What if Different Marketing Created a Different Business?

Happy New Year! 2015 is here!
​
You're in the driver's seat with the wide open road before you. Are you ready to take the wheel, and get where you want to go? Do you have your map, or are you just going to start driving? Do you know which roads are under construction? Are you aware of the speed traps? Did you bring enough money for tolls, gas and food? ​

These are questions you would have answers to if you planned your trip. You'd plan your route. You'd plan your budget. Get it? Most people spend more time planning a vacation than they do planning their business! 

What do you do with your business? You probably do stuff which makes you feel like you're going somewhere, right? So, how many bridges to nowhere did you create? How far did they get you in 2014?

Are you ready to get 2015 started on the right path? I'll give you a hint...it all starts with marketing!

Try as you might you can't take a business idea and simply start selling. This is not an enduring business model. You may have some initial success, but eventually you will struggle. Maybe your experience proves this true?

Marketing is that connector between a great idea and successful sales. Marketing connects your ideal client to your product or service. And, isn't it a lot easier when your ideal target shows up to buy? It stops you from feeling salesy, and disappointed when you hear "No" because you're talking to the right people!

Good marketing is easy to do if you put in place three things: 1) A great positioning, 2) A clear and focused strategy, and 3) A 3-prong approach to execution.

#1. Marketing gets prospects to become customers, and customers to become loyal fans. The foundation of this migration is a great positioning. Your positioning is developed in the Branding phase of your business. Your positioning comes when you are able to clearly communicate the transformation your prospect can expect when they work with you.

#2. Good Marketing needs a clear and focused strategy. Your strategy will depend on where you want your business to go, and the goals you have set for your business. A few different strategies include:

• Increase your customer base
• Improve customer loyalty
• Increase awareness
• Position yourself as an authority
• Launch a new product or service
• Increase referrals
• Improve your retention rate
• Promote bundled products
• Increase sales
• Increase purchase frequency

#3. Finally, good Marketing execution is based on a 3-prong approach consisting of content, media, and frequency. The only way to make sure you are managing your execution is to create a plan where you can outline your tactics by content, media, and frequency. When you manage your execution the bonuses are that you also manage your budget and your time, and you've given yourself permission to say, "No!"
The easiest way to determine whether you need Marketing support is to look at your Sales process. Do you feel salesy? Do you struggle to convert prospects to customers? Can other people tell you exactly what you offer? Is your message clear? Your answers will point you in the right direction. Marketing drives your business, and the good news is that it is available from people who want to help you, if you're ready to admit you want a different business.

Marketing is a critical piece of the business success puzzle, and it comes at a very specific point in your business. Let's talk and see if you're ready to invest in a marketing program that helps you have a better business. And, if not now, when? To your SWEET success!

*Abigail Tiefenthaler is the founder of Sweetspot Strategies, Inc. a marketing consulting company that helps entrepreneurs create marketing that builds relationships, creates experiences and earns the trust of their customers, what she calls the NEW Marketing 3.0! She invites you to visit her website www.sweetspotstrategies.com to download "99 Sweet and Effective Marketing Tactics for Any Business Owner".

---