Full of ideas, but don’t have the time?
Post more content, more often. Generate more leads. Gain more followers. Write more copy. Be more creative. Get more sales! In a culture obsessed with more, it’s hard to figure out how to prioritize all the competing priorities. Doing more (often with less) plagues all companies, but the ones that can adapt and improvise are poised to rise above it.
As a marketing consultant, I work with small to midsized companies on their overall marketing strategy. A big part of those conversations is figuring out how to leverage limited resources to achieve a growing list of goals. Sound familiar? You are not alone!
Especially with smaller companies, marketing often becomes an afterthought or something that is done if you can get to it. So many of my clients have their sales guy managing the social media accounts, the intern keeping up with the blog, or the owner drafting the next email blast communication. When you are a business of people who wear multiple hats, it’s easy to fall into this routine. However, you might be causing yourself more harm than you think.
Although marketing is one of the first places companies skimp on, it can often make the biggest difference for the success of a company when done right. And here is the good news… you don’t need a huge budget and a comprehensive team of people to “do it right”. What companies need is to invest energy into developing a strategy that fully leverages their resources to optimize their results.
A solid marketing strategy encompasses four key components to ensure success and maintain consistency. The best part is, these components can be as simple, or as complex as you have the resources for. But you NEED all four!
Set Specific Goals – So many of my clients want to “go viral” but don’t have a clear idea of what exactly they are trying to accomplish. Set specific and measurable goals that you can work towards in a defined amount of time. (Gain 10 new customers by December or grow my email list by 100 subscribers next quarter)
Pinpoint Your Channels – Everyone wants a presence on every media channel, but let’s face it, ain’t nobody got time for that! I always tell my clients to choose 2-3 strategic channels to reach your target demographic and master those! Maybe its LinkedIn, maybe Twitter is your jam, or perhaps good old fashion email campaigns is your best mechanism for reaching your audience. Focus in on 2-3 until you have them figured out before you expand your reach.
Create a Realistic Schedule – After a brand strategy session with my clients, it’s easy for them to dive in headfirst with massive amounts of enthusiasm and ambition. But as reality sets in, the work week progresses, and life happens, often the “plan” goes out the window. If you know you don’t have the time to post every day, don’t commit to that unless you’re willing to invest in added resources. Set realistic timelines that allow you ample space to be consistent in your activity.
Master Your Content – It would be great to start each day off creating a viral TikTok, but smaller companies simply don’t have the capacity to create quality content daily. Part of your strategy plan must be a content funnel that allows for quality content to come to you from multiple sources. Maybe you can create some of it, but other great sources of content come from customers/users, third party vendors, and even leveraging great content that is already out there. It doesn’t have to be mind-blowing every time, it just has to be consistent.
Do yourself a favor and spend some time thinking about your marketing strategy and how you could take your branding efforts to the next level. More doesn’t always equal better, but if you are going for more of something, make it more strategy! If you or your company needs help better marketing your brand, please reach out. I am happy to have a free 30-minute discussion to see if Clever Hawk Branding can assist with your marketing strategy, content creation, or design needs. Because you CAN do it all, with the right clever strategy!
