Strategy Before Tactics

The title of today's article captures the single greatest
small business marketing mistake I encounter - and I
encounter it every single day.

Small business owners often fall prey to the marketing whim
of the week, chasing every new way to do direct mail or
draw web site visitors they encounter, because they have no
real marketing strategy to help them drive marketing
decisions. If I could change anything about the way small
business owners view marketing - that would be it.

Without a strategy firmly in place to use as a filter for
where the business is headed, it's far to difficult to
really analyze whether any particular tactic or marketing
initiative makes sense for a business or not.

By strategy I mean your marketing reason for being, the
position you want to hold in the mind of your customer and,
no, "I want to exchange money for something with anyone we
can," is not a strategy, it's a disaster plan. Far too many
people think "we want to sell lots of stuff to lots of
people" is a strategy.

The world doesn't really need another accountant,
electrician, real estate agent, or small business of most
any kind, so if that's what you are, then you better get a
way to stand out that's based on a sound strategy. The
world, or at least a market segment, will always need the
accountant, electrician or real estate agent that does
business in new and different ways, ways that matter to a
specific market.

To develop an effective marketing strategy you must spend
some energy determining two crucial factors: who makes an
ideal client for your firm and how your firm is indeed
different than everyone else that claims to be in your same
business.

If is, in fact, quite possible that there are entire
subsets of what you might call a target market that are not
at all a fit for your business. You've got to get very
clear, and often narrow, about the characteristics of a
client your firm is best suited to serve. If you have
clients already, the best place to look to identify your
ideal clients is the subset of clients that is most
profitable and has a tendency to refer business to you.
These folks likely love what you do, are emotionally
attached enough to tell friends, and value the relationship
they have to your company. If you can come up with a
crystal clear image of what these folks look like, part of
your marketing strategy should focus on finding more of
these and saying no to the rest

The second half of your marketing strategy involves
discovering your firm's best chance to stand out and
differentiate. You may already do something that truly is
unique and need only communicate it as your strategy. Or,
you may need to find one something that you can do
famously, such as dominating a narrow niche market or
packaging your services like no one else in your industry
dreamed of doing.

Once you create a powerful strategy for your business all
of focus can turn to creating and implementing tactics that
can bring your strategy to life.

----------------------------------------------------
John Jantsch is a veteran marketing coach, award winning
blogger and author of Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most
Practical Small Business Marketing Guide. You can find more
information by visiting http://www.ducttapemarketing.com .

How a Blog Can Help Your Business

If you have a business, a blog (short for web log) is a
marketing tool that can further position you as the expert
in your industry. Your prospects and clients want
information about your products and services. They are
hungry for it! And a blog gives you the opportunity to
share your expertise with people across the globe.

Once they are set up, blogs are easy to update. The typical
blog entry is short and informal, making it easy for you to
write - and easy for your customers to read. Because blogs
are filled with a bunch of little blurbs, your readers are
more likely to visit on a regular basis to read your latest
commentaries. They also feature a search function, which
your readers can use to find blog entries on a specific
topic.

But like every form of marketing, a blog requires you to
lead it in a strategic direction. Before you start your
blog, make a decision about the blog's theme and "voice."
Once you determine your goals, stick to the topic. You can
weave your personality and stories into the blog, but
always keep these relevant to your target audience. Make
your blog a tool that provides helpful advice, tips, and
musings to your readers. A blog that is really a sales
pitch or advertisement will NOT garner a wide audience.

Here are some examples of the types of business blogs and
the various types companies that might benefit from them:

1) Consultant Blog: This type of blog is widely used by a
variety of service-based companies including marketers,
interior designers, event planners, financial advisors, and
so on. In fact, this is the type of blog that I write. The
Consultant Blog primarily features a single person writing
about their advice and observations. It is a way of
highlighting your expertise in an area and building an
active readership who trust your opinion to guide them.

2) Tourist Blog: Every Bed and Breakfast can benefit from
this type of blog. It features the local area with pictures
of surrounding vistas and updates about upcoming events. It
can feature links to local weather and favorite places to
visit. The Tourist Blog can help sway people to use your
business services over that of a competitor, as well as
keep in touch with them until they visit your city again.
It can also save your business time by providing people the
answers to frequent questions. Other businesses that
benefit from this style include rafting companies, ski
areas, fishing guides, festivals, and so on.

3) Industry Blog: There are a number of companies that
specialize in a very narrow area of their industry. For
example, many manufacturers are highly specialized in what
their company produces. These companies often sell to other
businesses. In this case, it is often helpful to blog about
new products lines, materials, trade shows, equipment
innovations, industry news, and shipping news. Examples of
industries that would benefit from these blogs include
fabrication, machining, printing, engineering, insurance,
and stamping.

4) Specialty Blog: Many businesses, associations, and
hobbyists enjoy this type of blog. It focuses on a specific
subject. Examples include golf, sailing, stamp collecting,
dog breeds, wedding planning, weight loss, and so on. The
Specialty Blog can be written by one or multiple
contributors. It is a wonderful way to build an online
community and encourage comments because the readers share
a common interest.

5) Feature Blog: I primarily see this type of blog being
used by people who are in a creative type of business. It
incorporates lots of pictures of recent projects and how-to
entries. Sometimes there are video posts or audio
recordings. It often has links to an online store where a
visitor can purchase the project or sign up for an event. A
Feature Blog is very useful for artists, designers.
musicians, performers, illustrators, quilters, and writers.
Another type of business that could benefit is one that
produces custom products such as a furniture maker or a
bike builder.

When you are writing a blog, don't be bland. The key is to
be yourself and to reflect the core personality of your
company. If there are things that make you mad or get you
excited, your blog can be a place to post these things. If
you don't keep your blog on topic, lively, and engaging,
your readers will quickly get bored. Write in your blog
regularly - I recommend at least once a week or more.

To drive traffic to your blog, list it in blog directories
such as Technorati. You should also incorporate keywords in
your entries to help people find you via search engines.
For example, an insurance company in San Francisco should
incorporate the terms "San Francisco insurance" into their
posts with a link back to their website. In this way people
can easily get more information. Be sure to set up an About
page with your contact information so people can get in
touch.

Action Tip: So, ready to start blogging? You can set up a
blog easily with Blogger, Typepad, and Wordpress depending
on your marketing goals and level of technical knowledge.
This week, sit down and decide on your Blog Type, who in
your company will write it, and how you will schedule
regular blog updates. When you are ready, contact a
designer to create a blog header and set up your blog.
Then...Blog Away!!!

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Wendy Maynard of GoMarketingMaven.com created the Maven
Marketing System specifically for small business owners,
coaches, consultants, and solo-preneurs. She also publishes
a free weekly marketing ezine. Subscribe at
http://www.gomarketingmaven.com/ezine_3.html