There is so much noise in the world of marketing. Books, podcasts, emails, tweets, posts – bleh! It’s all noise that, as a CEO, you don’t need. So what is really worth knowing and doing? You can burn all your marketing books and focus on these few mission-critical items that can change the path of your company for good.
First, Know Your Audience Deeply
So many people talk about marketing your “why” or understanding the deeper analytics to your market. This is all great, but it’s a larger waste of time without a crystal clear understanding of your audience. If you can’t sit down and identify your marketing by place, industry, revenue, age, gender, buying process, and challenges, then the rest is a big waste of time. You must know your audience like you’re hunting them for breakfast. Know where they hang out, what makes them tick, and how your company is going to serve them. Also, you should know who your audience is not. Otherwise, you’re saying that everyone is your audience – and that’s not positioning.
Second, Get a Real Website
You don’t need a website with fancy sliders or slick graphics. You need a solid user experience that represents your understanding of your market. If you know who you are talking to, it’s easy to speak to the market that is viewing your site. A real litmus test: if someone who is not a target market comes to your site, will they know they are not your market? Many companies don’t have the guts to position themselves in a way that would define who they work for and who they don’t.
Get your services listed, post some sample photos, and make an about page that makes you a real person. Don’t hide behind a bunch of mission statements with the intention to BS your market.
Lastly, Evaluate Every Marketing Opportunity
If you can’t measure it, don’t do it. If someone thinks you should do a billboard, ask them how they will know if it works, and if they will track it for you. In this day and age, if you can’t measure it, it should not be in your playbook. But take this as an opportunity to review all the channels that are available to you. Want to try marketing on Snapchat? Go for it – just have a way to know when its working and when its not so you can move on, or push in, based on the results.
There are so many opportunities for marketing channels and engagement, its worth understanding if any of them can make your business go to the next level. Maybe you need an agency to help organize it for you, and we could help. But if not, be creative and know there is a world of leads out there for you. Go get ’em!
Want help evaluating your options? Get in touch with us for a free, 30-minute marketing consultation.
