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It can be overwhelming trying to decide which marketing efforts to focus on:
• website design
• search engine optimization
• advertising
• social media
• public relations
• articles
• networking in person
• blogging
• seminars
• teleclasses
• business listings, etc.

By understanding a few marketing principles, things can be much clearer!
The list above contains marketing TACTICS, or methods of gaining exposure and business.

Not all tactics work the same way for different businesses, industries, etc.
For instance website design and search engine optimization will be extremely important for a product that is sold primarily through a website, whereas public relations and seminars may be less important in attracting customers to this type of business. So the tactics above will be weighted differently, depending on what type of business you run. This means you’ll devote different amounts of time and budget to different marketing tactics.

Maybe you can see why it’s important to have THE RIGHT MARKETING MIX (combination of tactics) to focus your energy on! Some will get more attention than others.

In fact, if we can look at the marketing tactics as INGREDIENTS in a recipe…..then we need to ask WHAT IS THE RECIPE? Or, in marketing terms, what is the STRATEGY?

So: Ingredients are part of a Recipe, the way Tactics are part of a Strategy.

You wouldn’t put together a bunch of ingredients without knowing what the recipe is first, would you? (well, some might!)….but then you would be EXPERIMENTING with ingredients, and hoping for a good outcome! You simply DON’T want to do this with your marketing budget or your time!

Bottom Line: HAVE A MARKETING STRATEGY BEFORE USING A BUNCH OF TACTICS!

How do you develop a Marketing Strategy?

1st: Know what your USBs are – Unique Selling Benefits – what do you offer that’s different (from your competitors) and better at meeting the needs of your target customers?

2nd: Develop a message that communicates your USBs to your target audience in every marketing tactic that you use.

3rd: Be a strategic thinker (or get help from someone who is) to determine, what do I want to be known as, and to whom? (example: the financial planner who shows young families how to shop for savings & investment products).

4th: Once you have a strategy, you can determine which marketing tactics will enable you to carry it out. You’ll have to prioritize each tactic according to how helpful it will be in implementing your strategy for your particular business. (You may need help from a consultant on this one!).

The Results?
• You’ll be focused on the most important marketing tactics for your business without feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities.
• You won’t be experimenting with tactics, hoping for results.
• You’ll find that it won’t be one tactic that grows your business, but the right combination of tactics will result in more exposure and sales for your company!

For more information on how to develop the right mix of marketing tactics for your business, contact
Nicole@nicolebornmarketing.com for a FREE consultation!