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I have the privilege of working with clients on their Marketing Strategy. This is something I am very passionate about for a few reasons. First, helping people is something that fulfills me. I love the feeling that I’m making an impact. Second, creating something from nothing has always been something that gets me out of bed in the morning. It excites me. Third, seeing the plan come to life is amazing.
So why does all that matter? Good question – keep reading.
Going from the goals for the organization to full implementation of a marketing strategy is NOT easy. The process can be painful at times. It can be frustrating. It can make you feel lost. But, with guidance and an objective third party, you can do it. The best part is that if you work with someone outside of the organization, brainstorming can take you to places you may not have gone if you were working with only internal people.
So, how do I grow my vision into a robust strategy?
First, look at what has historically been done. What have you tried? Be brutally honest – did it work? Then discern why it worked or, perhaps, did not work. Looking back can be powerful if you can remove all emotion and strictly look at it from a numbers perspective. Data is powerful. It does not sugar coat things or offer an opinion – it’s a fact. It measures your efforts in a non-biased way.
Second, go crazy with imagination. Wave a magic wand – what would you do if time, resources and money were infinite? Get it all out of your head. Write it down. Whiteboard it. Draw it. Whatever you need to do to paint the picture.
Third, come back to reality. I know, it’s hard. Look at your marketing budget. Take the organization’s goals and tie it into your work. How much is branding? How much is lead generation? What avenues are most relevant to your business for marketing channels?
Once you’ve boiled all that down – you are well on your way to designing a strategy that will drive your business objectives forward. Identifying where you’re going with benchmarks is essential for measuring success at the end of the year.
One last thing, don’t feel like you’re alone in your pursuit here. Fold in the talent of your team members when it makes sense. Marketers have a tendency to operate in a silo. Don’t have pride in ownership. Leverage the talent and knowledge of your team to build everything out.
2019 is going to be your year. I can feel it. If any of this resonated with you and you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I love talking about marketing and would love to have a conversation.
Stephanie Larson has a unique talent in running effective and efficient business operations. Her ability to work closely with our team and our clients to ensure we deliver a consistent experience is second to none.
