One of the blogs I read daily is Jim’s Marketing Blog. Jim provides some of the best content of any blog on the subject of marketing. Yes, marketing. If you are a small business, a professional service firm or a kick butt home based business, you have to market. Simple as that.
Jim had a post the other day which truly sets out what you have to be thinking about as 2010 fast approaches. His post is called, Your 2010 marketing check list! Sounds simple and basic doesn’t it?
What I like about his post is the fact he gives us a checklist of things to consider in connection to our marketing plans for the coming year. Jim doesn’t give us a lot of fluff and feel good stuff on goal setting. I really hate the idea of goal setting as it relates to running a business of any kind. I much prefer action versus setting goals. Goals to me are just an excuse to not follow through with them.
To quote that great modern day thinker:
Try not. Do or do not, there is no try. — Yoda
In other words, set yourself up with an action plan not just a bunch of fluffy goals you will not follow through on. Your action plan will get you a lot closer to accomplishing what you set out to do in 2010.
Here is Jim’s Marketing Check List for 2010:
- Do I have permission to market to these people?
- Is there a genuine reason why they should buy from me, rather than their current provider?
- How motivating is that reason – Is it powerful enough to compel them to switch?
- Will my marketing message REALLY stand out among the avalanche of marketing offers being directed to these people in January?
- Am I going to use a strategic approach, where a series of preplanned messages are delivered in order to generate a compound effect – or will I ‘just try’ some one-off marketing emails, mailshots, ads etc ?
- If people decide to check out my website or blog after receiving my marketing, will it project the kind of polished, professional image required to gain their confidence and their business?
- Will the message they get from my site compel them to want to take action; to call me, email me, visit my premises etc?
- If not, should I think about getting my marketing copy writing written by a professional?
- Do I have a social media marketing strategy, which will attract bankable results, (rather than just follows / adds / friends etc?)
- Do I have a way to effectively measure my marketing results?
- How worried would my competitors be right now, if they knew my answers to the above questions?
Action speaks louder than words
Don’t focus so much on writing down your goals for 2010. Focus more on what actions you can take to obtain what you are striving for. And use Jim’s marketing check list as a guide for the actions you take with your marketing to reach your target audience this coming year.
