It really irks me when I see vacancies for Marketing Executives or Advertising Specialists.

Why you may ask?

Many times, these vacancies are cleverly disguised as sales representatives, persons who are hired to simply sell the finished product and, sometimes, have no idea about the business. Many sales representatives simply have ‘the gift of gab’ and, why knowing how to speak is very useful, sales are actually the end result of a carefully orchestrated series of events.

Too often businesses are preoccupied by the number of sales they are making with profit and money being the ultimate goal.

Don’t get me wrong, this is extremely important……. but honestly focusing only on the sale is the quickest way to fail at business and lead to frustration. There are four pillars to any successful business and, once done correctly, will give you a one way ticket from ‘Frustration Nation’ to ‘Super Sale Sanctuary’ (Yes I soooo made those names up!!)

 

PILLAR #1 – BRANDING

Building a brand is crucial to the life of your business. Many of the multibillion dollar brands that I have personally worked with such as like Coca Cola and Burger King have made their brand identity very clear and, have done an excellent job of establishing the culture of company. More than just a fancy slogan, these brands have embodied the very essence of that they stand for and, evoke a particular feeling whenever you see, hear or purchase from them. When I first started out in advertising over ten years ago, we called it the brand footprint.  Building a brand requires you to:

  1. Establish your Brand’s Personality

Much like you, your brand has a personality, and, like you, your brand will attract a certain type of individual. The fact is, in knowing who you are will determine the clientele that is drawn to you.

There are simple ways to find your brand’s personality. Get as descriptive as possible and imagine the attributes your brand will have if it were an actual person.  What do they look like? How old? Level of education? How does he/she speak or interact with others. Get specific!!

  1. Determine your Audience

While some of you may think that they serve ‘everyone’ , nothing can be further from the truth.

You must be crystal clear as to who you are talking to and who your target audience is. If you don’t you will waste both time and money chasing people who aren’t really sure if they want to work with you and this is the fastest way to get ‘burnt out”. Once you are clear on whom you serve, your audience will be naturally attracted to you!! Dig deep and create your client avatar, give them a name, description and write out the daily life of your ideal audience from the time they wake up, to the time they go to bed. This exercise will help you later on…….PROMISE!!

  1. Design your Aesthetics

Once you know your brand personality and who you serve then it’s time to design your logo, choose your colors and choose your font styles. Remember your brand is not just a pretty face, it is the feeling that you evoke within them even before they do business with you.

The colors and fonts you use will definitely set the tone of the business this is why the aesthetics you choose must be a merger of the two above so as to ensure it is a best representation of your business and truly connects with who you serve.

  1. Market yourself

Now it’s time to get moving and shaking……which brings me to pillar #2

 

PILLAR #2 – MARKETING

People are looking to you for something they cannot get for themselves. The idea must be moved from concept to customer to get them to ‘buy into’ what you are selling. What needs to happen now is to find the right method and the right message to use to educate and influence your consumers.

While many companies make the mistake of thinking that marketing is just “one” thing, it is actually everything that the consumer encounters when it comes to your business and can be difference between repeat sales and no sale at all. To effectively market your business you must:

  1. Conduct Market Research

You need to know if your product or service is needed and by who. Too often business owners sell to persons what they think they believe customers want. You need to get out there and ask questions and verify any assumptions. You need to know and understand that whatever service you are providing is solving a particular problem your customer is experiencing. Get to the root of that problem and understand it inside out so you can then provide the best solution.

You also need to know who your competitors are, what the market value for your product is and when would be the most appropriate time to launch. The more information you have, the better equipped to make the necessary decisions that affect your business.

  1. Define your Unique Selling Point

Understand what sets your product or service apart from the zillion and one other products just like you in the world. Do not think for one second that there aren’t others who are realizing that there’s need for a particular service and, just like you, are working on providing just that. Plus the world is a smaller place because of the internet and there is somebody, somewhere, selling the same thing as you and they are just a click away. Figure out how you can stand out from the rest and focus on that. Focus less on the cost and more on the benefits you can provide to your customers.

  1. Identify your target

We’re back at your target audience again. Human beings are different with different values and ways of thinking. You must be able to drill down on not only the demographics but the psychographics and behavioral patterns of your target audience in order to identify what triggers them to purchase. You must be able to form deep, meaningful relationships with them and honestly, know them better than they know themselves. Human Beings are complex individuals (some more than others), so you need to understand what segment of ‘complex individuals’ you are trying to convince to buy your product or service.

  1. Promote & Advertise

Now it’s time to get out there and attract the masses……which brings me to pillar #3

 

Well, so far, we’ve half way there. Look out for my next post which will cover the next two pillars for business success. If you just can’t wait or you need help feel free to head over to my website at www.carlimedia.com and book your FREE 30min consultation.

You can also join my tribe of marketing elites and get all the marketing tools you need to make 2017 the best year yet. Just click the link and I’ll add you : www.facebook.com/groups/thenewsms/