Your Number One Marketing Priority For 2020...

Businesses and nonprofits often ask me what they should focus on when it comes to marketing. That’s a great question; how you spend your time and energy is very important--but what goals and tasks should you prioritize?
The answer depends on where you are in your marketing business, the size of your company or organization, who your target market is, and what you are selling. ALL of these factors have to be taken into consideration when figuring out your marketing plan. However, no matter what size you are, no matter what you sell or who your market is, there is one VITAL component that can make or break your marketing efforts and investment. You can have the best marketing channels and a huge budget, but if this ONE component is missing, your marketing strategies will fail.

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That component is CONSISTENCY.
The number one thing businesses and organizations can do to significantly improve their marketing success is to be consistent with their marketing. By “consistency,” I don’t just mean how many times per month or week you send something; you must be consistent in your messaging.
Be Consistent in Your Delivery
When people sign up for your newsletter or follow you on social media, they have given you permission to communicate with them. Like a good friend, it is your responsibility to send updates, share news, extend invitations, and ask them important questions; you need to do all this on a regular and consistent basis. It takes, on average, twenty “touches” before someone finally takes action towards becoming a customer or a part of your community. A "touch” generally means to “be in front of.” It’s recommended you deliver a variety of communication materials several times a month. For instance, on social media, you should post once a day. A newsletter should go out at least once a month. Figure out what you are doing with your marketing and make sure you are delivering your communications consistently.
Be Consistent in Your Message
As mentioned before, it takes up to twenty “touches” for someone to finally take action, whether becoming a customer or joining your community. Therefore, your marketing message has to “be in front of” your potential customer up to twenty times before they decide to sign up for your e-newsletter or like your Facebook page or make a purchase. If they see a different message each time, then it counts as a brand new “touch” instead of the 2nd or 3rd. It’s like you’re starting over and setting yourself back. You have to keep the same message out there long enough to convince your potential customer to take action.
I strongly recommend that EVERYONE makes this one, single New Year’s resolution: be consistent. Pull out your marketing materials, look over your website, posts, and tweets, and examine your message. Is it consistent or are you saying lots of different things? Are you sending your communications out on a consistent basis throughout the year?
If you are not seeing consistency in both delivery and message, make that change your priority for 2020.
​In honor of your illumination,