1] Strategy BEFORE Tactics

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Apologies if this graphic is ‘too big’, but the key point behind today’s post deserves it!

The 7 Steps Have Been Updated!
Yesterday, I mentioned that the book: Duct Tape Marketing (the worlds most practical small business marketing guide) has been changed to reflect the evolution of marketing as a ‘mission critical’ business function.

There’s been a shift away from marketing that interrupts and toward marketing that attracts.  Some refer to this as ‘inbound vs. outbound’ marketing or ‘prospect-initiated’ vs. ‘seller-initiated’ marketing.  Why?  In a word, “Google”.  As Wayne Gretsky once said, “I go to where the puck is going to be . . . not where is is now”.  Similarly, marketers want to be found by prospects when they (prospects) are ready to buy (or, are seriously looking for information to help them do so in the fairly near future).

STEP 1:  Strategy Before Tactics
The ‘old’ Step 1  was “Narrow Your Focus”.  The idea behind that is still sound — find your ‘ideal client / market / niche’ and go for it.  The idea was that by not seeking to be all things to all people, you’d stand out or differentiate yourself to the people you most want as clients.

The ‘new’ Step 1 is “Strategy Before Tactics’.  Now, in addition to defining your Ideal Client and market, you also want to be really clear about why your firm would be seen — by your Ideal Client — as a ‘preferred provider’ of your problem-solving expertise.  We call that ‘differentiation’ and part of that is clarifying your ‘Message’ so you’ll stand out to your Ideal Client.

As the above graphic shows, this combination of aligning both your Mission / Message with your Market is the basis of your Strategy.

Strategy is the FILTER for Your Possible Tactics
Once you have a laser-tight clarity about:

1.  WHO you want to attract / sell and
2.  WHY / HOW you can stand out to your Ideal Client

you have found your Strategy!

Tactics Without Strategy . . . Is a Problem . . . for You
Using any Tactic without the benefit of a coherent Strategy, is like trying to build a house without a blueprint.  Your workers may show up and they can hammer wood and nails all day long but . . . in the end, it may not look like what you want nor will it serve the purpose you had in mind.

It’s easy to just pick a(ny) tactic . . . and ‘go to town’ with it. Business people do it every day!  But without a strategy to help you decide if it will support your long-term business goals, you may be spending more time and money than you like and getting less ROI for that than you want.  (Ouch!)

Your Marketing Strategy . . . Helps You Decide What’s Relevant
. . . and, what is not.  Once you have your Strategy defined, USE IT — as a filter to see which marketing tactics will ALIGN with your goals and SUPPORT you in achieving the success in your business you desire.

If any tactic — and they’re all intrinsically good at some level — is going to support you and your success, then you should consider using it.  If it won’t, don’t. Simple.

KEY POINT:
Effective marketing reflects an ALIGNMENT of the DECISIONS you make (Strategy — WHO / WHY) and the ACTIONS you take (Tactics — WHAT / WHEN / WHERE / HOW) to market your services.  And THAT . . . is why we say, “Strategy BEFORE Tactics” at Duct Tape Marketing.  

Tomorrow, another change in the 7 Steps . . . and, why!

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6 Questions to Ask Every Client (#6)

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What would you type to find firms like ours on GOOGLE?

As you probably know, it’s 2011 and marketing is increasingly less about interrupting potential clients to share your messages and more about being found by prospects when they are searching for an answer or solution you have to offer.

That’s the basis of Inbound Marketing — being find-able when people are searching online for what you offer.  The way you get found, of course, is to have content on your website that’s based on the very phrases (i.e. keywords) that people are searching for on Google.

So asking your Ideal Client, “What would you type into Google to find firms like ours / that do what we do?” is going to really help you create content that is going to increase your attraction and traffic levels.  Nice!

KEY POINT:
Learning WHAT people would use to find a firm like yours makes it easier for you to create content that will make them find you . . . rather than your competitors 

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6 Questions to Ask Every Client (#3)

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“What do I / we do BETTER than anyone else?”

