Pomeroy House Interiors business owner Sarah Waddell answers question about the process and impact of working with Valens Point to build a marketing strategy for her interior design business.
Had you ever thought of marketing as a system before working with Valens Point?
I had always understood marketing as a need in terms of promotion and getting my name out. Although I may have scheduled activities throughout the year in a calendar plan, I had never thought of the overall implementation as being a fine-tuned system that provided cohesion and consistency.
Did your business have a defined plan, budget, or schedule for marketing?
When first deciding to launch my career as a “solopreneur,” I looked at basic and overall plans and budgets. However, I found it hard to be specific and tie these into my vision and mission for my company.
What problems or issues were you hoping to solve by working on the marketing strategy of your business?
Time management is an ongoing issue for me as a small business owner/operator. By creating an overall marketing strategy, time working ON my business is more productive, targeted, and automated.
How did the approach to building the marketing plan, budget, and schedule work for you as a business owner?
It was genuinely eye-opening. Marketing was broken down into some very basic, core elements. Although it was initially time-consuming, I now see how these tenets are reflected in everything I do.
What are some of the benefits you see of having a more defined marketing approach and plan?
By turning my marketing strategy into a marketing system, I am able to work IN my business and automate my marketing to be ongoing. In the past, I would have put a hold on all projects in order to invent and tackle a marketing opportunity.
Before, I created unique marketing opportunities on an “as needed” basis over and over, whenever a “need” arose. Now, I have a menu of specific marketing activities that can be scheduled throughout the year. Although they will repeat, it is more practical because I can evaluate the results regularly. This gives me ongoing feedback and analysis for how successful the marketing really is.
I now have trackable results, ongoing exposure, and a finely tuned budget where less money is wasted on useless promotions and more money is allocated towards effective campaigns.
Does having a marketing system give you more confidence in your ability to achieve your business goals?
The marketing system has both a foundation and a schedule to keep me focused. My business goals are easier to measure and attain. Because I learned and implemented a series of proven elements that together build an effective system, I am confident that pairing these systems with my talent will remove lots of guess work from my success.
Pomeroy House Interiors has a grand design for business success. It all starts with strategy.