One of my favorite resources for this kind of thinking is a book called Duct Tape Marketing, by John Jantsch. He outlines the process in seven practical steps. Here, with brief comments by yours truly, are my top five:
1. Develop Strategy before Tactics – You have to have a clear picture of who you are trying to attract and only make offers that motivate them, Plan your ads, promotions, etc. only after you have a clear picture of needs you will fulfill.
2. Embrace the Marketing HourglassTM – How do you move a prospect through the funnel with trust-winning positive experiences? Those that make it become loyal customers and advocates for you (this needs more discussion)
3. Adopt the Content Publishing Model – What you say has to have value to the reader. It’s not about you talking about yourself.
4. Create a total web presence – That not only means keeping your website up to date, but leveraging your presence on social media as well. SEO is a key tool too.
5. Live by the Marketing Calendar – Time is money is the old adage. Expressing your plan in calendar form keeps things efficient and allows for project planning without constant rush jobs.
View previous monthly morsels on our Free Marketing Advice page.
