How Much Time Should You Really Spend on Marketing?
Running a small business or building something on your own is not for the faint-hearted. Every day is a balancing act: clients, cash flow, operations, admin… and somewhere in between, you should fit in marketing. And yet, marketing is often the first thing entrepreneurs neglect.
Not because it’s unimportant, but because it can be overwhelming, time-consuming, and unclear. Often taking more effort than expected and yields very low results. If people don’t know you exist, your business doesn’t exist.
How Much Time Should You Spend on Marketing?
Industry benchmarks suggest that small business owners should dedicate between 10% to 20% of their time to consistently marketing their business. That equates to 1 to 2 hours a day or 8 to 15 hours a week. Depending on where you are in your business, the earlier stages tend to demand even more time. Visibility is everything when you start. They say it takes up to at least 7 to 10 exposures of your brand before they will try or reach out to your services, when it’s relevant.
Why?
Because marketing is no longer a “campaign.”
It’s a daily habit of visibility, trust-building, and storytelling.
Marketing Isn’t Optional Anymore
We live in a world where attention is currency.
Daily, potential customers are scrolling through hundreds of messages on social media, search engines, WhatsApp groups, and email.
If you’re not consistently showing up:
- You are forgotten
- You get replaced
- You get underpriced
But when you do show up consistently:
- You build familiarity
- You earn trust
- You create demand before you even sell
Marketing is no longer about selling. It’s about staying relevant, top of mind and reliable. Positive reviews, fresh content, consistency and collaboration are the best ways of staying in your potential customer’s mind. You might be brilliant at what you do, but without visibility, that brilliance stays hidden. And over time, instead of attracting clients, you’re constantly chasing them.
What Should Your Marketing Time Look Like?
Marketing doesn’t mean doing everything on every platform. It means doing the right things, at the right places, consistently.
Your weekly marketing time should include:
1. Content Creation (40%)
• Social media posts
• Short videos
• Educational or storytelling content
2. Engagement (20%)
• Responding to comments and messages
• Building relationships in your community and finding collaborations
3. Strategy & Learning (20%)
• Reviewing what’s working (Looking at the analytics)
• Understanding your audience
• Learning new trends
4. Distribution (20%)
• Posting across platforms
• Sharing in groups or communities
• Repurposing content
Consistency beats perfection. Every time.
Most entrepreneurs struggle with marketing, not because of a lack of discipline. It’s often because it can feel like an overwhelming task. Not knowing what to say, to attract your audiences, not knowing who your audience is. Entrepreneurs can feel like they are “guessing” all the time. It can feel extremely lonely when you’re trying to figure this all out on your own.
Mentorship Changes Everything
Have a person on your side, helping you decide on the right channel, the perfect message and how to attract the perfect customer.
Mentorship gives you clarity and confidence to know:
• Who your audience is
• What content works
• What platforms to focus on
Stop second-guessing yourself, it’s okay to ask for help, seek direction and check that your brand, messaging and strategy are on track.
What could take you 6 months to figure out alone can take 6 weeks with guidance.
Marketing Is Not Extra Work, It Is Part of the Work
If marketing feels overwhelming, you don’t have to do it alone. The right mentorship can help you simplify your strategy, show up consistently and turn content into customers.
Start showing up. Start building. Start growing.