Five Foundational Elements Of Effective Marketing – October 18, 2017

Being a marketer today can seem like a tricky task. Between email campaigns, social media channels, paid and earned advertising and SEO optimization, marketers can feel overwhelmed with all the digital channels available to disperse messaging and engage and nurture prospects.

However, as marketing strategist Andy Slipher points out, there are some fundamental aspects of marketing that have remained constant in spite of technological developments. In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we’ll share these essential elements of effective marketing.

1. Strategic Marketing Plan: This is the foundation of your marketing. The process of developing a strategic marketing plan forces you to focus and think critically about your industry, business, customers, competition, brand and marketing tactics. A strategic marketing plan answers the questions, “What are we trying to do?” and “How are we going to achieve it?” It also focuses on the key differentiators you can bring to market and primary pain points that your product or service can address. In addition, it facilitates a systematic way to measurably and methodically move your business’s overall marketing activities from point A to point B.

2. Strategic Brand Plan: At its core, a brand is simply a (strong) promise. Everything else should support this promise. A brand plan helps an organization answer the why’s and how’s of their brand in a way that actively demonstrates its value.

3. Brand Landscape: This is a collaborative document and process that combines visual (graphic, photographic) and messaging (written) elements to succinctly express what the particular brand is and is not to a broader internal audience. It’s a reference and training document that serves to familiarize the management team on the concept of their own brand, so they can more consistently demonstrate and articulate it to others in the organization.

4. Vision Statement: In order for your marketing efforts to inspire others, your organization needs a unifying or inspiring vision. At minimum, this can be an expression of what an organization aspires to reach or become in the next five to 10 years. Don’t make the mistake of creating something flat, academic or long-winded. A good vision statement should clearly and concisely articulate what all stakeholders aspire to reach.

5. Public Outreach Strategy: This is an external communications plan meant to reach influencers, opinion leaders and other supporters within your industry and/or community. This type of strategy addresses the need to respond to criticism or opposing or competing points of view. Its purpose is to build and demonstrate credibility and to authentically communicate it.

Build your marketing efforts on these foundational elements. Then use today’s newest tools and technology to implement your plans.

Source: Andy Slipher is founder of Slipher Marketing, a consultancy where strategy comes first, followed by tangible marketing results. He is an accomplished strategist, interim CMO, speaker and writer on marketing strategy. He is marketing segment lecturer for SMU’s accredited Bank Operations Institute for professional bankers and for the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT). Slipher’s forthcoming book is The Big How: Where Strategy Meets Success.