Marketing isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon.
I’m reminded of that this week because it was Marathon Monday here in Massachusetts.
No one wakes up this morning and decides to run 26.2 miles. The race is just the visible part.
What you don’t see are the early mornings, the shorter runs that didn’t feel like much, the days you didn’t feel like doing it, and the decision to keep going anyway, over months… and really, years.
Marketing is no different.
Last week, I was a speaker at the Annual Education Conference of NALP (the National Association for Law Placement.) I met interesting people, had some meaningful conversations, attended some great workshops with some great speakers.
[There are too many to list here but I particularly enjoyed a presentation on the impact of social media on your professional reputation moderated by Savaun Perry, a presentation on executive functioning with Sarah Alsaidi and Shannon Burke, and a session about coaching to values with Melissa McGonigal Berry, Laura Yerhot, MPP, MBA, ACC, Kendra Brodin, and Michele Richman.]I even got to connect in person for the first time with a few clients and reconnect with many recruiters, and people in professional development who I already know.
That’s was the fun part. But it’s not the part that determines the outcome.
What matters now is what happens next.
*Following up.
*Staying in touch.
*Sharing something helpful.
*Continuing the conversation instead of letting it fade.
And not just this week, but over time.
Because marketing success isn’t about one good conference or one good conversation. It’s the accumulation of small, repeated actions over time.
It’s focusing on things that don’t feel urgent (the things that don’t produce immediate results.) And it is not all about “getting something”! It’s looking for ways to be helpful.
That’s what builds relationships. That’s what keeps you top of mind. That’s what leads to opportunities down the road.
Just like marathon training, consistency beats intensity. You don’t need to sprint. You just need to keep going.