Marketing can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. Creating brand identities and acquisition plans from scratch can be daunting. Working out if you should focus on your brand or your product is tough. Figuring out what you want to say, to whom, when, and through what communication channel is tricky.
If growing your business through marketing seems difficult, it can be. Is it worth it? Absolutely. A clear marketing strategy will drive business growth, elevate your reputation, and help you create true fans of your business. Like most things in life, when things seem complex, overwhelming, or impossible, going back to the basics works wonders.
The same is true of marketing. Here are three very simple steps to kick-start or step-change your marketing and use it effectively for growth. I’ve used these in small, medium, and large organisations; these principles are in the DNA of any successful, customer-focused business.
Step 1: Understand Your ‘Why’
Three words that will usually cause most sales teams or commercial organisations to tune out, eye roll, or leave the room—if it can’t be measured effectively, what’s the point? Your ‘why’ is your brand and how people feel about what you’re doing.
Customers buy into why you do what you do and your brand, more than what you do.
Simon Sinek’s golden circle is a brilliantly simple explanation of the power of ‘Why’ in your brand—the Why, How, and What of your business. It looks like this:
Every organisation knows ‘what’ they do. A few know ‘how’ they do it. Very few know ‘why’ they do it. Yet that’s the thing customers buy into the most.
Your ‘why’ is your core purpose or belief. It’s not money, because money is an output. It’s the reason you get out of bed in the morning. Your ‘how’ are the things that set you apart from your competition or your unique selling points (USPs). Your ‘what’ is the product or service you provide.
Apple is a classic example used in this model. Why is Apple so innovative and outsells their opposition? What’s so different about them? They have access to the same resources, people, and customer target groups as everyone else.
Before Apple, most computer companies started with their ‘what’ and ‘how’. They didn’t bother with ‘why’.
Their message went like this: Here’s what we make; here’s how we make it.
’We make great computers; they’re beautifully designed, easy to use, and user-friendly. Want to buy one?’
Um, maybe.
Apple reversed the model; they start everything with why, how, and then what. A simple method that dramatically changes the marketing message.
Why: In everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo and thinking differently.
How: The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, easy to use, and user-friendly.
What: We just happen to make computers; want to buy one?
YES! And anything else you happen to make!
People don’t buy what you do; people buy why you do it.
It’s simple, but very, very powerful. Figure this out, and you’ll step change your impact, communications, marketing, and growth. Start by asking yourself and your business some searching questions:
- Why did you start this business in the first place—what ignited that fire?
- What is the company’s mission statement?
- What sets you apart from everyone else?
- When were the times you, your team, or your business performed at their best?
- What was happening?
- What is your burning desire—what impact do you want your company to make on the world, your community, and the people that buy your products and services?
- How do you want customers to feel about your company?
The impact of your ‘why’ or your brand will remain tricky to measure; the step change it’ll have on sales growth will not.
Step 2: Understand your customer
This is another simple marketing tool that can be as easy or complex as you choose to make it. Large corporations spend millions on defining customer segments, analysing needs, core target groups, etc.
It’s important. Customer-focused marketing, which taps into a true customer need, is the key to generating demand for your product.
There’s a simple model to help you start looking at this:
Customer Segment
Take your ideal customer. This could be by looking at your current, most profitable one and replicating it. Or a new customer you’d like to target.
Job to be done: Customers don’t get excited about buying a drill bit. They need to drill a hole with the least amount of effort. What is the job your customers actually want done? Lots of businesses get caught up in the details of what they offer without considering the basic customer needs.
Gains/Pains: What’s stopping customers from buying? What do they fear? What could go wrong in their minds? Equally, how can you exceed their expectations, make it easy for them to buy, help reassure them, or help them feel good about deciding to buy what you’re offering?
Value Proposition
In simple terms, what are you offering? How do you make it really simple for the customer to understand how you help solve the job that needs to be done, create gains in buying from you, and reduce any pains, doubts, or blockers they may have?
This is a very simple exercise you can do for all your products and/or customer segments. It provides a fantastic starting point to formulate or evaluate your communication strategy—the way you talk about your products or services in a way that’ll resonate with customers, tap into their hopes, and eliminate any concerns.
Businesses spend a lot of money understanding customers. Money is well spent if you plan to be a truly customer-led organisation.
This exercise requires no money and is a great starting point. Once you understand clearly what your customer wants, what’s holding them back, and how to alleviate any concerns, your marketing messages can start to drive relevance, increase the number of customers who start to consider buying from you, and step-by-step change the number of those who actually purchase your product or service.
Step 3: Understand your channels of communication
This aspect of marketing does require more complexity.
If you’ve completed step 1, you have a clear view of why you exist—what your brand stands for and how customers want to feel about your products, services, and business. Hopefully, we can turn them into fans. Fans rave, share, and forgive the odd bad experience.
Step 2 would have given you a clear idea of who you’re targeting. How to connect with the actual job they are trying to get done and their hopes and fears. This means you can communicate your products, services, and benefits in a meaningful way that resonates with your target audience.
The final step is your marketing and communications plan. What channels are you going to choose to communicate your brand and product to your target consumers? How much money do you want to invest? What are the KPI’s per channel? How do these align with your business objectives? And how do you measure success?
There’s rarely a perfect strategy or plan for this. In most cases, it’ll require a test, learn, and reiterate approach. The starting point is to understand:
- How are you measuring the messages, sales, and marketing that you’re currently putting out there?
- What’s working now?
- Who are your most valuable customers, how did you acquire them, and how do you target new customers with the same profile and needs?
- How do you test marketing messaging and channels to develop the most effective marketing campaign?
Each marketing channel has its own nuances.
For example, many businesses I’ve worked with think social marketing is the way forward. Create a business account for every platform, and you’re halfway there. However, trying to create a social strategy that works on a free platform where everyone is fighting for a voice with an algorithm that changes daily is really, really tough.
In social channels, a much better way to approach a marketing strategy is to understand your customer, choose the one social channel they’re likely to be on, and look for a way to solve their job to be done. Then communicate your product or service in a way that creates an emotional connection (your why) and solves their problem (value proposition, pains, gains).
The right message to the right customer at the right time and in the right place.
In Summary
It’s not easy to get it right the first time. But by kick-starting the process and creating a strong marketing strategy, you will drive business growth, elevate your reputation, and create true fans of your business.
At Active Directions, we specialise in assisting small to medium-sized businesses implement effective growth marketing strategies. Reach out to us today for a confidential conversation on how we can support your journey.
