Rowing harder doesn’t help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction. – Kenichi Ohmae
If you are in Ohio and want to go see the Grand Canyon, you don’t start driving east! You may get there eventually but it will take a whole lot longer and cost you a lot more money. In the same manner, more marketing won’t fix your lack of quality leads if you are pointing your marketing in the wrong direction.
Start with the end in mind
You don’t plan a road trip with no destination in mind. Well, maybe you do. When it comes to your marketing, that’s not exactly a great idea. Where do you want your marketing to take you?
#rebelmindset: spending time and money on marketing simply because you were told that’s what you need to do is, well…a waste of time and money!
Why do you need marketing? What are the goals you’re trying to reach?
You could say “YES!” to all of the above. Please don’t.
It’s better to simply pick one or two to start with for your own sanity’s sake and for the sake of your audience. Nothing can kill a brand faster than spending time and money on marketing that makes no sense and tries to be too many things to too many people. Trust me.
Knowing why you need marketing in the first place gives you clarity and focus.
If you’re still unsure of the reason you need marketing, here is where I need you to inner 3-year-old and ask yourself “why” over and over and over again until you have a clear understanding of where you want your marketing to take you and your organization.
The “why” perspective
Let’s look at the same question from above, just using the “why” perspective:
Why do I need to raise brand awareness?
Why do I need new customers?
Why do I need to retain and/or upsell existing customers?
Are you launching a new product or service?
Why do I want to be established as a subject matter expert?
Why do we need to grow our team?
Remember, you can have more than one reason you want to develop marketing strategies. Yet, focusing on one or two at a time is a great way to avoid being overwhelmed and frustrated with your marketing efforts.
#rebelmindset: schedule time in your calendar to think. No, seriously! Get away from your office, go somewhere there are few distractions, bring a pen and paper to jot ideas down (and to prevent you from travelling down the digital bunny holes), and just think about your business.
Time is money: Spend Wisely
Lisa Raebel
marketing strategist
As the Founder, Speaker & Chief Storyteller, I use my 28+ years of experience to help business owners who know they need better sales and marketing strategies yet have no idea where to start.