All the noise around strategies, plans and goals
The noise around strategies, plans and goals is intense at the beginning and end of the year isn’t it. We get told we need to have and do all of these things, yet quite often we don’t know the ‘real’ reasons for needing them. We don’t know what the true benefits are. And let’s be honest, no one wrote the rule book on small business strategy did they.
Everyone and everything has a strategy in business and life. Wherever you are spending your time lately there is a reason for that, there is a strategy behind it.
Here’s one of the best reasons to have a strategy…
Businesses with a strategy are over 500% more likely to achieve success
Source: CoSchedule
Need I say more?
There’s many ways to define a marketing strategy, I won’t go there. In simple terms a strategy is about understanding what your challenges are, the options available to you and how to make the right choices from those options. It’s about choosing the right places to spend your time, energy and money in a way that gets you to your goals. Knowing the right marketing activities for your business helps achieve the goals of the business. You can be strategic – simple!
Getting started with a marketing strategy
One of the biggest obstacles for small business owners is knowing how to get started with marketing. My reply is always the same – start with a marketing strategy.
Marketing your small business with confidence is about knowing the right activities for you, your team and your business. Every business is unique! And, marketing is just as much about people as it is the business itself.
Every single person your business comes into contact with has the potential to market your business in the right way.
You want all of your people and everyone you come into contact with to be crystal clear on what your business stands for. What it does best.
Know that marketing is essential for every business
You’ve probably already worked out that you always need to be marketing your business. I’m a big believer in ‘always on’ marketing. We always need to be getting and keeping customers don’t we.
Here’s a few other reasons why marketing is essential for your small business:
- To show your business actually exists. No business wants to be the best kept secret
- To build trust
- To reach the right customers and keep the ones you already have
- To grow your business
Now you know why your business needs to market itself, let’s look at making sure your marketing is ‘always on’ in the right way.
Always on marketing that’s focused and consistent
You want the right customers don’t you. With solid marketing foundations and a strategic approach, you’ll get your business known for what it does best amongst the right types of customers. The customers that make you a profit and are great to do business with.
Focus and consistency are two of the biggest marketing challenges faced by small businesses.
Always on marketing requires focus and consistency. The best way to achieve this is to apply a simple approach that makes your marketing happen easily.
Simple marketing is about playing to the strengths of your business in a genuine and natural way. No one wants sales or marketing to feel forced or out of sync with the business.
With simple marketing foundations everyone knows exactly what the business does best and the goals it is working towards – they’re focused and consistent.
A simple marketing strategy is the best way to achieve focused and consistent marketing from the outset. It provides solid marketing foundations unique to your business, and a lifelong business tool for development and growth. A strategy gives you the confidence to know what’s right and will work for your business, immediately removing distractions like those smooth talkers that promise you a flood of sales within a month. You will only ever need one marketing strategy to cover all of your digital and social media activities – heaven!
By seeing the bigger picture around all your marketing, you will reach the goals of your business.
Next, let’s look at why a simple marketing strategy is all you need for your small business.
A simple marketing strategy is all you need
A simple marketing strategy saves time, effort, people, and money. It’s your business bible and marketing guide. The first, foundational building block for all small business marketing.
Your marketing strategy makes sure your marketing is aligned to meet the goals of your small business and enables you to achieve maximum value from all marketing activities.
With a simple marketing strategy, you will:
- work towards achieving your business goals with focus and consistency
- attract more of the right customers
- know which marketing activities get the best results. No more feeling stuck or overwhelmed
- have a unique competitive advantage
Imagine knowing who you target audiences are, where they are, what they’re interested in and how you can speak directly to them in their language.
With 5 simple steps your marketing can work towards achieving your business goals.
5-step simple marketing strategy
The first step is the hardest. We all know the key to taking the first step is to break that big task down into small steps. And, you are only 5 steps away from setting your business apart from the competition to increase sales and grow your business.
It’s tough competing in industries where there are many businesses providing the same products and services. One thing is for sure, no two businesses are ever the same. Your strategy will pinpoint exactly what makes your business unique, it’s this that helps you stand out and get known for what you do best.
A focused marketing strategy supports consistent action to achieve business goals. Without a strategy you have no clear direction to success.
For over 26 years I have learnt from some of the best and continue on my mission to make marketing simple for small businesses. It’s these learnings that shape the 5-step simple marketing strategy.
Start by rating the marketing of your small business. Is it a 5 out of 5, is it a 1 out of 5, or somewhere in the middle? Make a note of your rating, use this to create a goal to improve this over the next 12 months.
Now, here’s how to get your marketing working in the right way by applying the 5-steps:
Step-1
The business story to create genuine and real connection.
Step-2
Vision, goals, and values – all that motivates the existence of the business with what’s deeply embedded to create long term relationships. Note your big dream for the business, your top 3 goals for the next 12-months (3 is the magic number!) and your top 3 business values.
Step-3
Review current marketing activities to understand what works well and where improvements can be made. List every activity you have done to date to see which works best. What does it tell you?
Step-4
Your customers – who are they, what are the main features of those customers? Where are they located? What are their interests and hobbies? Remember! We connect with people that we relate to and share common ground with.
Step-5
Marketing messages. The messages that talk directly to the needs of your customers in their language. Think about what your prospect or customer says in those initial conversations about what they need, or what their challenge is.
These 5-steps form the basis of a simple marketing strategy. If a strategy is simple, it’s doable. It’s all about creating action achieve the goals of the business.
It takes skill to create a simple marketing strategy, hard questions need to be asked, in-depth research undertaken. You have to do the hard work to get the simple strategy out of it.
Consequences of not having a marketing strategy
Every business should have a marketing strategy, no exceptions. Failure of small businesses can be down to a lack of strategy and planning. As a consequence, those business that don’t have a solid strategy will:
- struggle to get their business and message out to the right audiences
- not stand out strongly amongst their competition
- get and keep fewer customers
- be unable to compete effectively
- miss opportunities to reach more of their target audiences for business growth
The clued-up business owner knows that knowledge is power. From reading this you will be in a stronger position to remove obstacles to market your business confidently.
Marketing results don’t happen by chance!
Creating a strategy ensures you’re targeting the right people, with relevant marketing content that appeals to them and is helpful.
Achieve your business goals with a marketing strategy
What if you had a simple marketing strategy to achieve your goals every year. What would that give you and your business?
You’ve framed your thoughts with the 5-step simple marketing strategy. Now, you can do more. Realise the marketing opportunities out there for your business to generate enquiries, leads and sales every month.
Make your small business marketing simple
Start being strategic with your marketing today, this week, this month with the 5 steps I’ve shared with you, or complete your strategy and plan of action to achieve your goals over the next 12 months.
What will your small business achieve in 12 months time?
Need help or want to chat through your strategy to check the best marketing activities for your business?
We’d love to talk simple strategy with you. Give us a ring on: 07929 222971 or email: anna@boo-marketing.co.uk
