It takes more than one food item to make something truly delicious in the kitchen. The same goes for marketing. Contrary to some approaches, there are several key ingredients to an effective marketing plan.
A lot of businesses will come to us saying, “I want flour.” Or “I want sugar.”
We used to just give everyone exactly what they wanted. You want flour? Great! Here’s some flour.
But, that will only get you so far. (Have you ever tasted a cake that didn’t have any sugar in it? Hopefully not…)
With this in mind, we now offer customized plans, er, “recipes” tailored to your business goals. Our experts listen to the end result you want and ask questions to determine what you have in your kitchen already. From there, we come up with the right ingredients and the best approach to bring it all together.
This often looks like a 6 month plan where we meet regularly (1-2x per month) to collaborate and strategize. Then, our team takes that information and bakes/cooks while you go on doing your thing.
Let’s take a peek into the kitchen, shall we?
Selecting a Recipe
Not everyone likes German chocolate cake. Some people want steak and potatoes, and others would rather have an ice cream sundae. In marketing terms, this could be a robust social media presence that keeps your customers coming back, a user-friendly website that generates sales, online advertising to get the word out about a new promotion, or a combination of those.
What works for you may not work for the next business, so we make it a point to sit with you and come up with the key ingredients to an effective marketing plan for you!
Sample Recipe:
4 Cups of Clear, Engaging Messaging
2 Cups of Team Players
1/3 Cup Content Strategy
2 Tablespoons Consistency
1/2 Teaspoon Testing
1/4 Teaspoon Adjusting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix messaging and team players with strategy. Place on internet until bubbling. Add in testing until reaches desired consistency. Scoop into the tin. Bake for 1 week. Adjust and repeat. Makes 6 marketing muffins.
Gathering the Ingredients
We like to start by taking stock of what has been working for you as well as any resources you have on hand. You likely have a few of the ingredients already (such as the person on your team who knows the most about marketing).
One of the most common things businesses wish they had is an entire marketing department. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a go-to person for social media, someone else handling the website, a super techy nerd available to answer the hard questions, and a strategist to keep things moving in the right direction?
Well, now you can have all of that and more! Our goal with these marketing “recipes” is to give you access to our experts in the field so you don’t have to hire an entire department. Instead, we just need one person to meet with regularly so we can keep a finger on the pulse of your business and industry.
From there, we’ll fill in the details. What ingredients might be missing from your marketing recipe? How can we come alongside to help you get that perfectly baked pie? We’ll do the measuring, mixing, and baking while your team keeps your business going strong.
Let’s get cookin’!
If any of this sounds intriguing, or if you have a recipe idea you want to share, we’d love to hear from you! We have also included our scheduling link below in case you’re ready to figure out the key ingredients to an effective marketing plan for your business.