Are you frustrated with the results you’ve been getting from your marketing efforts? Do you work far too hard for too little payback? Are you constantly in struggle mode? You may think you don’t have enough information, and you may be frantically chasing the next big thing.
Take a look around… Chances are you’ve been gathering information left and right. You may have a ton of it, on your hard drive, on your bookshelves, or wherever you like to stash all that marketing know-how you’ve assembled over the years.
So why aren’t you a marketing whiz by now? Maybe the problem is TMI – Too Much Information, which may mean you keep getting side-tracked as you jump from one thing to another. Or maybe you’ve assembled a hodge-podge of information that leaves you feeling overwhelmed rather than productive. What you really need is a solid action plan, one that’s customized and works for you. But before you jump in to creating a new plan read on…
So how can you get started with making your marketing more successful? Here are some suggestions.
1. Look at what you’ve been doing
First of all, you should take stock. After all, you HAVE been marketing, right? And maybe you’ve had some success, even though you it’s been spotty or inconsistent and perhaps the results weren’t what you were hoping for. Stop and take some time to make a list of all the tactics and strategies you’ve used, what exactly you’ve done and the results you did or did not get.
2. Check to see what you might have missed
Next, you should take a good look at each of the strategies you’ve used and consider if you may have done any of them half-heartedly. If you go networking but you don’t follow up, you’re wasting your time. If you never get referrals or when you do they aren’t really a good fit chances are it’s because you haven’t developed a referral strategy or have a system to actively get referrals.
3. Have you been reaching out to your target market?
Next, you should check if you have been reaching out to your target market. Are you posting your articles on the websites where they’re surfing? Are they networking in the places where YOU were networking? Are they in the audience that the events you’re speaking at? If the answer is “No,” you will need to tweak your marketing efforts.
4. Do you even know who your ideal target client is?
This point may seem odd… but this is a common situation that causes many business owners to struggle getting clients. If you find you have trouble with point 3, you may not be clear about who your target market actually is. Or at least you may not be specific enough about whom you’re trying to reach. That is a huge problem. Remember, anyone who will pay you is NOT an ideal client.
Does marketing seem like Voodoo to you? Sometimes it works and other times… not so well! And you just not sure how to consistently get the results you desire. Maybe the problem is TMI – Too Much Information! Here’s what to check…
If you don’t know who exactly it is that you want as a client, you’re essentially shooting in the dark. No wonder you’re not happy with your results.
5. Find out where your gaps are and get help
It’s probably that you just need MORE information necessarily, but you very likely need more TARGETED information. You need to know what kind of marketing techniques are right for YOU and your target market. And in some cases, you may have some gaps that need to be filled. You may, for example, have questions about how exactly to do the right kind of follow-up or what makes a compelling elevator pitch. Or how to get booked as a speaker. Or you might even have to work on getting really clear on your target market. All of these specific “how to’s” that you’re missing (or avoiding) are what’s holding you back.
Once you have decided on what you need to fix, go ahead and work on it. You don’t need additional approaches to marketing, but you need to fine-tune the ones you’ve decided are right for you, and then use them consistently. And that includes following up and testing how well they work.
And of course, taking consistent action is the absolute key to your success!