Building a comprehensive marketing strategy can do wonders for saving time, maximizing ROI, and achieving business goals. This strategy doesn’t need to be overwhelming, it just needs to be intentional – linking your goals with aligned actions.
Not everything will work. But the more you’re able to define your audience, clarify your desired outcomes, establish clear goals, and refine your messaging, the more confident you’ll become in your efforts and decisions.
Read MoreWhen I talk to clients about their goals, one of the missing pieces tends to be an action plan. They have their vision, but what’s unclear is how they’re going to (realistically) get there with their current resources.
An action plan breaks down each goal you have into parts, taking you step-by-step closer to meeting the goal.
Let’s explore this with a basic example of some short-term goals that are connected, with moving parts.
Read MoreEarlier this year, my son decided he was going to teach me how to play chess, and despite my initial disinterest, he not only managed to successfully persuade and teach me, but I even almost won a game against him...once!
As green as I am on the chess board, I have a deep appreciation for the time players spend learning various tactics, as well as the skilled practice of thinking through and playing out different scenarios. Thinking strategically in marketing and business is a lot like a chess game, which is why chess is so often used to visually convey strategy.
Let’s explore the parallels between chess and business and marketing.
Read MoreAre you planner? I am. At its best, planning is an incredible tool for gaining clarity on the next steps you need to take in your business. At its worst, it can lead to analysis paralysis, stunting your ability to take action.
On the other hand, you don't want to put something out into the world before it's ready to go. You need a minimum viable service (or product), and a plan to launch it to your ideal customers.
Read MoreAdvice and ideas come from so many people and places, with promises of great results. But the routes they want you to take can be so much longer and hurt your business by not working as expected.
In truth, strategic planning is a shortcut. It just doesn’t seem like one. It takes time and thinking and it can even be a difficult investment in your business.
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