Business owners who take the time to think about the purpose of their business, who their customers are, recruit the right staff, put systems and processes in place, and develop a marketing strategy are more likely to get to the results they want than those that do not. There is great value in knowing where you are going, what you will and will not do, where you’ll spend money and where you will not. At its essence these are the things a strategy will provide. While strategy is a critical first step it is not meaningful unless put into action.
“The existence of a strategy has never been the cause of business failure. Ever.”
Here are five steps that your business can take to improve results
- Create your strategic plan. Your plan should include at the very least these four basic elements: Your purpose (why you do what you do), Your ideal customer (Who values your business, and Your difference (what sets your business apart) and your goals (what you want to achieve)
- Plan how you will carry out strategy. Plan out the steps and actions needed to connect with your ideal customer and achieve your goals. This plan should include a detailed monthly calendar and budget.
- Execute the plan. Do the activities and actions of your plan on a timely and consistent basis. That might include building marketing assets, performing marketing actions, and communicating with customers. These three words are crucial for success: Do the plan.
- Measure your results. In order to get better you need to know what is working and what is not. On a monthly basis you should measure results against your strategic and planned goals. Then review your activities and adjust your calendar and budget from what you have learned according the results of your actions. Share with your team the status of the plan and what adjustments are being made to keep moving toward the goals.
- Repeat steps 1 through 4.
Putting your marketing strategy into action requires confidence in the strategy, a commitment to the approach, and discipline to carry out the actions. If you “do the plan” , you will realize the control you want and the mystery of marketing will begin ebbing away.
Do you want to get started building your marketing strategy? Valens Point’s Marketing Catalyst is designed to fuel your building process. Find more information here.