What is Your Marketing Missing?

7. September, 2011|News|No comments

What is your marketing missing?

Does your marketing plan feel like it’s not firing on all cylinders?

Before reaching for that monkey wrench, take a minute to find out 3 major factors most companies are missing out on, especially in today’s socially conscious world.

1. Consistency

Newsflash – Your customers don’t think about you all the time. So when they do, make sure they’ve got their story straight.

Look, I get it – if you’re anything like me, your mind is constantly ticking with new ideas, improvements, and other ways that you can tweak your business to offer a better service or product to your customers.

In the midst of this constant cycle of improvements, however, you run the risk of confusing your customer base.

Learn what helps you maintain consistency: 

• Logo – Chase Bank has had the same basic logo since the 60s, you can do it too.
• Typeface – Your typeface says a lot about your business, but make sure all your materials use the same typeface regularly. Some deviation is acceptable, but think like Coca-Cola.
• Tagline – “I’m Lovin’ It”, “Putting business into words,” or whatever you want to say is up to you. Don’t go throwing taglines around all willy nilly and changing yours every quarter. You’re not Apple. Your tagline is your business’s jingle; keep it sticky.
• Colors – Use of identifying colors goes back to ancient times and is everywhere. It’s a tried and true technique of getting people to recognize your business.

If you do haircuts, do you really want people thinking you mow the lawn?

2. Planning

Are you trying to grow your business in the Ready, Fire, Aim method? While Michael Masterson may be happy about that, your budget won’t be. (Especially after you’ve spent a ton of money on things that don’t work. Oops.)

Planning is real easy, even if you’re bad at it or have never done it before.

Learn how to write a plan:

1. Start with a sheet of paper and a pencil.
2. Think about your objective.
3. Write down the steps you think it will take to get you there. (This is where the pencil helps, as you should adjust when necessary.
4. Do it.
5. Repeat steps 1-4, tweaking the steps along the way until your plan is lean and efficient.

Remember: A plan is a list of actionable items.

An important thing to know about plans: plans change. They should change. Often.

3. The Medium is The Message

Ever heard this quote: “The Medium is The Message” ?

It means that whatever channel you’re using to talk about your services directly impacts how the recipient of the message hears it and understands it.

Confused?

Let’s take the article you’re reading right now. (Yes, this one.)

How are you absorbing this article? How else could you absorb this article? What if I made a video and read this to you? What if I got on a stage and lectured, word for word, everything that this is saying to you? How would that change your understanding of what I’m saying?

Got it? I know it’s a lot to digest, but think about how your own listeners feel.

When you’re getting your message out there, make sure that your message aligns with the way it’s delivered, otherwise you won’t get heard.

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Looking to improve your marketing plan? We’d love to help!