I’m in the midst of helping a few clients construct marketing programs from the ground up.
Through my conversations and explanations around what to expect, I can now boil it all down to three parts:
- Strategy
- Systems
- Measurement
If I could draw a diagram, it would look like a virtuous cycle where each part feeds in and out of the other parts.
Let’s break it down.
1. Strategy
Figure out who you’re trying to help and why they should choose you over anyone else. Overdeliver on those reasons. Be ready to adapt.
2. Systems
Run the business according to your strategy and talk about how you operate and why. Your actions should demonstrate why people should obviously choose you over anyone else.
Marketing is largely about reaching people to tell that story. It’s not about fabricating a story or putting lipstick on a pig. Poor business strategy, poor marketing.
You also want to build in ways to stay in tune with the needs of your customers. Track feedback, run surveys, ask questions, watch the money, see who’s them most delighted.
This is the only way to continue doing the things that make you the best for the market you serve.
And of course, the systems part. Do as much of your marketing as possible in a systemized way so you can sustain it as you grow.
Nothing effective happens at scale in an ad-hoc fashion.
3. Measurement
The key to all of it is watching the numbers as an indication of whether the system and strategy are working.
Look for trends over time.
Test things like input/activity volume (number of ad dollars spent, content produced, flyers mailed out, etc.) and watch for a desired output (number of leads, revenue, conversion rate, sales, etc.).
It’s not a perfect science, and no measurement is ever exact. But operating without numbers is a recipe for failure (or blind luck).
These are the three core parts of any good marketing program.
Each part informs the next and the previous. It’s an ecosystem.
As a marketing consultant, it’s our job to build out each of these areas with our clients and use it as a self-reinforcing system that gets more effective over time.
Sound simple? It’s not, but that’s fine. That’s why we do what we do. 🙂