The
Marketing
Refresh
A guided check-in for service-based entrepreneurs who want their marketing to actually work... and to sound like themselves while doing it.
Looking back is how you move forward.
It's the perfect time to look back at what's worked (and what hasn't). To consider how many clients you supported. Whether your business is growing like you want it to be.
If you aren't hitting your growth goals, you're in the right place. Because here's what I've seen over and over: it's almost never an effort problem. It's a story and placement challenge. If your marketing doesn't sound distinctly like you in a place that feels authentic for you, the right people won't connect enough to hire you.
That's what this reset is for.
Here's what you'll walk away with: a clear-eyed view of your recent marketing, a sense of whether your content is doing its job, and a simpler plan for what's next.
Set aside 60-90 minutes. Find somewhere quiet. Fill it in digitally or print it and use a pen — either works. Don't skip sections. The last page only makes sense if you've done the work to get there.
What you did
Before you plan what's next, you need an honest inventory of what's been. No goals vs. numbers, no KPIs. Just the truth about what actually happened.
What you did
Before you plan what's next, you need an honest inventory of what's been.
Let's take a look at how things have been going. We won't obsess over goals and KPIs. We just want to capture the truth about your recent marketing — what worked, what didn't, and what to change.
How are you feeling about your marketing right now?
| Client or project | How they found you |
|---|---|
| Offer or service | How many times sold |
|---|---|
Based on what you just filled out, how effective do you think your marketing actually was last quarter?
If these two numbers are far apart, that gap is worth paying attention to.
Where you were
Complexity is the silent killer for solopreneurs. You don't need to be everywhere. You need to be somewhere — consistently, sustainably, in a way that doesn't require you to ignore your actual work to keep up.
Where you were
This is the section where most of my clients feel both relief and resistance. Relief because they finally have permission to do less. Resistance because they've convinced themselves that more channels and more content is the answer.
It's not. Doing less, but better is a complete strategy. Let's figure out what that looks like for you.
Owned vs. borrowed channelsEvery channel you market on falls into one of two categories. Borrowed channels (social media, guest blogs, media placement) are platforms and opportunities you don't control. The algorithm can change, the account can be restricted, the placement can dry up.
Owned channels (your email list, your blog, your podcast) are yours no matter what.
Neither is bad. But if everything you're doing lives on borrowed channels, you're building on rented land. The goal is at least one owned channel that you're nurturing consistently.
| Channel / Activity | Owned or borrowed? | Did clients come from here? | Do you enjoy it? |
|---|---|---|---|
If you filled out all 10 rows... that's kind of the point. Something needs to go.
Mary's noteThe best marketing plans I've seen for solopreneurs fit on one page and have fewer than five moving parts. If yours has more than that, something can go. Simplicity isn't settling. It's deciding what actually matters, and doing that thing really well.
What you shared
Consistency matters. But consistency alone won't bring in new clients. This section looks at what you've actually been creating — and how human it actually was.
What you shared
This isn't about how much you posted. It's about whether what you posted actually sounded like you — and whether it gave people a reason to connect, trust you, and eventually hire you.
Nobody's grading this — it's for your eyes only.
| Channel | Number of pieces / cadence |
|---|---|
A note on AIChatGPT is a useful tool. But if your content could have been written by anyone, it won't connect with the right people. Consistent isn't the goal. Unmistakably you is.
Mary's noteThe most connected content usually has a mix of both — tips that show your expertise and stories that show your humanity. If your stories and tips numbers look really different, that's worth paying attention to.
Mary's noteMost of your content should serve without selling. A good rule of thumb is that the majority of what you post builds trust, shows your personality, or teaches something useful. Sales pitches work best when they're the exception, not the routine. If your sales number is high and your stories number is low, that's a pattern worth changing.
If this section surfaced something worth digging into, a Messaging Audit might be the right next step.
Where to go next
This is where you leave with something real. Not a list of good intentions, but an actual plan to move you forward.
The Plan
Most marketing plans fail because they try to do too much. This section isn't a content calendar. It's a north star for what's next.
This is simple on purpose and sustainable by design.