Creating a marketing strategy is a long-term process. It is not a set-it-and-forget-it business effort. Your marketing strategy’s ultimate goal is to build a successful and sustainable business that will connect with customers and continue to expand and grow.

While using modern technology, such as Gitops, can help with organization and create a viable marketing strategy, you must have some basic information before building your marketing strategy. Keep reading to learn what this information is.  

Figure Out Who You are Targeting

A crucial part of any marketing strategy is to know who you are targeting. This may seem like a basic concept, but when you figure out who your target audience is, you can then set expectations for your marketing strategy.

For example, if you have a business that sells 30-minute meal kits, there’s a good chance you want to target busy adults who work and have children. Now is the time to start studying that group of people to learn more about their struggles and to figure out how your business, product, or service can solve their problems.

Understand What You Offer

Take some time articulating and explaining all the benefits of the products you offer, along with the features of each one. Figure out how they are going to make a positive impact on someone’s life. You also need to figure out why what you offer would matter to your customers.

An effective marketing plan is going to speak to your customer’s emotions. This is a connection you can create when you can clearly articulate your business’s specific benefits.

Identify Your Competition

It doesn’t matter how original your service or product is; there will always be competition for your target audience’s money. Too many small business owners don’t take the time to study their competition or determine any competition outside the boundaries of the industry but still capable of luring a customer away.

Knowing who your competition is, their advantages, and how they respond to what you offer will help you determine how to combat their appeal to your customers.

Make Things Personal

Today, personalization is a brand by its own right. However, before this, marketing was all about making your message personal. Keeping things personal is more challenging if you are using automation in any way; however, the basics are still in place. To acquire and keep loyal customers and keep people engaged with what you offer, you have to utilize personalized, one-to-one marketing.

One-on-one engagement and personal touches provide results. This is because these are the things that provide the emotional connection you were going for. Millennials, especially, are looking for the emotional connection to a brand they do business with. If you successfully create an emotional connection, it can lead to online reviews and word-of-mouth referrals.

Create a USP

Once you have gathered information about your target customer, the products you offer, and your competition, it is time to create your unique selling proposition or USP. This is a single sentence. It should be a compelling description that describes your business’s essence while focusing on the people you serve and what benefits you have to offer. You should also include something about why you are the right business to provide this service or product. The USP, also called the value proposition, will help guide all your branding, messaging, and other marketing efforts.

Don’t Forget Content Is King

Content marketing is not dead. Regardless of what you have heard, this is a marketing effort you still need to put time and effort into. Quality writing and creating great content should be the rule, rather than the exception, no matter what industry you operate in. Today, content marketing is not just part of a marketing strategy. It is one of the main strategies but can be quite time-consuming if done in-house. However, if you outsource it, you may pay thousands of dollars. Ensure you figure out what your team can manage and when it is time to outsource what you need.

When you can, implement strategies that are going to help you save time. If your content resources are minimal, don’t try to do everything from the ground up. Remember, quality content marketing is a time-consuming process, but some strategies will help you speed things up. For example, delegate the research or writing to your team, or run columns that share a similar format. By doing this, you can save a lot of time and still create the quality content needed for your marketing strategy.

Outline What Resources You Have

Creating a budget for your marketing efforts can help ensure your team is following your roadmap, reaching important goals, and staying within the available budget. However, remember, money is not the only resource you have. Your team’s skills and personal connections can be invaluable when it comes to creating a quality marketing strategy.

Collaborate with Influencers

Another way to gain access to a new audience and to improve your brand awareness is by collaborating with industry influencers. When you get influencers to share your content, you will reach an all-new audience you may not have had access to in the past.

Audit Your Marketing Strategy 

You should not panic if your initial marketing plan does not give you the results desired. If you take time to audit your business, which you can do with third-party help, you can find the weak links in your plan and rebuild.

Take some time to understand the services and products you offer. After that, identify who you are trying to help and what help your service or product can provide. Once you have done that, check each marketing platform to ensure it is reflecting the right message. Make sure the perception of your message matches the actual message you have sent out into the world. If you don’t do this, you may find a disconnect, which may be why your marketing efforts are not successful. Being informed and knowing how to create a marketing strategy will help you put your business in a position to succeed.