I’ve worked with many different kinds of businesses over the last 20 years. The one common denominator of the very successful was this: they learned how to think about marketing.
They didn’t try to ignore it, they were determined to learn.
Here’s a checklist for what you should be learning and asking questions about along the way:
- Learn the terms. If you don’t know, ask until you understand it. Ex. Many owners think that branding is only a logo. In fact, it is the deepest expression over many different forms of communication as well as how your customer perceives you. It is extremely important and is something to allow yourself to be guided through.
- Understand the systems that you will need. I will never forget an owner who wanted to buy an expensive CRM in the worst way. It never occurred to him that he didn’t have much information to feed it to make it effective for him.
- Allow yourself to understand the different technologies that will extend your brand and give you efficiencies as well.
- Understand that the best relationship with a marketing consultant is a partnership. It’s impossible to go off and do everything for you without your consent and cooperation. This includes responding to questions and requests quickly, meeting to discuss possible topics for content, if appropriate, going through a SWOT and customer questionnaire as well as understanding that working through a plan that is measured is the way to discover.
As you begin, promise yourself that you will learn how to think this way.
If you’d like a little help getting started, download our Road Map to Start Your Marketing Journey!