When we set out to market anything, we need to make sure that we have a pretty strong POV about what we need our marketing to say and do for us.
To help you facilitate that thinking, here are 10 things that you need to think about when you are thinking about your marketing.
Are you doing B2B marketing?
This means are your buyers spending company money?
If so, the sale is still emotional, but the triggers are likely to be a lot different.
If you are marketing B2B, you need to focus on business outcomes.
Is your audience B2C?
Much different situation.
In B2C situations, the gratification is personal.
So you need to appeal to emotions, but of a personal nature.
What is your value?
Everything your business does has to be focused on value creation.
One challenge you are going to deal with is that your value needs to be specific to your audience and your audience might care about something different than what you think they should.
The question to ask is: “What is the value that we want to create for our audience?”
Followed by: “Why is this important to them?”
Know your customers:
You need to know who your target audience is.
Period. Full stop.
Nothing anyone does is for everything.
Marketing vs. Advertising:
Marketing in my opinion is a strategic effort that is built around putting your business first in your target market’s mind.
Advertising is a tactical pursuit that should support your advertising.
What level and role does service play?
I feel like service is everything in business, even if you don’t ever talk to anyone like a lot of Amazon’s transactions.
Service is the first and, maybe, the most important form of marketing.
Are you just building awareness?
First, why?
I know that affinity marketing and branding has built brands like Tiffany into the name in jewels.
But for many brands, affinity branding and marketing is just a dodge to escape the hard work of actually understanding what you are trying to achieve and making sure that your marketing is organized around those ideas.
Does your marketing help build trust?
Awareness is one thing, trust is another.
In most cases, you have to have a relationship to build trust.
Are you doing things to build trust?
Like showing up when you say you will?
Educating and creating value?
Being honest about your mistakes?
Position:
The goal of marketing is to position your brand in a way that enables you to be top of mind when it is time to make a buying decision and to help accelerate the buying decision.
Are you creating a sneezable brand?
I mean word of mouth.
I mean raving fans.
I mean getting people to lose their religion over your product or service.
You do this with service.
You do this with value.
You do this by keeping your promises.
These are just 10 things that you need to think about, but if you start with them…your marketing is going to improve.
I guarantee it.