Have you been thinking lately that you should refine your marketing in order to help more people and make more income? Recently I got to listen in as Victoria Griggs did a quick presentation at Mike Koenigs’ Traffic Geyser event in San Diego. I thought her talk was to the point and helpful, so I’m going to share what I heard. Victoria made the point that sometimes when we want better results in our marketing we have to back up a bit before we move forward.
Here are the first 3 steps to refining your marketing for better results.
1. Describing your market – exactly and specifically, who are they?
2. Clarifying your message – what exactly do you offer and what does that offer do for the people or businesses in your market?
3. Decide which media will help you get your message out most efficiently and with the best results.
Now you may think that you’ve already done those three things, and perhaps you have. But it doesn’t hurt to look at what you have stated before, especially if you are looking to redefine your marketing due to slow sales. Sometimes it’s not the marketing plan it’s one or more of those first three things that need to be cleaned up.
The next 5 steps are questions to ask yourself before deciding you need to refine your marketing. It might be something else that needs tweaking.
4. Are you serving your ideal clients? To answer this you have to know who those ideal clients are. Amazingly enough, some solo professionals don’t ask themselves that question because they feel as if they must take all comers.
5. Are your clients big enough to work with? If they are small fish who aren’t earning much money they will either not have the money to hire you or they will try to hire you very cheaply. Neither one is great for you.
6. Do they have enough reach? In other words, are your clients in front of the right people in great enough numbers? If not, can you see how they can accomplish that?
7. Is what they offer commercially viable? Is there a demand for what they want to put into the marketplace? How do you know that? I sometimes work with clients who are offering what THEY think the world needs, not what the world is buying.
8. Will you enjoy working with these clients? Truly enjoy your days? You started your own business, after all, so that you could do the work you want to do with clients who are satisfying to work with. If your experiences are more negative than positive then it’s time for a change.
Think about these 8 questions that help refine your marketing before you decide on any one marketing strategy. You’ve got to have these basic questions answered before you will get results from refining your marketing plan.
Thanks to Victoria for her insights. If you need help looking at these 8 questions I invite you to work with me for one hour to get clarity. We will!
Understanding your ideal client is critical in all areas of your business.
Especially in order to market effectively. Your pointers are exactly right.
Thanks, Mitch. I thought Victoria’s points were well taken, too.
#5 always gets to me. Perhaps if your market isn’t big enough to serve, you serve a bigger market to make your money and then give back to the market that isn’t so both can be served.
That’s one way to look at it, Jessica. I offer lots of free resources through my website that people with no money for consulting or coaching can use.
Sue, good points. It is definitely true that both the small clients and the large clients take a lot of work, it’s just that the large ones pay better! I especially like the first three questions. Thanks for sharing what you learned in San Diego.
You’re welcome, Mary Ellen. It’s a problem, the smaller fish.
Great reminders! It’s really good to be clear on who my audience is – I’m very niched into nutritional solutions for anxiety and it feels good!
This did jump out at me – Will you enjoy working with these clients? SO SO important! and I love the work I do and love my clients despite the challenges
Trudy,
I know you do love your work – it shows through your results and your success!
Sue
Great thinking points. I’ve learned over time that it is important to hone my message to make sure I’m focusing on what I really want to say in my marketing.
Hi Mira,
I know you always have a consistent point of view and message – both of which are key to successful marketing.