This question is designed to help you learn what your Ideal Client considers your COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE or, as some like to say, your ‘Unique Value Proposition’ . . . the factor that makes you DISTINCTIVE and BETTER to work with than your alleged competitors.

This question belongs on every client survey!

So often the responses your clients give are rarely what you might cite as the factors that makes you distinctive and valuable to your clients.

It’s difficult to see yourself as others see you.  But knowing what makes you ‘stand out’ to the kind of client you seek to attract is marketing TNT!

The insight this question produces often reveals a significant key to your competitive edge . . . in terms that the people you want to attract would actually use to describe you.

KEY POINT:
Learn what makes you STAND OUT . . . as your Ideal Client understands it!

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6 Questions To Ask Every Client (#2)

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“Why do you see me / my firm as the BEST OPTION?”

The first question was focused on the factor/s that prompts a qualified prospect to understand why they need something you do or offer.

This question is designed to help you learn what it is about you that makes an Ideal Client perceive you as the best source of the solution they’re seeking.  In other words, why do Ideal Clients perceive you to be a Preferred Provider of the solution they’re seeking?

The first question dealt with a MACRO issue . . . what’s the problem or PAIN that makes your kind of service relevant or desired?

This question deals with a MICRO issue . . . what is it about you / your firm that, all things being equal, makes you appear (everything is perception, right?) to be the BEST OPTION to get the solution they want?

Again, knowing what makes you STAND OUT to the kind of people you want to attract (at your competitors’ expense, of course) will help you attract the attention of and response from people who can best understand, value and desire the beneficial difference you can provide with your problem-solving expertise and services.

This question . . . is all about you . . . it’s all about what tells an Ideal Client that YOU . . . are the best provider of the solution someone wants.

KEY POINT:
Learn what makes you BETTER than your competitors . . . as your Ideal Client sees it!

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6 Questions To Ask Every Client (#1)

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“What made you to seek out someone like me?” 

As a marketer, you are blessed (or, maybe cursed!) with an insatiable curiosity about many things.  And whatever motivates your prospects is something you’ll find pretty fascinating.

This question is designed to help you learn what problem or PAIN your prospect is experiencing that makes you relevant.

Learning the ‘PAIN points’ that cause people to see you as valuable and relevant to their happiness is very valuable information for you to know.  Why?  So you can use it in your marketing MESSAGES that will help you attract the attention of people who may best understand, value and desire the beneficial difference you can provide with your problem-solving expertise and services.

This question is not about you . . . it’s all about your prospect and their ‘issues’.

KEY POINT:
Learn what makes you relevant . . . as only your Ideal Client can tell you!

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Message: Communicating Your Mission

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How do you communicate the essence of your Mission to your market?  Your Message, of course!

Actually, there are many messages you can use to do that . . .

Message
You’ve heard, I’m sure, about ‘Elevator’ pitches — the short, pithy ‘commercial’ you can use with a stranger to help them think you’re ‘All That’?  Well, that’s not the same ‘message’ I have in mind here.

Behavior Speaks Louder Than Words
There are messages and then there are messages.  I’d like you to think about this.  You want to find a way to be so clear about your Mission that your Market really understands why you’re a better provider of what you do than others in your field.

I worked with a remodeling contractor once.  He paid his workers to wash their trucks each night, paid for them to dryclean their uniforms (yeah, he gave them uniforms, too) and insisted that they always put on surgical booties before entering a home to do a proposal or actual work.

What do you think all that did?  It gave a lasting and memorable Message that this man cares about what his customers care about . . . their home!  Think you can find some ways to get your Message across without using a big neon sign?  I hope so!

KEY POINT:
Messaging isn’t always about words said or put on paper . . . Actions speak for themselves! 

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Making Your Message Clear

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If you meet someone at a business event, a conference, etc. you have a very (VERY!) short window of opportunity to communicate your value proposition to them.

16 Seconds . . . it’s all you really need!
Here’s a product that’s using a YouTube video to explain what it does . . . in 16 seconds:

Can you do as well?  If not, study this little video . . . you might learn a lot . . . about clarity and focus and getting your value across.

