Here’s something that really frustrates me that I see all the time. Like most people, I’m a regular user of Facebook and when I have a few spare minutes I will scroll up and down looking at both my friend’s posts and those in various business groups. And this is what frustrates me. I will see some hapless business owner complaining that their marketing is not working and looking for help, and all of a sudden there are thousands of responses all saying the same DUMB thing.
They’ll say things like, you need to use Facebook Ads, or you need to improve your SEO or you need to advertise in xy or z, dumb, dumb and dumber. Why is this DUMB you ask..
Well if somebody is asking for help with their marketing then it’s pretty obvious that their problem is with the strategic side of marketing, not the tactical side. And all of these people offering help are focusing on the tactical side of marketing, not realising that this doesn’t address the fundamental problem.
There are two main components to any marketing plan: strategic marketing and tactical marketing. The strategic side of marketing is all about knowing what you’re trying to achieve (your marketing goals) and what you need to say to achieve this i.e the content of your marketing message. It’s what you say and how you say it, including the concepts that you choose to focus on, the words and images you use to communicate those concepts, and the tone in which the message is delivered.
Tactical marketing on the other hand, has to do with the execution of the strategic marketing… such as placing ads, building a website, attending trade shows and things like that. If I ask a business owner about their marketing plan, the answer almost always comes back in terms of tactical marketing: They run Facebook Ads, attend networking meetings, send direct mail, run radio ads, create a website… those kinds of things.
But the key to effective marketing is to master the strategic side… NOT the tactical. What you say in your marketing… and how you say it… are almost always more important than the marketing medium where you say it. Both are important of course, but the real leverage is in the messaging itself… and that’s the strategic side of marketing. In fact, when a marketing campaign bombs, the tendency is almost always to blame the marketing medium like your Facebook Ads, TV or radio station, which is the tactical part of the plan, without any regard to how good or bad the strategy behind that marketing piece was.
So how do you get started with the Strategic side of marketing. Once you’ve decided on what you’re looking to achieve then there are 3 basic components that you need to master. These are:-
- Your value proposition. Put basically, what are you offering and why should people buy from you, as opposed to your competition. This is what I call the WHY question.
- Your customer / client Avatar. I.e WHO are you looking to sell to? It’s always tempting to say that anybody can use our product or service, but the truth is that some will be more suited and receptive to your product or service than others. These are the ones that you should focus on.
- Your marketing message. I.e. WHAT do you need to say to your prospect that will make them identify themselves and take the next step.
The tactical side of marketing is all about ‘WHERE’ you place your message. You’d be surprised how many times I see people get this wrong as well. You need to place your message where your prospect (WHO) will see it. Get this bit wrong and your marketing campaign will bomb no matter how good your message is.
From the above marketing looks pretty straightforward and to be honest it is, but it does take an amount of thinking and work that a lot of people either don’t know they need to do or are not prepared to do.
I have a couple of documents that will help you address both sides of your marketing. You can download both of these documents for free here (just click the links).
Step By Step Strategy To Creating A World Class Value Proposition. This tool will walk you through step by step to build a strong value proposition.
Step By Step Guide To Creating Competition Crushing Marketing. This tool will walk you through step by step in creating an Avatar (WHO), crafting the perfect message (WHAT) and help with the tactical side of marketing (WHERE).
If you’re still struggling with the strategic side of marketing once you’ve had a look at these documents and would like a little more help, why not have a strategy session with me. You can find out more about these here (Click Here), or call me on 01482 408585 or email info@johnolivant.com
Twelve intensive half-day meetings.
