December 2017 was the first time I ever spoken extensively online about common mistakes in marketing (check it out here) and it was the first post I'd made where I really started breaking down what I've learned from working on marketing for almost 400 small businesses in less than three years!

I knew it would be well received, but the velocity and speed it took off with caught me by surprise!

Within a day or two of posting it, I had someone reach out to ask if I could speak on that topic to their members, and once I created that speech I found it being requested at least once a month. That morphed into a 90 minute training session, and that transformed into this big live event that we're getting ready to host this fall (check out more here).

I focused pretty heavily on the mistakes that we all make in marketing.

Now I want to focus on the keys to being successful with your marketing as a small business owner.

In reality, it comes down to two key pieces that will either create a highly successful marketing campaign, or a huge waste of money.

For those of you who know me mostly as a sales trainer and not a business-as-a-whole trainer, my whole philosophy around marketing formed after sitting down to look at the difference between the campaigns that weren't working and campaigns that were working (which were often nearly identical as far as features/industries, etc). I sat down because I wanted to be able to create a 100% success rate in my campaigns, and this is what I found.

The successful individuals marketed with a plan!

There was no lackadaisical trying of whatever happened to pop up on their radar. They had a goal for their marketing (that was specific and measurable), and they set a clear strategy to make it happen.

When I sales rep showed up on their door with a great idea, they only bought in if it already fit into their current strategy, and they already had a plan for how to make it successful.

Very seldom would I encounter someone who was just trying something for the sake of trying and happened to be successful, but when they did, it was because they…

Marketed like an arrow!

What do I mean by that? Think about how an arrow is designed. It has a broader base with hundreds of mathematical points creating the solid line, but each point on the base leads to the super sharp tip.

You may have tons of points on your base and tons of different marketing concepts, but they all have to connect and that connecting 'tip' that actually makes the arrow effective, is your brand!

If someone goes to your website, and doesn’t see the same special or brand message or voice that you are running on Facebook, or on your radio ads, they are less likely to reach out because there’s a slight breach of trust (“how do I know that what I heard is what is for real?”).

In fact, Facebook did a study a couple of years ago and found that individuals might visit a restaurant because of a special listed on the Facebook page, but unless it was also listed in the restaurant or mentioned by staff, the patron would rarely ask about the special and would simply stop engaging with the Facebook page in most instances. Ouch!

It's really not hard. Take some time and put together a plan for your marketing so you can be consistent and have a goal while you’re at it. Then make sure that your marketing works together and drives your prospects to multiple platforms. The longer they can spend looking at you and your brand online, the more comfortable they will be with spending real money with you!

Want to join us for an entire day of creating/testing/tweaking your brand and designing an incredible marketing campaign that WORKS for small businesses? Check It Out!

Want this in your inbox twice a month along with giveaways & alerts about upcoming events? Email Stephanie@TheStephanieScheller.com and title it Newsletter and we'll get you right into the club!