Last week, the Chief Rocker and I had a lunch meeting with a fantastic organization that we are partnering with. When beginning any new business relationship, I find myself returning to a familiar conversation, inspired by The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, to get us started in the right direction.
The belief is this: Any marketing effort will go off the rails quickly without clear goals and objectives, so it’s important to “begin with the end in mind.”
What does this mean, exactly?
You must define what success looks like and work backwards.
- Identify your goals. What does success look like? In what timeframe?
- More sales? How much more? What capture rate? What product or service?
- More traffic? If so, how much more? In-store? Online? How will it be measured?
- More leads? Are you looking for quantity, quality, or both?
- Define your budget parameters. How much are you willing to spend to achieve your goals
- Clearly define your audience. Are you talking to just one particular group or are there multiple segments of people you need to reach?
Messaging is key.
In order to be successful in marketing, your messaging has to break through the clutter, grab your audience’s attention, and meet at the crossroads of problem versus solution. Your opportunity is to offer the solution that only you can provide – even better if you’re there before they realize they need you.
You must clearly describe what action you want your audience to take. Do you want your audience to call you? Visit your location? Engage in a promotion? Provide a referral? Be clear. And lastly, whatever the call to action is, make sure their customer experience goes far beyond their expectations!
Begin with the end in mind and increase your opportunity for success. Need help clarifying your goals and getting started? We are here to help!