It’s funny how many people ask me the same question: “What exactly is Marketing?”

Funny because there is no one way to answer that.

Why? Because marketing is basically everything.

It’s advertising

It’s branding

It’s public relations

It’s copy writing

 

……but most of all…..knowing what you want for yourself and your business and doing everything to achieve that.

How you choose to market your business really depends on what the ultimate goal is. Some persons simply just want to make more money now while others want to stand out in their field and gain consistent clients over time. Others just need to grow their mailing list while there are some business owners who want a little bit of everything.

As a business owner, it is extremely important that you understand, that when it’s all said and done, you that hold the keys to the future of your business, I simply give you the map to where you say you want to go (and I should mention that no two maps are the same)

So how to you go about setting these goals you may ask……. well, you know us marketers love acronyms so let me give you a few that can help you with the marketing process.

Firstly let’s start getting SMART with those goals. Each goal must be

Specific:  What are you planning to do and how does it affect the business. What would you like to overall goal to be? Maybe build your mailing list or promote a specific product. Decide what you would like to outcome to be and work backwards from there.

Measurable: How are you going to measure the progress you’ve made? What is your bench mark?

Attainable: Can it be achieved given the available resources at your disposal? Do you need to ask for assistance?

Relevant: Is it in line with your overall strategy? Does this get you one step closer to where you want to be?

Timely: What are the timelines to get this done?

To accomplish all of these super SMART goals, as a marketer of your business you must know how to FOCUS (Follow one course until successful) and to KISS (Keep It Super Simple) There is absolutely no room for multi tasking or getting distracted,  keep moving forward one step at a time by keeping each task super simple and actionable.

So how do you figure out what to FOCUS on?  Do a SWOT analysis

(…….I told you we love acronyms)

Simply list out the
Strengths by describing the positive factors of your business that you have control over. Decide how to utilize them for the benefit of your company.

Weaknesses by describing the things you may need to work on within your business. Items such as the lack of technology or lack of capital that are within your control but needs improvement.

Opportunities where you see your business can grow. External factors such as a collaborative effort with other businesses who share the same target as you or Government grants can be opportunities to promote yourself and/or save money

Threats or external factors that you see can hamper your business such as the economic hard times we seem to be experiencing of late or even bad weather (depending on what you are selling)

 

Look at the information and decipher how to capitalize upon your strengths and opportunities to make you business more marketable. Look at your weaknesses to see where you need to improve and where you need to invest in. Threats can help you be aware of what your business can be facing and to help you prepare and act accordingly.

 

I think that’s enough acronyms for one day

Trust me, there’s a whole lot more

But I hope you see that marketing is not a ‘one size fits all’ but are tailored specifically to whatever you want the outcome to be.

If you’re loving these acronyms and you want to learn more, let’s get on a call right away. I would love to discuss a tailored marketing strategy with your specific goals in mind. Head over to my website www.carlimedia.com to book your FREE 30min consultation

Want more free advice? Then join my free and private Facebook group The New SMS: Strategic Marketing Specialists where you can get all the marketing, advertising and communications training you need to build your business. Just follow the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thenewsms/

See you there