Copying what other people are doing rarely brings the same level of success. Because your businesses are different, the team is different, timing is different, resources available are different… the entire context is different.
Because growing a business is NOT a one-size-fits-all situation, before jumping in and trying out another marketing tactic, ask these 3 questions first to find the right tactic to invest your time and energy in that would give you the most success! Click here to find out the important difference between Strategy vs. Tactics to make sure you are prioritizing correctly and making meaningful progress.
Before you start, get clear on who you’re serving and your target audience. Knowing who you’re serving is not only the first step in growing a business, but it is a major factor in your every marketing, branding and business decision. Click here to learn the 3-step formula to define your niche.
Here are the 3 questions to ask to find out which marketing tactic(s) works best for you:
#1 Where are my people going?
It’s not impossible to change people’s behavior, but it’s difficult and takes a long time. Instead, meet your people where they are. Dive deep into their behaviors. Where do they go to look for products, services or information like yours? What platforms are they already on and are actively using? How would they like to consume information like yours? Also take the nature of your business into consideration. For instance, based on our survey in 2019, our specific community of #fempreneurs prefer to get all the best business tips and strategies in written form on this blog instead of podcast. This finding helps us reprioritize the idea of launching a podcast for our audience.
#2 How can you best show up for your people?
This is closely tied to the strengths of your brand. The form of medium you choose should best highlight your brand’s differentiation. There are mainly 3 forms of marketing medium - audio, visual (photos and videos) and written content. If your brand is distinct in your visual creativity, explore marketing tactics that will allow you to shine more (i.e. Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube, etc.) If your brand is like ours and adds value to your people via curated information and actionable steps and plans, perhaps written content would be great for your audience. Find the ones that allow you to create the most impactful and consistent content.
#3 What is my goal?
The 1 thing to keep in mind with any marketing is － if you can't quantify your results, you shouldn't use that marketing tactic. However, because marketers, advertisers and agencies are held accountable by their numbers, they try to quantify EVERYTHING, which often leads to ineffective metrics like number of likes and followers.
Using the right metrics to measure your marketing tactics is important. When you use the wrong numbers, your entire business would be focusing towards a completely different direction. For instance, your marketing plan to increase the number of followers would be different from if your goal is to grow the number of engagements and shares. So, be more careful with what you are measuring and goals you’re setting with each marketing effort you’re doing, and align them with your big picture business goals. To set effective goals for your business, click here to get clear on the crucial differences between Brand vs. Businesses first.
When you answer these 3 questions, write down the marketing tactics and platforms that come to your mind for each question. Circle the ones that you wrote down more than once -- these are the ones you should focus on developing and growing in the next 90 to 180 days.
To give you some more ideas, here are some popular marketing tactics: Instagram (mainly posts and stories), IGTV, Youtube, Twitter, podcast, blogging, email marketing, Tiktok, Facebook Page, Facebook Group, influencer marketing, periodic webinars, affiliate marketing, public relations, media features, events, and more..
The next time you feel tempted to try out another marketing tactic, go through these questions to figure out if it’s a good one to experiment with. Everything you do for your business should be adding value to the people you serve AND your brand.
Remember, you shouldn’t have to do ALL the things. Focus on the things that matter. Click to read and get 3 Must-Have-Tools to Make Massive Progress.
Don’t forget to grab your seat at our FREE training, so you know how to grow your profitable brand people love AND a loyal customer community who keep buying from you!
