Not Having a Marketing Process Is Not An Option

Patrick McFadden

In my work as a marketing consultant I often meet with marketing departments and small business owners to discuss, “how they are building awareness and visibility for their products or services?” What I end up finding is that their mindset toward marketing is a one time deal, I call it the “shotgun approach.”

They believe that you can run an ad, hand out a special gift, follow-up, host events, etc. just one time and that will bring in customers and put them in the top-of-mind position. My answer is always no, no, and no.

What would happen if you took only one breath? You would die. The same is for your marketing. One time marketing is “death marketing.”

Marketing is truly a process. The process of helping potential customers find your company – often before they are even looking to make a purchase – and then turning that early awareness into brand preference and, ultimately, into leads and revenue. In essence, it’s about bringing prospects to your front door and then nurturing them through the sales process.

Online this process involves creating compelling information and linking and sharing great resources, your potential buyers are likely to search for, before they know they have a problem your company can solve. These resources can include:

  • blog posts,
  • e-books,
  • podcasts,
  • guides,
  • infographics,
  • statistics,
  • webinars,
  • videos,
  • white papers,
  • checklists,
  • case studies,
  • and more.

Offline this process involves communicating valuable information, trends, news ,etc. in the places where your potential buyers are likely to hear or read it and getting your message directly in their hands. These resources can include:

  • direct mail,
  • physical location,
  • business networking,
  • PR,
  • teaching classes,
  • workshops,
  • seminars,
  • marketing material,
  • product samples,
  • local press releases,
  • radio,
  • tv,
  • outdoor media,
  • speaking,
  • contest,
  • coupons,
  • trade shows,

These are just a few ideas to use. Find the ones that work for you and implement them. If they work , repeat them, like your breathing. If they kind of work, fix them, then repeat them. If they don’t work , get rid of them and do something that works. It’s a process.

Question: Which one, two or three of these ideas are you going to implement?

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