There are fabulous new technologies to help us achieve our goals more efficiently, but the best adventures are still the ones in which we are: 1) unconstrained when planning out the destination 2) smart and creative about how to arrive at said destination, and 3) unrelentingly in logging the miles to get there.
With the arrival of the new decade, there have already been countless articles predicting new trends in marketing. See Forbes’ take here. You’ll note terms like data-driven storytelling, conversational marketing, and digital PR popping up all over the place. Nobody loves buzz words, but it’s true that these accurately describe how today’s consumers find and digest information about today’s companies. If you want to keep up with your competitors, you should be thinking in terms of how you can engage, influence and use technology and data to share your story with your target audience.
While the tools keep changing and evolving, one core tenet will always hold true: the most effective marketing begins with a smart and well-informed strategy. So, how can you be sure you are killing it on the strategy front? You can check out the Longview Strategies Accelerator program . Or you can start by knowing the answers to these three basic questions:
Who is your ideal client?
“People who hire us” isn’t an acceptable answer. You’re not just looking to define any potential client, but your best potential clients– the ones who really understand and appreciate your service. Do they tend to be young or old? Do they have a lot of money to spend or are they more cautious with their finances? Where do they live? How do they consume information? What are their favorite past times? The more specific you can get, the better you will be able to target them with the right content and offers.
What makes you special?
Yes, we know you are smart and deliver quality service. You are also likely great to work with and reliable, but what are things that you offer that make you a standout? Are you an expert in a particular area of your field? Do you have a process that you have developed that allows you to produce a better outcome? Do you wear purple on Thursdays? Are you less expensive, faster or more nimble than the competition? And speaking of the competition…
Who are your competitors?
Yes, you do have competitors. Maybe you think you’re different than the lion’s share of your market, but no matter what you do or how great you are, your prospects have other options taking up space in their decision-making process. It can be extremely valuable to do a bit of your own research to check out what competitors are doing on the marketing front. You can learn a lot from looking at competitor websites and even running some google searches on them to see what pops up. What are they promoting online? Are they in the news? Are they producing content, and if so, on what topics? How are they ranking on search engines? The amount of information you can find about your competition online is outrageous if you just take a little time to explore.
Once you have the answers to these questions, you can begin to map out the best strategy to achieve your business goals. Amazing, regardless of the newest tools, being intentional in your execution is still key to growth. It’s been 2,500 years, but Sun Tzu said it best in the Art of War: “Strategy without tactics is the slowest road to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
