Marketing Items that Create Business Success

. . . a checklist of marketing things you need and why you need them

If you’re an independent business person or professional, here is a list of support items that help move you forward in your business development. If any of these is not working for you already, ask yourself how adding it might help.


Strategic Plan

A high level strategic marketing plan (SMP) creates clear market focus and an organized approach to generating revenue. The plan precedes your collateral (marketing materials.) It’s easy to get lost in daily details and lose focus on the big picture. Your marketing strategy should be written down so you’ll have a specific high level guide for everything you do. Then you don’t lose your way. The SMP maintains focus on doing what brings income.


Marketing Collateral

A team of business creatives works in a coordinated effort to produce your package. No single individual has all the skills or means to do the whole job. Someone has to integrate this effort. Supervision often comes from your graphic designer but it can be any team member or a creative production manager.

It’s not at all uncommon for creatives to just sell you the piece they can do, or the part they are good at, and leave the rest to chance. Or expect you to come up with it magically. Or do something that looks like what you need, but is woefully inadequate.

Examples are -- a pretty brochure with crappy copy, or a web site that looks nice and ranks well, but doesn’t sell you effectively. Often the creative who’s short-selling you doesn’t know what’s missing.

A piecemeal approach will be less effective and can seriously hold you back.


Branding (the promise that’s in your message)

Visual Branding (logo, images, and layouts for card, stationery, web site, brochure)
Verbal Branding (business and product names, tag lines, elevator speeches, unique selling proposition, sales scripts, etc.)

Branding should be uniform throughout alll your collateral so everything has a coherent look and feel. Design your customer’s experience so it’s branded.


Business Card (identity -- Your most fundamental piece of collateral)

Can’t function without it. Needs some part of –

~ business name,
~ your name & title,
~ logo,
~ tag line,
~ contact info (address, phones (voice, fax cell), web site, email.)

Don’t waste the back -- maybe elevator speech can go there, or a value statement or list of services.


Stationery (identity -- second most fundamental piece of collateral)

Essential to extend your branding throughout your written communication.


Print Brochure (communicates your value)

~ Marketing Concept to deliver an intentional message
~ Coherent design to embody the message
~ Written content to express the message in words
~ Graphic content to express the message in images
~ Graphic layout to arrange the words and images so their synergy delivers your message with impact


Prospecting Letters (approach and sell to specific people)

Your targeted approach to selling your services in the least invasive way, using snail mail, personalized copy, hand addressed envelope and a stamp. Include your brochure.


Web Site (your online brochure -- communicates your value)

If you’re not on the web, you don’t really exist. Even if you only have one page for credibility alone, it’s a necessity. Make it possible for people to find you.

Marketing Concept to deliver an intentional message
~ Coherent design to embody the intentional message
~ Written content to express the message in words
~ Graphic content to express the message in images
~ Graphic layout to arrange the words and images so their synergy delivers your message
with impact

On Line Sales Collateral (if you’re selling through a web site)

~ Product descriptions
~ Catalog
~ Shopping Cart
~ Sales copy
~ Supporting Articles
~ Subscription Newsletter

Publicity Support (helps you gain visibility and market awareness)

~ Presentation Powerpoints for speaking engagements – connect with audience
~ News Releases for media exposure – to give you visibility in a market
~ Newsworthy, about people and events, fact-based, not an ad in disguise.
~ Strategy may make the difference between large and small respones.

Your Marketing Message (be uniform throughout your collateral)

Your collateral should tell your prospects --

~ Why they should listen to you (main benefits, gets attention)
~ What you are selling (include features that create benefits, develops interest)
~ What good it will do them (creates desire)
~ Why they should buy from you, not the competition (differentiation)
~ How much it costs (or how they can find this out if you do quotes)
~ Why they should buy from you, now (the close, asks for action)

In some special cases features are paramount and benefits are assumed (highly technical items, enthusiast audiences)

Use specific offers, and make them irresistible.

A business that arms itself with the right combination of these marketing collateral elements, and executes and uses them well, has a much better chance to survive and thrive.

Contact me for help with putting any or all of this in place – it’s what I do.