Congratulations!
You’ve made it through week one and 2 of brainstorming questions before you start your marketing efforts. Hopefully you are still with me here! Whatever you end up doing for your marketing, these questions are the equivalent of informational gold for many parts of your business, and my hope is that you are able to carry them across into different aspects of it and keep them as a constantly evolving check list of where things might be heading for you.
The first week, we focused on your business. The second week was more about your customers. This week we hone in on specific marketing efforts that you may have tried, or that you’ve seen tried by others, in an effort to get you thinking more creatively about how you might present your product or service to your ideal customer.
!). What is one thing that you do better than any of your competitors do for your customers?
Find at least one thing that you excel at with regards to what you provide for your customers. It may even be something that they themselves have communicated to you. Find it and treasure it and continue to strive to do it in the best way you can!
2). What is one thing that you would like to work on doing better as far as providing value for your customers?
I learn sooooooo much from other small business owners and entrepreneurs, and for most of the ones that I choose to follow, they will tell you the exact same thing. Don’t be afraid to compliment and be supportive of what others might be doing, and perhaps even learning something from them about how you can approach your own customers.
3). What is the one marketing effort that has brought you the most success?
Just one. It may be one thing that you do regularly, or one email that you sent, or one social media post you liked or commented on. One mailer you sent out? One networking event that you attended?
4). What is one thing that another company has done in their marketing efforts that enticed you to buy their product?
This one isn’t always easy to suss out, because sometimes marketing can be so elusive, especially when it’s done well and when it’s for a company or brand that we really like. But, just think about one way in which one product you enjoy and have purchased caught your attention.
5). What would be one thing you would commit to doing in your marketing efforts for 6 months?
Spend 30 minutes on IG a day. Go to one networking event a week. Start and maintain a Facebook group. Send out one email a week for 6 months. Do one blog post a week for 6 months. Pick one thing that you feel you would be comfortable committing to (hypothetically), and start to think of ways you would give that one thing your all in an effort to make it work for you.
Whew!
Ok…. You now have in your possession a LOT more information than you previously had about how to navigate marketing for your business. Once you have spent some time on these questions and really fleshed out the answers for yourself, you should have a much better idea of where your company is heading, who you are there to serve, and how you will continue to do that. And, most importantly, how you feel you can best convey your message to the world via marketing.
You are now ready to get going with your marketing strategy. And, armed with these questions and answers, your efforts will have a much bigger chance of success going forward.