Most business owners are wasting their money on marketing. Some people think I'm crazy for saying that because I sell marketing for a living. But most - and I mean the majority - of small and mid-sized business owners are just burning money when they spend it on marketing.
Until you can agree with every item on this checklist, don't hire anyone to do your marketing. (You can hire someone to help you get to this place, but don't hire people to perform marketing tasks just yet.)
⦁ I know who I am.
⦁ I know what attributes make up my brand.
⦁ I understand my brand is more than a visual identity.
⦁ I know who my target customers are and I understand their needs.
⦁ I know what products or services I offer.
⦁ I know what price my customers are willing to pay for what I offer. (Not just money - also how much time to get it, etc.)
⦁ I have a clearly articulated value proposition.
⦁ Every decision maker and project lead in my organization understands our target customer and value proposition.
It takes all eight items to have a successful marketing strategy. If you start promoting your social media profiles and email newsletters before you are firm on these items, don't be surprised if little happens and your marketing money seems wasted. (If you don't know who you are, your customers won't, either.)
I've seen it happen many times. An entrepreneur decides to "just start" and change later as they get a better handle on their brand. Then every time they discover an identity that seems lucrative, they invest heavily in changing their brand to that thing. Then they do it again. And again. Nothing ever works because nothing is authentic (or has enough longevity!).
If you can't say "Yes!" to every item on the checklist, scale back your efforts and figure out your brand.
Until you can agree with every item on this checklist, don't hire anyone to do your marketing. (You can hire someone to help you get to this place, but don't hire people to perform marketing tasks just yet.)
⦁ I know who I am.
⦁ I know what attributes make up my brand.
⦁ I understand my brand is more than a visual identity.
⦁ I know who my target customers are and I understand their needs.
⦁ I know what products or services I offer.
⦁ I know what price my customers are willing to pay for what I offer. (Not just money - also how much time to get it, etc.)
⦁ I have a clearly articulated value proposition.
⦁ Every decision maker and project lead in my organization understands our target customer and value proposition.
It takes all eight items to have a successful marketing strategy. If you start promoting your social media profiles and email newsletters before you are firm on these items, don't be surprised if little happens and your marketing money seems wasted. (If you don't know who you are, your customers won't, either.)
I've seen it happen many times. An entrepreneur decides to "just start" and change later as they get a better handle on their brand. Then every time they discover an identity that seems lucrative, they invest heavily in changing their brand to that thing. Then they do it again. And again. Nothing ever works because nothing is authentic (or has enough longevity!).
If you can't say "Yes!" to every item on the checklist, scale back your efforts and figure out your brand.
RSS Feed