Updated 11/14/20
If you’re struggling to improve your marketing, you’re not alone.
Perhaps inconsistencies are interfering with your ability to build rewarding customer relationships.
Or perhaps you’re trying to figure out how to improve your story to boost the bottom line.
“I should be able to figure this out,” said a marketing director I was speaking with on a call that I’ll never forget.
The frustration in his voice was palpable.
“You’re too close to it,” I said in response, wanting him to know that his confusion didn’t diminish his level of intelligence.
What I didn’t know at that moment, though, was that confusion was the least of his problems.
What he revealed next made it all too clear: Top management didn’t see the value in marketing.
By “marketing,” I mean everything you do—on your website, landing pages, emails, articles, webinars, phone calls, and elsewhere—to make it easier for the sales team to hit their numbers.
That said, if top management at your company doesn’t see the value in marketing, what you’re about to read might not help you.
On the other hand, it might.
Before I get into that, I’d like to ask you some questions designed to bring about clarity.
Your answers will help pinpoint areas where opportunities lie to improve your marketing and align everyone with a way to market more powerfully.
What follows is unlikely to be new to you. However, sometimes we just need to be reminded of what we already know to start moving in the right direction.
So, let’s begin.
1) Does your marketing reflect your vision, mission, and values?
Put another way: What big, long-term goal (beyond profit) gets you, your CEO, and everyone else out of bed in the morning (i.e., what is your vision)?
What do you do and how do you do it for those you serve (i.e., what is your mission)?
What beliefs does your company operate from (i.e., what values does your company have)?
This foundation helps you align marketing activities with who you are and what you believe.
In doing so, you can infuse more meaning into your messaging, feel inspired to act with greater purpose, and be viewed as more trustworthy.
Does your marketing reflect your vision, mission, and values?
Yes ____ No ____ Not sure ____
2) Does your marketing target your ideal customer?
You likely know it well: Not everyone is your customer. Nonetheless, many companies today cast a wide net.
This can waste a considerable amount of time and create a lot of stress for employees burdened by efforts that do little to move the needle.
To get the most from your marketing, you want to target the customer(s) most likely to buy from you.
Does your marketing target your ideal customer?
Yes ____ No ____ Not sure ____
3) Is your value proposition clear, concise, and memorable?
Does your value proposition make it easy for your audience to see, on a big picture level, why you’re the answer to their problem?
Without making a clear promise of value, your target may not see why they should consider doing business with you.
They may not understand why you’re worth what you charge.
Is your value proposition clear, concise, and memorable?
Yes ____ No ____ Not sure ____
4) Is your positioning statement sufficiently targeted and relevant?
Does your positioning statement—or statements, as you likely serve people with different objectives and mindsets—express what your audience truly wants from you?
If not, you risk being perceived as out of touch by the very people you want to impress.
Is your positioning statement sufficiently targeted and relevant?
Yes ____ No ____ Not sure ____
5) Do your key messages align with your value proposition and positioning statement?
Unless your key messages align with your value proposition and positioning statement, you risk sending mixed signals to your target.
This hinders your ability to build confidence through consistent behavior. And you don’t need me to tell you that people prefer to buy from those they trust. Especially today, given the complexities of our quickly changing world.
Do your key messages align with your value proposition and positioning statement?
Yes ____ No ____ Not sure ____
6) Do you have a key message platform?
If you need a refresher, a key message (or messaging) platform (KMP) helps align everyone, from the CEO to the support agent, with a way to talk with prospects, leads, and customers.
The beauty of a KMP is that when your entire company uses it to guide their communication, this can greatly increase the likelihood that, wherever your audience finds you, they’ll have the trust-building experience you intended for them.
Further, when there’s a change in your business environment—say your competitor takes an action that you think you, perhaps, should also take—a KMP helps you weigh the pros and cons of doing so with more clarity.
Do you have a key message platform?
Yes ____ No ____ Not sure ____
7) Is your key message platform easy to find?
Is your key message platform stored in a place such as a shared network drive, Trello, a Google drive, or elsewhere where everyone in your organization can find it easily?
So that there’s less shooting from the marketing hip and better, more focused communication?
Is your key message platform easy to find?
Yes ____ No ____ Not sure ____
8) Does your CEO champion the use of your key message platform?
This is what I hinted at in the beginning, when I told you that what you’re about to read might not help you.
Only when everyone in the company is aligned with the guidelines set forth by the KMP can they guide your marketing effectively.
And only then can your marketing activities truly help support sales and deliver the level of customer care upon which business growth depends.
This requires the ongoing encouragement of the CEO.
Does your CEO champion the use of your key message platform?
Yes ____ No ____ Not sure ____
Let’s Take a Look at Your Answers
Wherever you answered “No” or “Not sure” lies a wonderful opportunity to identify what needs to be done to market more powerfully.
So that you can take more coordinated and inspired action, tell your story more persuasively, respond more successfully to changes to your business environment, and strengthen the bottom line.
Of course, a lot depends on the CEO’s buy-in and ongoing support. Check out this article: 14 Effective Ways CEOs Can Support Their Marketing Teams.
Assuming top management is on board, here’s another helpful reminder:
Say you wanted to woo a new market. One that wouldn’t resonate with the language you use with your current audience.
To set the stage for successful communication, you’d want to create a new positioning statement and key messages for this new target.
But you don’t have to create a new value proposition, as your positioning statement and supporting key messages flow from it.
Yours for a better tomorrow,
