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7 Steps to Marketing Success
In the past it didn’t take nearly as much marketing effort to
build a business as it does today. Unfortunately, many people
are holding on to the belief that things are still the way they
were and are not doing what needs to be done to make their
businesses succeed.
Marketing your business is something that is a constant process
and takes a considerable amount of focus and commitment.
Competition in virtually every industry has increased.
Additionally, there is no guarantee that once you do manage to
attract a customer to your business they will keep coming back.
We have a highly mobile and fickle society. This simply means it
is more important than ever to evaluate what you are doing, why
you are doing it, and what you must do in the future in order to
stay competitive.
Here are some steps you can take to increase your chances of
success in your business.
1. Get clear on your values and mission. I recently read a book
called “The Path” by Laurie Beth Jones. She begins the book with
a story her uncle told her of his experience during World War II.
According to her uncle, if an unidentified person appeared to a
soldier and could not immediately identify their mission, they
were shot on site. Wow! Would this ever make a person clear on
their mission. It was literally the difference between life and
death.
This can hold true in business. If we are not clear on our
values and mission it is easy to flounder and eventually our
business could die. However, by being very clear on your values
and your mission, you are assured more of a chance for your
business to grow and thrive. Take time to write out what your
values are. From there, create a statement that clearly defines
what you offer your customers and clients. If you find that you
are getting off track with what is important, simply take time
to review your written statement.
2. Effective and realistic planning. I strongly suggest you
create a solid marketing plan. As a result of completing the
plan you will be much better prepared and know whether or not
your marketing idea is feasible. Additionally, take time to
fully understand how marketing works. Marketing is not a one -
time shot or one size fits all. You must plan your campaigns.
You must be committed for the long-term and test various types
of campaigns as you move forward. The more solid your plan, the
more success you will experience.
3. Take action. Once you create a good marketing plan take the
necessary actions outlined in the plan. More times than I care
to think about, I have talked to business people who put
together plan after plan after plan and yet, don’t take
appropriate or consistent action on the plan. For whatever
reason time is invested in the plan, but then very little, if
anything, is done. Again, keep the long-term goals in mind as
you take action.
4. Have realistic expectations. Many people expect overnight
results and give up when the results they wanted don’t
materialize as they had hoped. Unrealistic expectations always
lead to frustration and dissatisfaction. Talk to other business
people to find out what they are experiencing at any given time.
You may be surprised at what you will learn. Define realistic,
quantifiable performance metrics that reflect your business
goals.
5. Be persistent and persevere. There are going to be times when
you get very frustrated with what is going on around you. If you
don’t think this is true my guess is you haven’t been doing what
you are doing for very long. Truth be told, business can be
extremely frustrating. There are times things can seem so
overwhelming you wonder how you can get through the situation.
It is when you revisit why you are doing what you are doing and
what your purpose in business is that you can get back on track.
If success were easy, everyone would have it. Persistence and
perseverance can pay handsomely.
6. Create a focused marketing message. The main purpose of
marketing is to identify the appropriate markets for your
products and services and then open up a conversation with those
markets. That simply means finding market segments that can
benefit from your products or services and communicating with
them in a way that motivates them to take action.
Keep in mind; the first action is not always going to be to buy.
Your customers first action my simply be to stop by your store.
Maybe it is to make a phone call to gain more information.
Perhaps it is visiting your website to fill in a request form.
Regardless of what the first step is it is what you do after
someone takes the first action is crucial to the success of your
business. Develop a solid follow up system that allows you to
develop long-term relationships with your client base. The
health of your bottom line depends on it.
7. Believe in yourself and your vision. Regardless of how much
you want something, the re will be times the temptation is to
give up and throw in the towel. The greatest test of your
character is to be willing to follow through to the very end.
You must find ways to believe in who you are and keep your
vision close to your heart. Many years ago I was taught to keep
going on my dreams and to not quit five minutes before the
miracle.
Fact is I never know when the miracle will arrive. The only way
to find out is continue forward in spite of all outward
appearances.
********************************
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It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
Seneca
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