No matter what kind of business you own, you must become good at marketing — because without customers you have no business. But many business owners make the mistake of trying a whole bunch of marketing tactics, believing that this is a good marketing strategy. Believe me when I say… it’s not.

Many business owners tend to use many marketing tactics without having a marketing strategy. It’s kind of like tossing your money at whatever seems to be a good idea at the time and hope it “sticks” (or works). For example, you heard that you need to have a Facebook page for your business, so you put it up and post ads for your business, then wonder why it’s not generating new business. Or you send out five thousand postcards one time and expect the phone to start ringing off the hook, and then feel sick at how much money you spent without even making that money back – much less making a profit.

To become successful at marketing you first need to know the difference between a marketing strategy and marketing tactics.

Your marketing strategy must include 2 things:

Who is your ideal client
What do you do better than anyone else

When we talk about what you do better than anyone else, we’re talking about your core difference. In other words, what makes you different from your competitors; and is that difference important to your customers.

You see, when you understand your core difference, you can use that messaging in all your marketing tactics. That is what will grab the attention of your prospects. I see too many companies saying the same old thing that all their competitors are saying, and THAT is why their marketing doesn’t work.

But your message won’t mean much if you’re not targeting the right people. So that is why knowing who your ideal client is; is so important to your marketing strategy.

What are marketing tactics?

A marketing tactic is an activity that puts your marketing strategy into action. For example, let’s say you provide residential cleaning services to young professionals living in downtown area condominiums. Some of the marketing tactics you could use to get the word about your services is to advertise in condo-owner’s association newsletters or do a promotion with a downtown fitness facility that also has a clientele of young professionals that live in nearby condos. These are very specific tactics that target the people you’re trying to reach. All you have to do now is make sure your messaging addresses the specific hot buttons they have when it comes to keeping their condo clean.

So before you spend any more money on a particular “marketing tactic”, step back and decide on a specific marketing strategy. THEN determine which tactics will make that strategy successful.

If you need help with figuring out who your ideal client is and what your core difference is, we can help!

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