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Simplifying for Success

By Gail Z. Martin

It’s not rocket science, it’s…well…marketing.  So if your marketing plan looks like the details of a space launch, maybe you’re trying too hard.

Oh, I’ve been part of large company marketing roll-outs that have massive strategies and huge hour-by-hour timelines.  That’s OK if you’re truly a huge company mobilizing hundreds or thousands of people for a synchronized launch.  For a solo professional or small company’s marketing needs…not so much.

Many business owners get immobilized by what they perceive as the required effort for a marketing campaign.  If you’re one of those people with the deer-in-the-headlights look when it comes to marketing, I’d like to offer this advice: do a little, and then do a little more.

Start by getting clear about your #1 business goal for this year.  Make it tangible, and make it measurable.  Don’t just say “I want more business,” say “I want to see 25% more revenue.”  Instead of “I want more clients,” say “I want to land 10 new clients who spend an average of $2,000 each.”  See the difference?

Once you’re clear on your goal, hone in on the target audience that will help you achieve that goal.  Be very specific, and get to know their likes, dislikes, their usage habits and their spending patterns—create a very detailed picture of your ideal client.  Make sure that you also figure out what your ideal prospect really, really needs, and what problem he or she thinks is urgent to solve.  That will help you craft your message.

Once you know your #1 goal and your ideal client, your first marketing effort should be to figure out where those ideal prospects are already congregating, what they’re reading and listening to, what clubs they’re joining, what events they’re attending—you get the picture.  Now put yourself in front of your ideal prospects where they’re already gathering, and communicate the message that you have what they need to solve their big problem.  That’s the heart of effective marketing, in a nutshell.

Complicated? Not really.  People often make marketing more complex than it needs to be because they’ve skipped steps one and two and they begin thrashing around, sending out messages hither and yon because they don’t know where to find their ideal prospects, or they secretly believe everyone is a potential customer (they’re not).

If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the very idea of marketing, back up, breathe deeply, and simplify.  You’ll be glad you did! If you need help, you can click this link to get support from a business expert.

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