KEY POINT:
Making your message . . . moving . . . takes work . . . but not a lot of time 

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Recovering from Disaster

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” __ __ __ __  Happens!!”
Yes, it does.  There’s even a bumper-sticker based on that truth! A colleague and I just lived through our own little ‘train wreck’.  We weren’t responsible for it.  But we were able to respond and recover from it.

In fact, there’s a good lesson here on how YOU can make the most of a difficult situation when the __ __ __ __  hits the fan!

Step 1:  Don’t Blame
It’s tempting.  But it won’t change the situation.  It usually makes it take longer to resolve.

Step 2: Take Ownership of The Recovery Process
A personal commitment to do ‘whatever’ it takes to correct the situation is vital.  It forces you to focus on the future (under your control) vs. the past (not under your control).  That’s positive.  And, productive.

Step 3:  Commit To Specific Individuals That You’ll Correct The Situation
Seek out the people who are most compromised by the situation and pledge your personal commitment to make them whole, again.  Write them a ‘check’ to fix it.  Then, ‘cash’ it.

Step 4:  Make a Plan of Action to Correct The Situation
Learn why the problem developed.  That helps you develop a set of actions that will correct the current situation . . . and prevent it from happening in the future.

Step 5:  Implement Your Plan
Once you know WHY the problem happened and WHAT you must to do to correct it . . . DO IT!  Nothing changes until your intentions become true actions.

KEY POINT:
Stuff happens.  After that, anything else that happens is really up to Y-O-U.

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Ignorance Isn’t a Bad Thing

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“I don’t know” isn’t the end of the world
When I was starting out in business, I was reluctant to tell a prospect, “I don’t know” when I was asked a question about how taxes, policy provisions or  business law would affect them.

As I ‘matured’ in my career, I learned to get real — real comfortable admitting, “I don’t know” to many of the questions I was being asked.

Be ‘OK’ being ‘Not-OK’
Social psychologists have proven over and over again that your ability to openly acknowledge that you are NOT perfect . . . that you don’t have all the answers . . . actually makes you more attractive to a prospective client.

Seek to demonstrate . . . “Credible Candor”
The fact is . . . your ‘trustworthiness’ factor goes up whenever you exhibit what I call, “Credible Candor”.  This means you say, when it’s true, “I don’t know”.  This makes you more ‘real’ (i.e. less ‘plastic’) and, therefore highly attractive to prospects.  Just be sure you add something like, “. . . but I’ll make sure I find out for you!”.

What you DO is more telling than anything you might SAY to a prospect or client.  Behavior that reveals you’re not perfect in every way – makes you seem  even more perfect to others.

KEY POINT:
Be Human . . . you’ll reveal your imperfections . . . and become more attractive 

 

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Offering Value . . . Attracts Blog Traffic

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If you have kids, you understand.  If you want them to do something you want, you have to address the old ‘WIIFM’ — “What’s In It For Me?” issue in terms they’ll appreciate.

Valued Content ATTRACTS . . . People To You
A key purpose of blogging is to attract people to you who care about what you know and what you can do . . . for them.  Your blog’s content needs to address what your desired readers want to know and, if known, is likely to produce significant value for them to enjoy.

Click on the image above.  If you were a financial advisor, a mortgage broker, a P&C agent, an attorney or even a CPA . . . offering such information would be very likely to attract people whose need-to-know aligns nicely with your expertise and services, wouldn’t it?  See?

Valued Content CONVICTS . . . People About Your Authority
A good post will cause people to find you.  That’s what organic search is all about — causing your post/s to appear on ‘Page 1’ when a prospective client types a query into Google.

But the post itself must render meaningful value in the form of useful insights and practical actions that a blog reader can use to enhance their life.  When you do that, people see you as an expert in your field.  That translates into AUTHORITY which builds your CREDIBILITY and reduces the RISK of hiring you.

KEY POINT:
Offering VALUABLE content is ATTRACTIVE and builds AUTHORITY for you and your business 

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