Consistency

At the top of the list of things I never thought I’d see in the shower is this bottle of Bacon Pieces. Apparently it was there for nearly two weeks before I caught on.

Is my family so hungry that we need a mid-shower snack?  On the outside it may appear that way, but it’s actually a container for a homemade, natural face scrub that my wife, Christine, is trying.

Your Marketing is Out of Place

Does this picture describe your marketing?  Is it packaged and presented well, but still out of place?  Small businesses often make this mistake.  We wear suits to attract a certain kind of customer when it’s not really our personality.  We try to convert followers in social media for our products without building a relationship first.  Some of us even advertise in the phone book when our target market isn’t looking for us there.

Get Out of the Shower

Remember, everything you do is marketing.  When you answer the phone, you’re marketing.  When you reply to an email, you’re marketing.  When you cut someone off on the interstate and have your companies name in large print on the back of your car (this has actually happened multiple times to me), you’re marketing.

You can dry your marketing off with these steps.  The longer you’ve been screwing it up however, the longer it will take to fix.

1. Be Real

You have to be you.  We don’t do business with large, faceless organizations any more.  Be someone that your market wants to do business with. Don’t try to put on the facade of a large business if your market just wants to talk to you.  Social media is a great tool in this case.

2. Be Relevant

Be there when your prospects need you.  If you don’t have the right offer at the right time you can kiss the sale goodbye.  You also need to make sure you have the right product with the right features and benefits.

3. Be Consistent

You need to have a consistent message.  Your blog is considered marketing.  Then why, when I visit, does it say:

Welcome to the (Your Company Here) Blog

This is the first post of our Blog.

4. Don’t be a Generalist

“You cannot make it as a wandering generality. You must become a meaningful specific.” – Zig Ziglar

Be very specific in your message.  Can your business help everyone?  Probably.  Can you marketing to everyone.  Most likely, no.  Know who you’re speaking to and don’t change your message unless you change your market.

5. Be Remarkable

Bacon in the shower is remarkable.  People will talk about it.  This picture has been passed around a lot in our circle of friends.  If people aren’t talking about you, your business won’t survive.

These five steps will help improve your marketing, but when it comes down to it, a compass is more important than a roadmap.

What about you?  Is your marketing out of place?

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