The Financial Coach Academy® Podcast

113. Why Doing More Marketing Isn't the Answer (And What to Do Instead)

Kelsa Dickey Episode 113

Have you been spinning your wheels with marketing, doing all the things you're supposed to do…but feeling like you're getting nowhere? You're showing up on social media, going to networking events, having coffee chats, but your client list isn't budging. Most of us think the solution is to do more—add another platform, attend more events, schedule more meetings.

What if that's actually making things worse?

There's this pattern that happens with so many financial coaches. They start with Instagram, post for a couple months without much to show for it, then decide they need LinkedIn too. 

Maybe YouTube. Before they know it, they're spread so thin that nothing works well. Their content gets watered down, their message gets muddy, and they're exhausted without the clients they want.

The same thing happens with networking. A few events don't lead to clients, so the response is to book more coffee chats and attend more events. But here's the thing (and you probably already know this): quantity rarely solves a quality problem. If your Instagram posts aren't connecting with the right people, making more of them won't fix that. If your networking conversations aren't turning into business, having more of the same conversations probably won't change much either.

We get caught up in mistaking activity for progress. We feel busy, we're checking boxes, but we're not actually moving anything forward in our business.

There's a different way to think about this. Instead of asking, “what else should I be doing,” what if you asked, “how can I make what I'm already doing more effective?” That shift changes everything.

This episode breaks down how to stop the marketing hamster wheel and start seeing real results without burning yourself out. We'll talk about why doing fewer things better often leads to more growth than trying to be everywhere at once, and how to create what I call a learning loop that actually moves your business forward.

Links & Resources:

  • Ultimate Growth Guide
  • Join the Facebook group

Key Takeaways:

  • Quantity rarely solves a quality problem. If your Instagram posts aren't resonating, making more won't fix the disconnect with your ideal clients.
  • Stop asking “what else should I be doing” and start asking “how can I make what I'm already doing more effective.” This one question shift changes your entire marketing approach.
  • You're mistaking activity for progress when you feel busy checking marketing boxes but your client roster isn't growing.
  • True scaling often means doing fewer things better. The most successful coaches aren't doing more marketing activities than you, they're being more intentional with what they choose.
  • Sometimes the best way to help a plant thrive isn't to plant more seeds, but to prune what's already growing. Your marketing needs refinement, not expansion.
  • A simple shift from “DM me if you have questions” to “DM me with the word ‘budget’ to receive my free guide” can make all the difference in your conversion rates.
  • Create a learning loop: action, evaluation, refinement, then action again. Real growth happens when you get better at the fundamentals, not when you constantly try new things.

People on this episode