Stop Committing Random Acts of Marketing

Contributed by Idea Collective Member:

Lisa Raebel

Lisa Raebel

Rebel Girl Marketing, LLC

Rowing harder doesn't help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction.
- Kenichi Ohmae

If you are in Ohio and want to go see the Grand Canyon, you don’t start driving east! You may get there eventually but it will take a whole lot longer and cost you a lot more money. In the same manner, more marketing won’t fix your lack of quality leads if you are pointing your marketing in the wrong direction. 

Start with the end in mind

You don’t plan a road trip with no destination in mind. Well, maybe you do. When it comes to your marketing, that’s not exactly a great idea. Where do you want your marketing to take you?

#rebelmindset: spending time and money on marketing simply because you were told that's what you need to do is, well...a waste of time and money!

Why do you need marketing? What are the goals you’re trying to reach? 

  • Is it to raise brand awareness?
  • Is it to gain new customers?
  • Is it to retain or upsell existing customers?
  • Are you launching a new product or service?
  • Are you establishing yourself as a subject matter expert?
  • Are you growing your team?

You could say “YES!” to all of the above. Please don’t.

It’s better to simply pick one or two to start with for your own sanity’s sake and for the sake of your audience. Nothing can kill a brand faster than spending time and money on marketing that makes no sense and tries to be too many things to too many people. Trust me.

Knowing why you need marketing in the first place gives you clarity and focus.

If you’re still unsure of the reason you need marketing, here is where I need you to inner 3-year-old and ask yourself “why” over and over and over again until you have a clear understanding of where you want your marketing to take you and your organization. 

The "why" perspective

Let’s look at the same question from above, just using the “why” perspective:

Why do I need to raise brand awareness?

  • Does my competition have too much of the market share?
  • Is my business new and nobody knows I exist yet?

Why do I need new customers?

  • Do I have capacity that needs to be filled?
  • Am I losing existing customers to the competition?

Why do I need to retain and/or upsell existing customers?

  • Is there more I can do for them, and they just don't' know it?
  • Have they outgrown what they currently buy and I have a better solution?

Are you launching a new product or service? 

  • Why does anyone care about this new product/service?
  • Why am I launching it now? Seasonal/market change/new technology

Why do I want to be established as a subject matter expert?

  • Do I want to be paid for my expertise for speaking or writing?
  • Is my knowledge sought after as an outsourced expert for organizations?

Why do we need to grow our team? 

  • Are you at capacity and need help to support clients?
  • Are you expanding into another area that you need an expert for?

Remember, you can have more than one reason you want to develop marketing strategies. Yet, focusing on one or two at a time is a great way to avoid being overwhelmed and frustrated with your marketing efforts.

#rebelmindset: schedule time in your calendar to think. No, seriously! Get away from your office, go somewhere there are few distractions, bring a pen and paper to jot ideas down (and to prevent you from travelling down the digital bunny holes), and just think about your business.
Time is money: Spend Wisely

Most organizations have busy times and slow times of the year. Planning 2 to 3 months ahead at a minimum, is the key to less stress and more fun when it comes to your marketing efforts. During your higher revenue generating months, set aside funds to spend on marketing during the slower months. Consistency keeps your brand in front of your audience so when they need what you sell, they think of you first. 

Like the title of this blog, it’s not a good idea to commit random acts of marketing! Here’s why: when you have a full customer load, your marketing tends to stop. Then, when your customer load is light, you find your sales funnel is empty and there are little to no prospects. Oops. 

Yes, marketing takes time and time is money. So, if you are spending time on your marketing instead of time working with customers or worse, not spending time with family and friends and enjoying life, then it’s time to outsource your marketing.  There are plenty of ways to outsource your marketing without spending all your profits on big, fancy marketing agencies. With the influx of entrepreneurs, you can find someone in your network that will help free-up your time and keep your brand in front of your audience. It will be money well spent! Join the Idea Collective and expand your network today!

There are benefits to a #RebelMindset! Cheers!

Lisa Raebel

Contributed by

Lisa Raebel

marketing strategist

As the Founder, Speaker & Chief Storyteller, I use my 28+ years of experience to help business owners who know they need better sales and marketing strategies yet have no idea where to start.