Marketing is not rocket science. It might feel scary if you’re not sure what you’re doing. It may seem like you have to spend a lot of money, in the hope that you’ll eventually get the results.

But is doesn’t have to be like that! I’ve spent over 25 years simplifying marketing for business owners. I’ve helped them to develop confidence in their marketing messages. And I’ve showed them how to get the results they want, from the budget they have.

Over the next three blog posts, I’ll share with you the secrets of this three part system – Simple Marketing, Confidence and Results.  Here’s Part 1 – Simple Marketing.

Not Rocket Science but Simple

Let’s look first at how to simplify your marketing. Most business owners I speak to are confused by the myriad marketing tools that they could use. They jump into the tactics of marketing, without first taking time to think through the strategic elements.

Marketing is not trial and error. There are tried and tested tools that will work for your business. You simply have to do the right planning first.

Here are the questions you need to answer, before you rush into investing in any marketing tactics.

1. Where are you now?

To fully answer this question, think about what you actually sell – your products or services – and how much you charge for them. Make a note of who your clients are now. Take the time to consider what really makes you different to your competitors (and if you’re not sure, Take the Test on my website for free.) Get clear on who your competitors are and, if you can, find out what they do differently to you. Keep it simple and write all the parts of the answer to this question on one sheet of paper.

2. Where do you want to be?

This is about your goals. To be successful in business, you need long term, medium term and short term goals. If you don’t know where you’re going, you can’t plan the simplest marketing to get you there.

3. How will you get there?

Knowing where you’re going is a good start in helping you to get there. Next, think about these four different options. Will you …

• Promote more of your existing services to your existing clients?
• Promote your existing services to new clients?
• Promote new services to your existing clients?
• Promote new services to new clients?

It’s not about trying to do all four; simple marketing is about deciding which of the four strategies to use and when. Each one needs different marketing tools. Simplify your marketing by focusing on them one at a time. You might find that the first one brings you all the new business you want!

4. Who are your ideal clients?

Your service is not ideal for everyone with a pulse and a credit card! Simple marketing is about focusing on finding the people who really want to work with you, and who want to pay your prices. Spend time thinking about what makes your ideal clients great people to work with; consider what makes them tick (what gets them out of bed in the morning and what drives them.)

When you understand the beliefs and values of your perfect clients, it becomes much simpler for you to find them. It also becomes easier for them to find you.

It might seem like there’s a lot here, but do spend time going through the four questions and answering them. When I work through them with new clients, we spend a whole morning doing it! It’s not something you can rush – not if you want to simplify your marketing.

The Marketing Moment

Let’s keep it simple!

Take the time to answer the four questions in the section above. One page for each. When you have the answers, you can either hang on until next month’s blog, before you do anything else … or feel free to send me your notes. I’ll take a quick look at let you know if there are any gaps that need to be filled in. Email your answers to me at Chantal@Appletreeuk.com. (Totally confidential, of course. No sharing with other people around here.)

The StandOut Sessions

Each month I have space to work with just one enthusiastic business owner, who wants the whole secret to simple marketing, confidence and getting results. Three one hour sessions on Zoom in any time zone around the world. Or a half day together (travel expenses might apply and I need to be fed plenty of top quality chocolate biscuits!) By the end of these three StandOut Sessions, you’ll have a simple marketing schedule to follow, for the next 6 months. You’ll have a concise marketing message and the confidence to deliver it. You’ll also have a clear way to bring in the results you want. All this for an investment of just £999 +VAT.

If you’d like to be the one to book one of these sessions, email me a ‘Yes please’ message; or call me on +44 (0) 7773 252744 and we can arrange a time.