The Curvy Coach

In spite of the long list of blog post topics I would love to share with you, sometimes I just need a dose of inspiration straight from my readers. So I reached out to @Lindsay of http://www.lindsaycurvylifestyle.com/?p=398   and asked her what one of her burning questions was. Her immediate response was, “Is there really such a thing as a “perfect” advertising or marketing strategy?

This is a really great question because there are so many different strategies one can use for their business. With all the latest tools and gadgets, it’s hard to keep up and know exactly what to do or where to start. I’ve been there, done that, so let’s first begin with some clearly defined definitions courtesy of www.dictionary.com

• Marketing: the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer
• Advertising: the act or practice of calling public attention to one’s product, service, need, etc.,
• Strategy: a broad plan of action

I like to define marketing/advertising as a way to share your message that connect your product/service offerings to your target market. By sharing your message, people may buy from you, view you as an expert, want to do a joint venture with you, etc. So to me, it’s really more than just the sale.

When putting together a strategy, a great place to start is actually with the end goal in mind. In my Unleash Your Magnificence & Marketing Workshop, I decided to break down marketing efforts with the following goals in mind:

• Strengthen Business Relationships
• Attract More Customers
• Build a Social Media Presence
• Increase Your Sales
• Build Your Expert Status
• Build Your Own Community

Using any one or more of these strategies will help you to increase your visibility and sales. For example, maybe you’re just starting out and you really want to build your status as an expert in your field. There are specific action steps that you should take such as interviewing other industry-related professionals in your field and identifying speaking engageemnts at events related to your industry.

To focus on increasing your product sales, the strategy is a little different. A few activities to increase your sales are create your own affiliate program, bundle your products, or write more product reviews.

Do you see why it’s important to be clear of your end goal?

 Now it’s important for you to actually take steps towards your end goal. Many people plan what they would like to do but never actually do anything about it. It’s not going to happen on its own, you have to be pro-active.  

If you’re not sure where to start, let’s break it down even further into three different phases. The before, during, and the after. For example, let’s say that you would like form a joint venture as part of your Strengthen Business Relationships goal. Before you do so, identify who you would like to work with, get to know them, and see if they’re a great fit for your business. Then you need to work out the details of what the partnership entails. Once you’ve formed the joint venture and did great things together, you should probably follow-up and maintain that relationship. Make sense?

 In some cases, you do need certain tools/resources to help you accomplish your goals. For example, Google alerts may be helpful when reporting the latest news in your industry as an expert or maybe investing in an auto-responder to create an email campaign to promote your products. the key is to use the tools that you are comfortable with and works best for what you would like to accomplish. Don’t just sign-up for the next social media hooplah because everyone else is doing it.

 In a nutshell, nothing is perfect, but a great marketing/advertising strategy has:

• A clearly defined end goal in mind
• Action Steps to help meet your goals: think before, during, and after
• The appropriate tools and resources to help meet your goals
• Expected results

 If you liked what I shared here, then you’ll definitely love the e-course based on the Unleash Your Magnificene & Marketing workshop. It is coming out soon, so stay tuned!

Was this helpful? I’d love to know your thoughts.