No two businesses are the same and therefore no two marketing strategies or plans should be the same either.
However, there are some approaches to marketing that seem to work consistently across a wide range of businesses both in terms of markets and size of budget. I’ve listed below five small shifts in thinking that have helped many of our clients make big shifts in the return on their marketing investment (that’s time as well as money!). If you find your approach more to the left hand side, then you too might benefit from a different perspective:
Hurried → Patient
Repeatedly doing it quickly but wrong costs much more and takes much longer than measuring, testing, learning and refining.
Deceitful → Honest
“Truth will out” is an old saying, and certainly applies in marketing. Profitable and sustainable marketing must be founded on reality not illusion.
Self-absorbed → Empathetic
It’s all about the customer, not us. Understanding customers, what is important to them and how we can add value to their lives is the key to effective marketing, not chest-thumping self importance.
Confusing –> Consistent
Does every encounter with the brand look, sound and feel the same? We are all swamped with marketing communication, so every message we send about our product or service must build a consistent impression.
Envious –> Confident
For most businesses, there’s a competitor out there doing better than us – our choice is whether to focus on copying, outdoing, undercutting or be proud of what we do well, make it even better, and communicate is passionately as a viable alternative.
Best of luck with your confident, consistent, empathetic, honest and patient marketing!
Chris