This post was originally written in July, 2013. Enjoy!
I had a nice chat today with a marketing pro, Jocelyn Murray, of Marketing and Event Resources.com. Jocelyn is particularly good at social media marketing, as well as identifying and implementing many other aspects of a marketing plan, like goals, target audience, specific messaging for your audiences, and strategies to best meet your needs through reaching your market. (A blog would be a good example of messaging- it's an insight into a business owner's mind.)
So why is marketing so darn important to every business? It's not enough to have a great product or service, you're a hidden jewel unless people know about you and how you can help them get what they want. You want them to know what YOU'RE the best at delivering.
I read a recent marketing article on "marketing for hippies.com" and it summed it up like this:
Customers and clients are on Island A (not so perfect) and they want to get to Island B, where life is going the way they wish their life/business was going. You, the business owner, are one of the many boats that can get them to Island B, but why do you stand out as the best route to get there when there are so many boats to take them?
The author Tad says, "They’re not buying the boat – they’re buying the Island." Your marketing should highlight the results that they want.
That's true, we need to lay out for our potential clients what is on Island B- the results they want. I'd like to add that YOUR boat not only gets them to the results they want on Island B, it offers the journey they want to experience. People do business with those they know, like and trust. People like to be proud that they made a purchase or hired a reputable firm to fill their needs.
So what do you offer that is special, that defines your boat, and encourages people to jump in?
If you focus on price, the ones who will be proud they "got a deal" will find you.
If you focus on service, the ones who crave service will knock on your door.
If you focus on experience and expertise, the ones who value know-how will hire you.
There are many more possibilities. What are the cornerstones or anchors that are at the core of what YOU offer?
I thought I had this licked. My cornerstones are right on the front page of my website, and are represented with my logo:
Personal Awareness
Big-Picture Vision
Authentic and Lasting Relationships
Results-driven Action
I've laid out the four things that I think brings a person to success. And I offer coaching and training programs that help people work on all four of these cornerstones. But I've neither clarified Island B with the results (other than called it Success), nor have I said why my boat is so great!
I need to clarify the results that people want.
AND I need to define what makes my boat, my journey, so special to get you there.
I know what I'll be doing the rest of the summer....
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