E28: Lets Simplify Your Marketing Strategy

One of the key things you need in order to create a financially viable business is strategy yet so many people shudder at the thought and  simply ignore it.

Part of the reason is lack of understanding; an assumption that it is complex and boring.

In this episode I take you through the absolute basics of creating a marketing strategy. I do it in the most simplistic way so come and dive in and let's get you that all important marketing strategy sorted.

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Transcript

Hello & welcome to Dream Business Dream Life, helping ambitious people, like you, to grow a business they love. 

I’m Emma Hine and I’m on a mission to show you that it is possible to grow a business without sacrificing your life.

Having experienced the rollercoaster of making millions of pounds, but feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and totally unsuccessful, I know first-hand the importance of growing a business on your terms. 

On this podcast I'm going to share with you lots of tips and advice that will enable you to grow a business that gives you the financial freedom to live the life of your dreams while sharing with you some inspirational growth stories from other fabulous business owners.

Ready to live the dream? Then let’s get stuck in…

Hello & Welcome to today’s episode of Dream Business Dream Life. 

I feel like I need to talk about something more businessy today, the last couple of solo episodes have been very focussed on why we do it, why we start a business and what happens when we forget that why.

 You know me well enough by now to know that is absolutely the thing I believe should be right at the core of your business, so I am happy to talk about that until the cows come home…until the cows come home…what does that even mean?

 Anyway, today I want to assume the cows are home and you know your why, you know why you started your business, and your goals have all been set with that why right at the heart of it all.

 Today I want to talk about strategy; I want to try and take away some of the fear around the word and also to try and make it sound a little sexier as let’s be honest strategy is a bit like accountancy, deemed as boring.

 To many strategy feels a little intimidating, but it is super important if you want to accomplish just about anything and I’m not just talking about those business goals.

 Now before you start imagining corporate suits and boring PowerPoint presentations, let me tell you, strategy is something you already do every single day! 

 When you get up in the morning, you do things because your ‘strategy’ is to do those things…it may not be written down and you may not even think about it but you just get up, brush your teeth, jump in the shower, have your breakfast etc.

You do the same thing every morning because it is the right thing to do to get you to the next part of the day.

 When you are arranging a night out you are implementing a strategy, who do you need to invite, where will you be going, how will you get there etc etc.

 What you are doing is following a plan and strategy is simply a plan.

 It is the who, what, when and where; all of course wrapped up in your why.

 And today I want to dive into this a little more. Today we are going to focus on marketing strategy as that is something ALL businesses need so whoever you are, whatever size your business is this is something you need to listen to and more importantly you need to take away and action.

 So, let’s dive into the who, what, when and where a little more.

 We will start with the who – This is about knowing who you are going to be selling your services to, your ideal client, your dream client, your buyer persona, call it whatever you like but it is the person you want to sell your products or services too.

 You need to get crystal clear on who this person is and I am not just talking about knowing what car they drive or where they like to go on holiday here, I am talking about their dreams, their desires, their challenges and their needs right now.

 Because you need to solve those problems for them; your products and services need to be created in a way that means your dream client can clearly see why you are the business to help them. Why your offer is the one they need to invest in.

 So that is the who.

 Then there is the what.

 This is the products and services you will be providing, the transformation you will be giving to your clients.

 And these should not just be offers you are throwing out there because you are seeing other people doing similar things that seem to be selling well, these should be things that first and foremost solve that problem, fulfil that need that your ideal client has right now.

 Then when you are looking at your overall offer suite, you need to walk through your dream client’s journey and make sure that you have something to offer to your clients at each stage of that journey.

 Remembering it is much easier, and cheaper to upsell/downsell to an existing client than it is to bring a new one of board. So never forget that your clients may need a different kind of support from you in the future.

 And within the what you also need to be specific on how many of each thing you will be selling and at what price point.

 Now let’s talk about the where.

 This is where you are going to sell your products and services.

 This is the visibility piece of the puzzle; this is how you are going to make sure that your ideal client sees your offers. 

So will you be promoting on socials, via emails, at networking or in magazines. 

 Will you be guesting on podcasts, on stages, in memberships.

 Will you be launching a book or writing blogs?

 Will you be concentrating on referrals, affiliates or website SEO so people find your website.

 You need this clarity as this will drive the actions you are taking; it will give you the clarity and stop you just trying anything and hoping for the best.

 Then finally there is the when which kind of speaks for itself; this is about getting clear on which of your offers you will be selling when.

 Making sure that you have taken nito consideration the wider world in terms of key dates that could steer when you sell something, think seasonality, special dates like Black Friday or any awareeness days that are connected to what you sell.

 But also making sure you are not spreading yourself too thin; that you are allowing yourslef time to do the things are you selling

 So what you now have is a plan, a strategy that tells you who you are selling to, what you will be selling, where you will be selling it and when.

 The final piece of the puzzle to work out the how.

 This is about looking at your sales strategy, your launch strategy for anything you will be launching and also building on that visibility even more.

 This is about looking at the gaps you have in your business, be them resource gaps, skills gaps, client number gaps, system gaps…things that will prevent you hitting the targets you have set.

So, to wrap it all up, marketing strategy is not complicated, scary or something that only big businesses need to think about. 

 It is something that enables you to create a roadmap to get you where you want to go. It gives you focus and clarity, so you are not winging it which is going to increase your chances of success a lot.

 According to the stats out there 90% of small businesses fail within those first few years; one of the key reasons is lack of strategy…now today I have only spoken about marketing strategy which is one part of business strategy as a whole but it is one of the absolute key parts that every business needs regardless of size or stage of business. 

So, make sure you spend some time working through your who, what, where and when. 

 But as I always say it is not just about having a plan it is about taking the action too so work through the how and break down those goals into small bitesize chunks and start doing the do!

 Thank you for listening; see you next time…

 You have been listening to Dream Business Dream Life with Emma Hine. If you want to know more about how I can help you to build your dream business and your dream life, then visit my website emmehine.co.uk. Until next time remember you really can have it all!