Over the last few weeks we have discussed the many ways in which to build your marketing strategy by identifying who, what, where, why and how. Along the way, there were many lessons learned such as determining what you want to sell to the target audience, identifying who is your target audience, understanding where you can have success, making sure everyone on your team knows the “why” of your company, and defining a tactical execution plan just to name a few.

As we come to the closing of 2012, it’s important to look back in order to look forward into the new year. With that, we would like to do a review with you on the top 5 things you need to know to make your 2013 marketing strategy successful.

Back in late October, we discussed the “who” of your marketing strategy. Determining who your target audience is, is the first step in developing your marketing strategy. You want to create a list of potential industries in your given market to focus in on. You also want to research who the buyer is and which ones consume more or less of what you sell. Then, you need to develop an understanding of why your clients need you as well as their issues/concerns.

Next, we focused on the “what” of your marketing strategy – what do you want and what does your audience want. Once you have determined the “who” then you can take a look at what you want to sell to that target audience. An important lesson to remember is that you need to take this information and share it with your entire team so everyone understands what they are trying to achieve to then make it happen.

Now that you understand the “who” and “what” of your marketing strategy, you can then focus on where to penetrate new verticals. Do you take a long-line approach or local office and where are your greatest chances for success. Are your systems built to expand into new markets, and is your culture strong enough to be replicated? Answering those questions should help you to determine whether or not your business is ready to open in another location. You also have to create a tight list of industries that will drive your success and keep your efforts incredibly focused.

Know why you are doing what you’re doing. Create key messaging through short and focused statements that clearly indicate what you do and why you do it. Generate differentiating proof points to support your key messages and develop a value proposition for your prospective customers and clients.

The “when” and “how” are covered by building a tactical execution plan to roll out your marketing strategy. Create your brand, define what your brand stands for, build lead generation to motivate activity for your brand and track your success. Single executions never work so build a plan that delivers results from web to direct marketing to social media.

Five Takeaways for Building a Successful 2013 Marketing StrategyS.J.Hemley Marketing

  1. Roll out your marketing strategy by reflecting the who, what, where, and why in the face of your company
  2. Learn from your points of success and failures
  3. Know your company’s strengths and weaknesses
  4. Understand the message behind your company
  5. Know your value to clients and potential customers

About S.J.Hemley Marketing
S.J.Hemley Marketing is a marketing and sales consulting firm focused on driving tangible results for professional services firms. Brand matters, but not without ROI. With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience within staffing and recruiting, we have helped to drive successful branding, sales training, lead generation activities as well as defining marketing strategy for top organizations.