Do you need to build some marketing strength?
If you want to truly marketing with meaning in your business, there are a few critical qualities you need to develop. These aren’t things that are taught in business school, but rather are qualities that I believe you must hone and improve by applying them in the ‘real’ world.
This monthly marketing workout is a challenge to you to step up and build some marketing strength in your business. Fortunately, once developed, the core qualities you are developing can be applied to improve your success in just about any venture you embark on, be it personal or professional. Much like muscles get stronger over time and with repeated use, so too will your marketing muscles.
LEAD don’t FOLLOW
When you are knee deep in our business, it is easy to get caught in a cycle of reacting to situations instead of being proactive. Unfortunately, particularly when it comes to your marketing, this can be a very slippery slope and one that is incredibly hard to back out of.
If you truly want to take back control of your marketing activities, and more importantly your marketing spending, you need to stop saying ‘yes, let’s do it’ to things, and start asking ‘why should we do it’.
Every team needs a Captain
As the owner of your business, it is up to you to LEAD the direction of the company and this means it is up to you to ensure that your brand is showing up, and is well represented, across all of the marketing platforms that your business uses. Online and offline, you need to have a consistent visual brand with messaging that aligns across all channels and platforms, and that accurately represents your vision and values
The Captain sets the course
Although it is possible (and depending upon the size of your business it may be necessary) to outsource or delegate some or all of your marketing implementation, it is critically important to own the responsibility for the direction and the planning of your brand’s promotion to your market. As the owner, and the LEADER, of your business, you need to have a clear idea of the images, language, and ideas that are being used to represent your brand.
This is not to say that you should be the one designing business cards, or ordering the letterhead, but you had better know what is going on so that you can be sure that your marketing resources are being allocated appropriately to acheive your stated business goals and objectives.
Stop doing, start evaluating.
I challenge you stop and take stock of all of the marketing activities you are currently doing in your business. As you examine each activity ask yourself “why am I doing this”. If the things you are doing fall under the category of “everyone is doing it” or “so-and-so said I should do this”, consider whether you are leading or following in your business. If you aren’t sure if what you are doing is working, today is a great day to start measuring.
John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Fund, the largest mutual fund in the world, defines real leadership as knowing what’s worth doing.