Do I really need a marketing strategy?
A marketing strategy takes up your precious time to create, can seem incredibly daunting to put together, and you probably feel you have too much else to do. So, I can see why you haven’t put together a marketing strategy…yet.
What if I told you that a good marketing strategy is not only essential to connect with your customers—it can actually make your life easier? Here are my top reasons why.
Don’t miss out
If you’ve ever found yourself having to quickly come up with a promotional idea to tag on to Mother’s Day, or realised Christmas is only a month away and you should really give your business a push, then you’ll understand this point all too well.
Seeing the next twelve months laid out in front of you—with all the events and promotional opportunities you can use to push your business—is really useful and helps you with time management. It will mean that all your campaigns can be top quality, instead of cobbled together at the eleventh hour, and can save your sanity instead of piling pressure on yourself with last minute things to do.
Take the highs with the lows
Many people make the mistake of easing off their marketing activity when they are going through a busy period. Hands up, I’ve done it too. It is often one of those jobs that gets put to the bottom of the pile when you’ve got deadlines or orders to fill.
The problem with this is that when you’ve made it through the rush, it’s harder to get through the next lull. All of a sudden, you’re back to square one, and your potential customers from before have gone elsewhere. Keeping your brand out there at all times with a strong strategy keeps you fresh in your customers’ minds and means you’re not starting from scratch when trying to find your next influx of custom.
Consistency is key
Keeping a consistent message and tone of voice is important in marketing. It’s how your customers will come to know your business and trust your brand.
When creating a marketing plan, I find out exactly what my client wants their business to be, and who their ideal customer is. You need to know this so you can make sure your promotional activity has the right message and tone of voice to attract the right people, and that you’re maximising the right ways to speak to your target audience.
Focus your efforts
Many people I speak to say their marketing can be a bit haphazard and scattergun. They end up wasting time on campaigns, only to find they’ve not been seen by the right people or had the right effect. This is not only a waste of your time and money, it can also be really down-heartening.
Putting a plan in place means every campaign is done with purpose, and you can end up spending less time on marketing, yet get better results. Definitely a win-win in my eyes!
Evaluate your spending
Having a written strategy to refer to allows you to plot what you have spent on marketing and when—against how effective different approaches are. You can see what worked for you and what didn’t, so you can refine your actions going forward.
Promoting your business will always involve a bit of trial and error, but if you can’t compare your marketing activity against the income it generates, it’s hard to figure out where to invest your money.
Define your goals
The act of putting together a marketing plan is a great tool for finding out what you want from your business and where you want to go. It’s so easy to get bogged down running your business that sometimes you forget to look up and evaluate where you are. This is something we all need to do every once in a while.
If your marketing could do with some direction, why not get me to set up a bespoke strategy for you tailored to meet all of your needs and goals? Find out more here, or get in touch today.