Turning Marketing Strategy Into Action

To me getting clear about strategy is the most important challenge business owners face ... John Jantsch said this in a recent post.  His Duct Tape Marketing blog is very practical, and so useful for Small Busines Marketing.  I say this in my blog and my programs, but John says it so well!  I’m going to challenge them first to look inward. I’m going to ask them to choose a marketing strategy that is infused with who they are, why they do what they do and how to use that story to attract opportunities and clients.

While every industry has a unique set of clients, a unique language, maybe even an unusual distribution model, the way that customers come to know, like and trust them is fundamentally the same.

John goes on to outline a core set of practices that every business can use to communicate their simple, clear, marketing strategy.

Build and tell stories –

Sell by teaching –

Become a platform –

Reverse the experience – this one is especially interesting to me.  It's worth looking at the whole article for this and other genuinely useful marketing ideas for small business.

To borrow from a well-worn bit of wisdom, if you want to deliver an exceptional experience you must start with the end in mind. You must begin the entire process by considering what you will do 90 or 180 days after you make a sale and then work backwards to the point where you first meet.

via www.ducttapemarketing.com