Many people believe marketing in business is just about getting as much exposure as possible to make as much money as possible. However, by doing so, we tend to lose focus or, even worse, it backfires. Often I've sat down with clients who say they have lost sight of their vision or the business is doing OK but it doesn't reflect their personal goals or beliefs.
For example, a client started a financial consulting firm but instead of getting clients looking for advice on personal income and investments, he's getting inquiries about taxes. He's thankful for the work but he could be doing so much more. I asked to look at his current marketing instruments and he handed me a couple of brochures (one that said "Have Questions about Taxes?"), a print ads he placed and postcards. In one print ad, he's sitting behind a desk with what looks like financial records and his computer is in the background with a spreadsheet on the screen. Frankly, he looked more like an accountant than a financial consultant. His accountant "look" coupled with the "taxes" brochure solidified an image in his customer's minds that he was good at tax advice.
His marketing strategy did not reflect his whole business, just various aspects. He also admitted that he never had a marketing plan, only bursts of ideas that he acted on, rather impulsively, I might add.
So how to you go from marketing fragments of your business to encapsulating your entire company? First, make a list of all the various products and services your business offers. Second, make another list of your prospective customers. Then ask the following questions:
- Does my website, advertising and dialogue demonstrate all aspects of my business?
- Am I conveying that message to the right customers?
- What are my marketing strengths?
- What are my weaknesses?
- Does my business, marketing strategy reflect my personality?
If you take a moment to answer these questions, you can narrow down your goals and deliver a marketing campaign that really gets results.
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