I have been getting a bountiful request to help with marketing in the beginning of 2023. Oftentimes, the questions are “where should I conduct marketing?”; “online?”; “promotions?”
Unfortunately, those are the wrong questions to ask if a business owner is unable to communicate its value proposition and reasons for existence. When I hear the question(s), I respond by asking my own questions…what is your vision? Tell me your value proposition? To name a few. If the business owner struggles to answer with confidence then we re-start from ground zero to develop a compelling vision-mission and value proposition for the business.
My position is that marketing is a matter of budgeting and diversification of platforms. Once a business owner is able to communicate its vision and value proposition and is able to strategize on the continuity of message for an action (to transact), then marketing platforms is a secondary after-thought. The platforms, whether via social media, radio, TV, or print is a matter of budget. But the most effective thing to do is to have a strong communication message that connects with the potential consumer and drives them to transact with your product.
Take care of the hard thing first (marketing message) and then the platform choices are easier…