5 Things to Focus On When You Don’t Have Time to Fix Everything
You’re juggling product updates, investor check-ins, team management, and probably a Slack channel that won’t stop. Marketing keeps slipping down the list—not because it’s not important, but because everything feels important. So what do you focus on when you don’t have time to fix everything?
Here’s the good news: growth doesn’t require perfection. It requires progress in the right direction. If you only have a few hours a week to invest in marketing, here’s how to make them count.
1. Fix the First Impression
If your homepage or LinkedIn profile is confusing, outdated, or vague, it’s costing you leads—silently. Your website and socials are often the first (and sometimes only) touchpoint for potential customers. They need to immediately understand what you do and why it matters. Quick win: Rewrite your homepage headline and your LinkedIn tagline to clearly say what you do, who it's for, and the outcome you create. Then, pin a high-value post or resource to your profile that speaks to your target audience’s biggest pain point. Make sure you’re leveraging all of LinkedIn’s latest features, like buttons and lead gen forms, to optimize for lead gen.
2. Clarify Your Offer
If you can’t explain what you do in one sentence, you’re likely confusing your audience—and confused buyers don’t buy. Writing a one-liner forces you to sharpen your positioning and align your team around a shared message. Quick win: Draft a simple sentence you’d feel comfortable saying at a networking event or in the pickup line at school. It should sound like you, not marketing jargon. Example: “We help wellness apps use real science to grow faster and prove their impact.” Bonus: This sentence becomes the foundation for your bio, your sales emails, your social content—everything.
3. Create One High-Intent Touchpoint
Many early-stage companies try to build the whole funnel at once—and end up with a bunch of half-finished pieces. Instead, focus on creating one clear place where high-intent leads can learn what you offer and take action. Quick win: Build a landing page, one-sheet, or even a detailed LinkedIn post that clearly explains how you help, who you help, and what to do next. Add a CTA like “Book a call,” “Download this guide,” or “Join the waitlist.” Make it easy to say yes.
4. Leverage What You Already Have
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time. Chances are, you already have a great deck, case study, or founder story that’s sitting unused. Quick win: Look through your past presentations or top-performing posts. Can you turn one into a blog article, a carousel, or a short video? Repurposing content not only saves time—it gives your audience more ways to engage with your expertise.
5. Build a Consistency Cue
Marketing momentum comes from rhythm, not one-off effort. If you show up consistently, even once a week, you’ll start to build trust and awareness that compounds. Quick win: Choose one channel where your audience spends time—like LinkedIn or your company newsletter—and commit to a weekly post. To make it easier, create a recurring theme like “Tuesday Tips” or “Founder Fridays.” When your audience knows what to expect, they’re more likely to engage—and it keeps you accountable, too.
Final Thoughts: Direction Over Perfection
You don’t need to fix everything right now. You just need to move in the right direction. Start with clarity, then create consistency. That’s how you build a foundation for growth—even when time is tight.
