Are you ready to get serious about your marketing?
For most professionals, entrepreneurs and small business owners – the center focus of their business activities is their product or service. They would invest most of their time, effort and money developing the best product/service they could offer.
If you’re like that, and if you’ve been in business for a while, playing around with different marketing tactics and strategies, but with no overall strategy… Maybe it’s time to get serious about your marketing strategy.
You need (we all do) a solid marketing plan to push your business out of the shadows and finally get noticed.
Here are 10 ideas/steps to help you develop an effective marketing strategy. No hocus-pocus, just good old fashion action guide that’s easy to understand and easy to implement:
1. Define Your Goals
So, what do you want to happen? Sell stuff? Grow your email list so you can sell stuff? Establish an expert position so you can sell stuff? Increase your social followers so you can sell stuff. Everything comes back to selling. You should decide if your goal is to sell stuff right away or to grow your email list so that you can build a relationship with them to sell them later.
2. Define Your Target Audience
Who would you like to reach? More is not always better. Here are a few questions to answer: Who are they? What do they want? What don’t they want? Who do they use now? Why would they choose you?
3. Find Out What They Want
Once you know who they are, ask THEM: Who are they? What do they want? What don’t they want? Who do they use now? Why would they choose you? Listen carefully to their answers – you might be surprised how different they are than what you assumed…
4. Research What Your Competitors Offer
Next, evaluate your competitors. How are they different from one another? How do they talk to their audience? What do they offer? What types of content do they publish? What marketing channels do they use? Knowing the answers to these questions will give you good ideas on how to do the next step.
5. Position Yourself as Different and Better
Identify what’s going to make your brand unique. Take every element that is important to your target audience and do it differently and better than the way your competitors do. Make sure it gives extra value to your target audience. Then put it front and center in all your marketing communication.
6. Create an Irresistible Client Magnet
A lead magnet is a free item or service you give away in exchange for contact details in order to grow your mailing list. A good Lead Magnet will demonstrate your expertise and help you build your email list – so you can develop a relationship with your prospects/subscribers. CLICK HERE for tons of creative ideas for easy and free Lead Magnets that have high perceived value and conversion.
7. Find Out Where They Hang Out
Once you realize who you’re trying to reach, it’s time to figure out where they ‘live’ online. Is your ideal client on social media? Which platforms? Does your ideal client hang out in online forums? Is your ideal client completely offline? Where do they hangout offline?
8. Use Social Media Marketing
Social media is one of the best ways to market your business using Value Marketing (Content Marketing on steroids). Develop a social media strategy: Which platform should you go for? Make your profile all about them. Create a posting schedule. Post valuable content – CLICK HERE for great ideas for social media content.
9. Use Content Marketing
Content marketing is an educational tool, not a sales tool. Value Marketing is Content Marketing on steroids and it is a longer-term strategy. Make your website the definitive resource for your audience. Publish a blog, infographics, videos, podcasts, case studies, online courses…
10. Create Joint Venture Deals
A joint venture involves two or more businesses working together with the ultimate goal of creating a win-win-win. Win to party A, Win to party B, AND win to their prospects and clients. A joint venture can give you more resources, access to markets and distribution channels, increased technical expertise, lower investment, lower risk, built-in trust and much more. CLICK HERE for great ideas for simple, easy to implement, win-win-win joint venture deals.
Now It’s YOUR Turn
For five minutes… come up with as many ideas as you can… what can YOU do make your marketing more strategic?
Let's Brainstorm
Please share your ideas (all of them or just one) in the comment box below… and let’s get WOWing.
Live fully, stay awesome,
Nisandeh Neta
Top Commenters – last 30 Days
Let's Brainstorm
Please share your ideas (all of them or just one) in the comment box below… and let’s get WOWing.
Live fully, stay awesome,
Nisandeh Neta
201 comments
THIS IS A GOOD ONE
1. WEBSITE
Have a good website. It has to work. Suite your product and target audience
It has to be cristal clear about what you are doing.
The website has to be fast.
Use it for one perpose only.
2. LINKED IN
It is good to have a linked in profile.
Even if you do not want to post every day. Make sure you have a great linked in profile.
3. Have a you tube channel
Make sure you make a you tube channel that is connnected to your clients
4. Use the social media that works for you.
You can have tons of connections without geting any sales. Find out how you can reach your TA.
5. I grow my mailinglist Little by litte.
I always put my clients or potential clients on my mailing list. They are the ones that I am sure of that will read my posts.
I also sure things like an ebook or a video series creates an irresitable offer.
6. You can also make sure you are on website of other people. You can even write a blog for them.
94 comments
1. try and test to find the voice of the business
2. optimise your website for search engines
3. set up analytics to see what's going on
4. find quality backlinks for your website/ blog
5. collaborate with other websites - but not with guest posts or comments
160 comments
Post daily, people will forget you.
Post different kinds of posts, like testimonials, media exposure, expert posts, and questions.
I use webinars with special guests, so can you both promote that special webinar.
Use google business and blog frequently, using SEO. Google loves that!
409 comments
a lot has been said.
- start to help people around you and afterwards, ask if they know someone who can benefit from your service.
- reward a lead
39 comments
Use # tags in socialmedia massages. So your messages will pop up in more ereas.
Link to others or ask to share your messages on sociale networks.
Help eachother. Recommendations.
160 comments
I often forget the tags... but it's important.
477 comments
My definition of marketing is deliver maximum value to those who value it maximum. On that point my score is high, but I score low to turn this into a marketing strategy. This is my homework I will look closely at who writes valuable ideas in this.
Here are my ideas:
Which magazines does your target audience read and which topics are popular in these magazines?
Which books does your target audience read and which topics are popular in these books.
Find out on google what is written about these topics for blogs and use these topics to incorporate your unique vision.
112 comments
In my view the list is complete. Insights for me.
1. Use my social media differently. Just signed up for a LinkIn challenge.
2. Find out more about my parents and what they are struggling most with.
4. Contacted today someone and we have a chat tomorrow.
5. Being more creative with my content marketing.
175 comments
1. Let other professionals highlight you and/or your product in their marketing - For instance, many undertakers use images and products from artists for their content, because they don't create visuals themselves. It's a marketing win-win: the undertaker creates nice content and the artist reaches a bigger audience. When your product is a service, I think you can use this strategy too. Just find a professional who can use your product to fill in his/her (marketing) gaps.
2. Define your marketing vocabulary - Choose words and quotes that address your target audience well and keep repeating them in different media.
3. Design your visual communication - People are visual creatures. When your visual communication is clear and recognizable, people are likely to know, like and trust you better. Make it appealing and consistent. All images should show a similar style (nature, portraits, black&white photography, etc.). Choose the same, simple color palette for both your website and your social media. Use one font for all your online communication and printed work. You can hire someone if creating a corporate identity is difficult for you. It doesn't necessarily have to be expensive: design students are dying for such a job or you can find someone on platforms like Fiverr.
4. Seek publicity - People are easily impressed by a publication and you have a great stage to tell your story.
69 comments
Thanks for your #2 Ine!
111 comments
I wish I had this list years ago, I would have saved myself so many hours of frustration and missed opportunities.
I don't have anything to add , but I can definitely improve n the following issues:
1. Position myself differently that I will show that what I am doing is different than others
2. Find out more about my readers and those who need my services
3. Use more social media or delegate it to someone
4. Create more JV deals