Is your marketing message capturing the attention of your target market? Are you giving enough information to make the decision making process easy? Are you speaking to your prospects in a way that is compelling, believable and irresistible?
The truth is, whether you think of yourself as a marketer or not, the time you spend (or don’t spend!) planning your marketing strategy will either make or break you. It is all too common for an inferior product to beat out its superior competitor simply because of the marketing strategy. Essentially, marketing is a process of communicating, with passion, the value of your service to an interested and willing consumer. Basically serving those you’re meant to serve! So to make sure you are not falling short on getting your message in front of the interested and willing, I’m going to share with you the 5 P’s to effective and powerful marketing:
1. Positioning ~ Positioning is about knowing what you’re marketing and to whom. The first thing you want to consider is what type of person’s lives you want to make a difference in. Getting clear on your niche is a critical step, because the more closely you can define your target market, the more easily you will be able to find and attract the right clients or customers.
What is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP), or the core marketing message that sets you apart from the rest?
2. Packaging ~ Packaging is putting your positioning into words, and generating interest in what you have to offer. Consider what problems your target market has, and how those problems make them feel. You want to think about people’s motivation, and the deep emotions that will fuel them to action. Why would they want to come to you? What would they get from working with you? Basically, people are looking for a return on their investment, or results. The way you craft your website, blog, brochures and reports must portray a consistent and crystal clear message about why you are of value and worthy of people’s business!
And do not forget that your very best marketing strategy is YOU! You are a walking billboard, so the way you “package yourself” and show up in the world must match your message. Ultimately someone chooses to work with you not because you have a fancy brochure, but because they like and trust you, and they want something that they see you have and can make available to them. That being said, brochures, blogs and websites are often what opens the door, so I am not implying that you should cut corners here! Remember, consistency throughout your message is key!
3. Promotion ~ Promotion is all about being visible, getting your message out there, and creating familiarity and trust. Going to networking events, blogging, creating a valuable opt-in offer and autoresponder series, hosting webinars and engaging in the wonderful world of social media are all ways to build relationships and allow people get familiar with you and your value.
What can you do right now to be more visible? This will likely entail you stepping out of your comfort zone, but then again, has staying comfortable been serving your marketing efforts? Of course not, so find a mentor, let your creative juices flow and just go for it! Remember, the world begins at the edge of your comfort zone! 
4. Persuasion ~ Persuasion is about turning prospects into clients and customers. How are you different than your competitors? Your “elevator pitch”, or what you say to succinctly communicate your message, must present your solution as a simple cure for all the pain and suffering your market is feeling as a result of their problem. So many marketers make the mistake of talking features instead of benefits! Always keep in mind that your prospective clients do not tune in to station WYD “What You do”, they spend all day, every day tuned in to WIIFM “What’s In It For Me”! It is so important to understand that features tell and benefits sell!
Persuasion requires active listening and genuine interest, so that you can turn around and close the deal with clear & effective communication about your clients needs and how you can meet those needs. Be sure to give away some of your best tips and strategies to give them a taste of what they’ll get working with you versus someone else. And adding an unexpected bonus right before the sale is a very effective persuasion tactic that will greatly enhance your closing ratio!
5. Performance ~ Your goal in marketing is to create raving fans. You want people experiencing the amazing results of working with you so they are out there talking to others about you and your work simply because they are so excited about reaching their goals and milestones. It is critical that you keep your promises, hold to your commitments, stay in touch, be consistent, and truly be a provider of value. Always under-promise and over-deliver and you will find people continually coming back for more!
The most important piece of the marketing puzzle, which permeates all of these steps, is being yourself. Get out there and meet people, be authentic, connect, smile, share your passion and walk your talk. The right people will be energetically attracted right to you. And then of course, follow-up, follow-up, follow-up!
Last but not least, be sure to revisit your marketing strategy quarterly to make sure you are on track and effectively reaching your target market. If you have found this helpful, please ReTweet and Share on Facebook with your friends and followers. I’d love you to leave a comment below sharing your favorite or most effective marketing strategy!
To Your Massive Marketing Success,
