Last week I said that it was important to be prolific in your marketing.

But I was wrong.

What's actually important is to be perceived as prolific. Or in other words for your potential clients to see a lot from you – even if you're not necessarily producing a lot.

I got an email a few years ago from a friend saying something along the lines of “how come you create so much? I see your stuff everywhere”.

Which I found puzzling because at the time I really hadn't done very much for a while.

Eventually, I figured out the reason she thought I created so much was simply that she was seeing a lot of my stuff.

But that was because of two reasons. Firstly, the places I happened to be active happened to be the places she was active too.

I wasn't everywhere. I was just everywhere she was (which wasn't a lot of places).

Secondly, I was (and still am) pretty good at reuse.

Not wholesale verbatim reuse. But videos into articles. Articles into emails. Emails into articles. Articles into talks, interviews and webinars. Even a book.

Even more importantly: reusing ideas and topics. Explaining the same thing as a “how to”, as a story, as a client case study, looking at it conceptually, looking at in practically.

I read a lot. I learn a lot. But eventually, everything comes down to a few core ideas that I present in different ways.

Strategic focus on the right channels and thoughtful reuse gets you the impression of being prolific.

Now obviously I'm making it sound easier than it is.

It takes experimentation to figure out which channels will be the best ones to focus on. And reuse doesn't equal zero work. 

But it's doable. And much easier than actually being prolific :)