5 Steps to a Marketing Strategy that Sticks -- Better than Spaghetti
Getting a business off the ground often looks like throwing spaghetti at a wall -- and seeing what sticks.
Here's what I mean:
You have an expertise - as a therapist, coach, consultant.
You know how to help your clients; that's your jam.
But you're new to the business side of things.
And you're not sure how to market yourself.
Enter: The Spaghetti Strategy.
This is the process of trying different tactics to find out what works (or “sticks”) for you and your business and crossing out what fails.
Here's what it may look like:
You sign up for dozens of newsletters from experts who share what works for them and adopt what they recommend for your business...
You read blogs that teach you how to do something and apply the steps to your own business with the logic that if it works for the blogger, it will work for you...
You attend a workshop where a new tactic is introduced and you go all in assuming that *this one* will be THE ONE that works for you...
Most new business owners unknowingly initiate their marketing efforts this way and then wonder why nothing changes (or grows) in their business as a result of their efforts.
The reason why is because the Spaghetti Strategy isn't actually a strategy.
It's a hit-or-miss approach that leaves a lot of business owners hemorrhaging money, time, and energy on things that aren't specific to their business and to them as the service provider.
Looking to other peoples’ businesses to determine what will work for yours is not a winning method... Creating your own marketing strategy is.
Here are 5 steps to a simple marketing strategy that sticks:
STEP #1: START WITH YOUR END GOAL
What are you working towards?
Want to enroll 50 people in your free training?
Sell twelve 1:1 client spots?
Naming your goal allows you to create a clear plan of how to get there.
STEP #2: DETERMINE YOUR TIMELINE
Have six months to fill those client spots? Six days?
Knowing the time you have to reach your goal will largely determine the tactics you employ and how you roll them out.
STEP #3: GET CLEAR ON THE WHAT + WHO
If you’re not clear on your offer and who it’s for, neither is the audience consuming your marketing messages.
EVERYONE is not a target audience. When you integrate key messages and phrases that resonate with them, this signals to your ideal client that you "get" them.
STEP #4: …AND THEN THE WHERE
The best place to find your ideal clients is at the intersection of where you like to hang out and where they are. In the process of uncovering who they are, you will learn all about their habits, motivations and interests... making it so much easier to attract them.
Most importantly, pick your distribution channels, create a schedule and then be consistent.
STEP #5: NAME YOUR BUDGET
Even if you plan to use all organic marketing strategies, you may need other apps and tools to streamline the process. Do the research to determine your needs and then include them in your overall budget to support your marketing strategy efforts.
Ready to stop the spaghetti approach and design a marketing strategy that works for YOU?
In my coaching programs, we integrate strategy into everything you do so that reaching your goals faster and simpler becomes inevitable. Click here to schedule a free discovery call and we’ll explore how a marketing strategy will propel your business forward >>