2018

By now, you already have your fiscal budget in place and have cemented all your major business goals for 2018. You likely have a good idea of how many new employees you’ll need to add to your workforce this year. Major business goals or new equipment investments for the year have been discussed and agreed upon. You have sales and revenue goals. Business leaders spend a lot of time and energy in creating their strategy and goals for the year. Whatever your goals are, if you run a contractor business, you might find a use for consultancy services (visit SGI here) in helping you to achieve those goals, success and further your business’s development.

But what is your marketing strategy for 2018?

Let’s Back Up. First, What IS a Marketing Strategy?

A marketing strategy outlines the approach you want to take to achieve marketing goals and reach your target market. Your strategy can focus on customer retention and cross selling, reaching new audiences, or a myriad of other things. Your marketing strategy works hand in hand with your business goals. After all, marketing encourages business growth – your strategy and business goals determine in what ways you want to focus that growth. You should always keep your goals at the forefront of your mind so that it can help you to drive forwards in your journey. Before deciding on your final marketing strategy, you may want to have a look at these 16 lessons from Russell Brunson (a successful entrepreneur) to get some inspiration about how you can create an efficient and lasting business as he has. Having something to work towards could help you to reach your goal faster.

Once you have a concrete understanding of the type of strategy that makes the most sense for your business goals, that informs all your marketing activities, so they are all working in harmony towards the same objectives.

It can be tempting to say your business doesn’t need a marketing strategy if you’ve never had one before. After all, you are doing fine – growing even – and your business uses traditional sales staff to meet business goals. And a skilled sales team can certainly grow a business. But if you are growing now, imagine what your business potential could be if you gave your sales team better tools! Marketi

Your business goals are a destination, and your marketing strategy is the vehicle for getting there. Sure, without one, you can try to move in the general direction you want to go, but you may not be taking the most efficient route. Twenty years ago, if you were driving to an unfamiliar destination, you needed a roadmap or atlas. Now, nearly everyone uses a GPS or navigation app because they are more effective and efficient predictors of traffic, construction, and other obstacles in the way of getting where you need to go. Roadmaps and atlases still work, but if you want to get to that new destination on time, most people would opt for the option that gives them the greatest advantage.

From Creating a Strategy to Activation

Look at your current situation and goals and assess where your greatest potential lies. Do you often hear from new customers, “I never knew about you guys!” Or do your current customers say, “Oh, I didn’t know you could do that too!” Those are all starting points when deciding where to focus your strategy.

You likely already have an idea of where your company needs to grow, but you may not have the time necessary to create a marketing strategy and implement it. If that’s the case, outsourcing your marketing can be a way to bridge the gap. On the other hand, you may have a clear direction mind, but you lack the manpower to activate your strategy and carry out tactics, 360 Direct has a program for that. We call it our “Hands and Feet” program, where we put your marketing ideas into action.

Other times, a business leader is so entrenched in the company that an outside perspective is useful or even necessary to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your brand’s image. 360 Direct offers a Business Marketing Diagnostic for cases like that — with no obligation to purchase any other services.

No matter where your starting point is on the road to maximizing your brand power, consulting an expert strategist can help point you in the right direction. Make the most of your 2018 by giving your team a clear path to succeed in meeting their goals with a marketing strategy.