Ride the Storm: Navigating Through Unstable Periods / Katerina Rudko (Belka G...
Building a Strong Marketing Foundation for 2015
1. Build a Strong Marketing
Foundation in 2015
Workshop for Boston Women Connect
March 30, 2015
2. About Me & For Marketing Matters
20+ years; strategy, messaging, brand
Marketing Evangelist
Full-service outsourced marketing department
No projects – we don’t dabble & won’t work
with CEOs who do!
Fact - every company needs marketing strategy
and execution. We deliver for SMBs.
“A” team of proven professionals; results-
driven; accountability; BIG impact
`
4. Objectives of this workshop:
`
• Expand understanding of ‘marketing’
• Stop dabbling!
• Better serve your clients
• Identify gaps in your marketing
foundation & prioritize filling them in
6. Core defined
`
noun
1. the tough central part of various fruits,
containing the seeds.
2. the central or most important part of something.
7. Two contexts of ‘core’
`
For a Human
• Our torso
• Source of strength &
energy
• Our heart and our soul
For a Business
• The brand - your identity and
promise
• Your value proposition
• Source for future growth
8. Marketing is the ‘core’
`
The seeds for business
growth
Marketing is absolutely
essential to a business
It is not “nice to have”
Awareness Leads Sales Profitability
9. `
The Great Balancing Act
Hmmm…
Facebook,
networking,
new logo…
Invest
Divest
Are you wasting time & money in the wrong areas?
14. Top Two Critical Foundation Elements
Value Proposition – only deserve a check mark if it
is clear, concise, consistent; compelling vs. your
competition
Target Audience – ONLY if you have a
documented ideal target profile and you use it for:
evaluate prospects
you write your blog to this audience
your social marketing efforts align to this target
you evaluate networking events with it.
15. How Strong is it?
`
Client Stories
The Dream
List
Sales &
Employee
Training
2015 For Marketing Matters ®
Tagline
Sales Process
Offerings / Products Brand Logo
Value
Proposition
Target Audience
Vision &
Mission
Success
Metrics
MarketingFoundation
Across all of row 1? All of row 2?
All of row 1 AND 2?
16. Will this foundation hold up?
`
2015 For Marketing Matters ®
Offerings / Products Brand Logo
Success
Metrics
MarketingFoundation
17. Start Q2 2015 Strong: Build a Solid Foundation
Focus on the foundation – FILL THE GAPS
18. Marketing Foundation vs. Tactics
Client Stories
The Dream
List
Sales &
Employee
Training
Tagline
Sales Process
Offerings / Products Brand Logo
Value Proposition Target Audience
Vision &
Mission
Success
Metrics
MarketingFoundation
Sponsorships/
Co-marketing
Events &
Trade Shows
SEO &
PPC
Social
Marketing
Promo
Items
Public
Relations
Client
Surveys
Networking
Direct
Marketing email
& mail
Video/
Webinars
Business Cards
Letterhead, Invoices…
Advertising
Signage/
Packaging/POS
Brochures,
Handouts
Presentations
Web Site
MarketingTactics
Blogs
…
19. Ideal Target Audience – if a gap for you…
Document what makes your ideal client
ideal
- Title, company size, location
- Challenge they face
- Characteristics, attitude, mindset…
- Name your ideal target audience so you
can picture him/her – mine is MARK
Use it, revise it, fine tune it
Convert it into questions to evaluate prospects
20. Building a Strong Foundation
`
Client Stories
The Dream
List
Sales &
Employee
Training
2015 For Marketing Matters ®
Tagline
Sales Process
Offerings / Products Brand Logo
Value Proposition Target Audience
Vision &
Mission
Success
Metrics
MarketingFoundation
Workshop – what questions do you have
about the gaps in your foundation?
How do you work on filling the gaps?
21. Where are your gaps in the foundation?
Value proposition is critical
Vision - where are you going?
Mission – what makes you tick?
Success metrics?
Offerings – what can people buy?
Brand – pet peeve – does it mean anything?
Dream List – do you know what this is?
Client Stories – best to do once offerings, brand, value
proposition and target audience are really solid.
22. Review Workshop Objectives:
`
• Expand understanding of ‘marketing’
• Stop dabbling!
• Better serve your clients
• Identify gaps in your marketing
foundation & prioritize filling them in
23. Go forth and prosper…
Think strategically
Commit to building a strong foundation –
brick by brick
Advise your clients accordingly
24. Thank you
Ongoing insight, ideas and marketing
evangelism across various channels:
Facebook – For Marketing Matters
Twitter – MEHonan
LinkedIn – Mary E. Honan
Editor's Notes
Welcome, greeting – focus on the title as a working session.
Year 8 of running For Marketing Matters – marketing agency specializing in B to B; retainer based
My competition – doing nothing, dabbling – doing it themselves or with a person; hiring
Flip chart to capture comments
Use flip chart to capture comments
How many of you run? Workout and build your core?
That is why we are here tonight – we are going to strengthen your core
Help you focus on the right things in 2015 – get strong and stay strong.
I want to help you walk that tight rope and make good, informed decisions
I often hear a focus on these items - I hear them among attendees at these events.
Handout
Tonight we shift from dabbling! Tonight you plan, prioritize and focus – ready, aim fire…
I turned down a prospective client last week as the CEO could not think this way…not a good fit and not set up for success – would have been a struggle
Why it matters….it is the foundation – it lays the groundwork for your business – who you are, what you offer, what you need in place to effectively and efficiently go to market. Skipping the foundation and working on decorating the second floor is nuts! But that is what many business owners do. Set yourself up for success – note where your gaps are.
Handout – explain the handout – pass them out.
Orient them to the assignment. Ask them to look up before they get going.
Only relevant for you – if you are part of a business, evaluate the business you are here tonight representing.
Handout – First row – first two elements. Note – this is protected intellectual property and my developed materials on what a strong marketing foundation is. Order matters and placement matters.
To help you – what is a value proposition – and what needs to be part of it.
What constitutes earning a check mark for a target audience? Only if you can honestly answer to all 4 bullets!
Ok – take a look at your foundation from a 30,000 foot view…
Imagine those checkmarks are solid bricks in the foundation of your business – what are the gaps
How solid is your foundation – row 1 is most critical, then row 2 and then row 3 – if you have Row 1 solid – great! If row 3 is solid and the others are weak – you have work to do.
Honestly - how many of you would sleep well?
How many have all checkmarks on the first row – value prop, target audience, etc..
This is your 2015 plan – right in front of your eyes.
Here is what you do…
How can you successfully blog if you don’t know who you are talking to?
How can you successfully incorporate social marketing into your marketing efforts if you don’t have a clear defined target audience? What are your posts? What is your message?
Show of hands – who has ideal target audience documented? Visual in their head?
