I consistently get asked what is the 1 most important marketing activity to do. People ask "what is that 1 thing I need to do in order to get customers?"

​My answer usually is that there isn't. There is no 1 thing you can do to gain customers or more sales. People are complex human beings. We like to receive and absorb information differently depending on the time of day, season and how we are feeling on any given day. 

​Yesterday, I read a report by MarketingProfs, a leading marketing research, and management company. One of many organizations dedicated to studying and reporting on marketing and communications findings.  

The report they published showed what major marketing departments across the U.S. are utilizing and spending their money on to get their message across to their target markets...

What exactly is a marketing strategy? It can be confusing, I know. I've heard it used to describe a whole host of things that aren't actually a marketing strategy. I will amend your confusion and help you gain an understanding of why a marketing strategy is THE single most important thing you can do to create a rock-solid marketing plan. I'll quickly make this clear to you and then you can dive into the rest of the article for further clarification. 

Without a strategy in place, your marketing plan doesn't really have legs to stand on. The marketing plan gets its strength from the strategy. You create marketing activities and objectives that are measurable based on the strategy you choose to pursue. 

Common descriptions of marketing strategies include some variation of the following:

1. Many people think the marketing plan is the marketing strategy. 
2. Marketing strategy is commonly confused with marketing goals and objectives. 
3. Marketing strategy is mistakenly seen as the action plan or the steps to get to where you want your organization or business to be. 

If you think any of these three describe a marketing strategy, then I'm sorry to say that you are mistaken. However, I will define, describe, and explain how you can create one for your organization...

I am a huge advocate for reviewing your marketing plan every few months. At the very least, every 6 months. The end of July is right around the corner, and this is a perfect time to closely inspect all of your marketing efforts to determine what is and is not working. 

Most of my clients get stumped over which information to analyze when making decisions on spending more money on something or stopping it altogether. 

I'll make it simple for you... 

I was asked an important question the other day. "What 1-2 things do you want nonprofits to know about design, marketing, and PR?" I immediately knew what those things are because it is something I witness often with the nonprofit community. I do a lot of work with nonprofits, and by the time they reach out to me for marketing help, sometimes it is too late. I hate when that happens because avoiding crisis, don't hate me for saying this, is simple. Avoiding crises requires planning for success. Keyword: "planning."

So here is my answer to the question...

Do you put out fires first thing Monday morning? The beginning of the week is always hectic. Mondays are rushed. It’s inevitable, right? Leftover tasks from the prior week, you are behind, and you can’t get ahead. I get it. 

Let's make a change this week, by taking an honest look at one of the most important tasks in your workflow. I’ll suggest that one thing is marketing because it is directly tied to your bottom line. If you don’t do some sort of marketing, or if you don’t do it well, then your chances at failing are...like rushed hectic Mondays...inevitable.​

The rules of business have changed. You can see it, sense it, and maybe even know logically that things are evolving in the modern landscape of business and economy. But like many, maybe you haven't made the changes yet. This is primarily due to two things. 1) You don’t know what it is exactly that you need to change. 2) You haven’t broken your habits of operating the old way. 
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Awareness is the first step in changing. So, let’s start by revealing what needs to change immediately. I say immediately because continuing to operate in this way will absolutely lead to failure. You must allow your strategies to evolve...

Today, I'll share some information about how to know when you should hire a marketing manager. Marketing management is a big task. Many entrepreneurs are already pulled too thin, therefore neglecting important aspects of running their businesses. I'm often told marketing is a burden. When this is the case, marketing becomes inconsistent at best and non-existent at worst. This is detrimental to small businesses and organizations because consistent communication is crucial in an already over-crowded marketplace... 

By the time Friday afternoon rolls around, I feel like I've hit a wall. My focus starts to go onto other things like baking, sewing, house shopping, hiking, getting the garden ready....anything but business-related tasks. Though I'd LOVE to dive into these more meditative projects, there is an endless list of things I need to address for my company. Apparently, we're supposed to work until 5 pm, AT LEAST, if we want to advance our careers. Or so we are told in "Lean In" according to Sheryl Sandberg COO of Facebook. But, all I want to lean into are the red forest cupcakes that I'm dying to make!...