (which is also the craving), and the routine is checking your e-mail.

Belief is another key component to lasting change. Duhigg says, “But we do know that for habits to permanently change, people must believe that change is feasible.” He goes on to say, “Belief is essential, and it grows out of a communal experience, even it that community is only as large as two people.”

So now it’s time to create your new marketing habit. Or if you have an existing bad marketing habit you want to change you can do that by modifying the routine and keeping the same cue and reward.

This is referred to as the “Golden Rule of Habit Change: You Can’t Extinguish a Bad Habit, You Can Only Change It.”

Cue

I can imagine for your marketing habit your cue is getting more clients. If it’s something else for you then choose that.

The cue for more clients may be looking at your bank account, the number of clients you currently have, or your sales reports.

Select a cue that feels right for you and make sure you keep that cue visible so you that you see it every day.

Reward

The reward needs to be something of your choosing, something that will motivate you to do the marketing. Think about this carefully and pick a juicy reward.

This should be something that you will really enjoy and will actually crave. It could be taking a quiet break outside with a cup of tea, calling a friend, or treating yourself to a special gift after you’ve done it for two weeks or another time frame of your choosing.

Experiment with different rewards until you find one that works for you.

Routine

Again, your routine needs to be something that is a match for you. It can be a specific marketing action like starting an ezine or dedicating a fixed amount of time to marketing each day or week.

One suggestion is to start with spending 30 minutes a day on your marketing. Select marketing activities that you know work and focus on them.

If you have an existing marketing routine of procrastination or avoidance you will be replacing this routine with your new routine.

I hope you’re starting to see how creating a marketing habit will help you grow your business. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

So make the decision today to implement this process into your business and create a marketing habit that will make your business more profitable.

© Stephanie Ward

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Share your thoughts, comments, questions or struggles about habits in the comments section below. I respond to every single comment.