The Scalable Marketing Machine Podcast

Last week, I started this six-part series breaking down each stage of the Client Value Journey. This idea was born out of the frustration I've heard from Founders in regards to marketing. For those of you that are feeling overwhelmed when thinking about sales and marketing, listen on:

Part 1 was all about the Awareness phase which is the first step in the Client Value Journey. It's the way you reach new audiences and keep your marketing pipeline full.  If you didn't get a chance to listen to that episode, I recommend going back and listening.  It is episode 33-- it's a good one.

 

Today, we are focusing on the second part of the Client Value Journey: Engage.  This is a critical step. It is the part where you are exchanging something of value for an email address. Getting the email address (or another piece of contact information) is key to building a relationship and selling. 

Listen on to today's episode for examples and inspiration on how to implement an effective "engage" strategy for your business. 

Let's end marketing overwhelm! This week I am starting a six-part series about crafting and sticking to a Marketing Plan.

It is my intention with this series to end confusion regarding what your marketing department should actually do, and how to get results. The secret is consistency, but you need to understand exactly what consistent actions you and your team should be taking every month.

I believe that if you can really sink your teeth into the idea of setting up a very tight organized and systemized Client Value Journey, then the entire way you look at marketing will change.  You'll be overcome with a sense of relief knowing that you have the key elements of your marketing taken care of. This is because, once you have your Client Value Journey in place, the job becomes implementing a repeatable process. From there, each time you have a creative idea or you want to improve a certain part of the client value Journey, you'll know exactly what needs to be tweaked.

Check out a previous episode that I recorded called Understanding the Client Value Journey. It serves as a really good overview of each step. However,  today we are going to dig deep into each part of the client value journey individually to (hopefully) shed some light on the overall process in a way that is easy to digest.

To remind you: the client value journey is the six-step process that clients go through when they're learning about your business and making a purchase online. They're going through this system by design or default.

- Aware

- Engage

- Nurture

- Invite

- Delight

- Advocate

Today is all about Awareness. Awareness is how people know about your business and what you do. It is a critical first step in the journey and every business must be consistently engaging in "awareness activities" in order to keep the pipeline full.

There are really only three ways to grow your business:

1. Advertising
2. SEO
3. Leveraging other people or other businesses ' audiences

It is ideal to have all three of these tactics working together to bring a constant flow of new people into your business.

If you're in a situation with limited funds and limited resources, I would suggest focusing on just one of these strategies and doing it extremely well.

Take a listen to today's episode for ideas, tips, and tricks on how to maximize your effort and bring more growth into your business through a carefully executed aware phase. 

Hi! I'm Victoria, Marketing Mentor, Growth Hacker, and Virtual CMO. I create and manage sales-focused marketing strategies. You can learn more at www.ugliventures.com

It’s Tactical Hour Launch Day!  I’m excited to announce a new series on the podcast “Marketing for Startups.” Each month, I’ll be speaking with an expert in a particular field of marketing in an effort to demystify subjects like website design, SEO, copywriting, and more. 

Through my conversations with founders, I’ve seen a need for practical advice from experts to help you understand the various parts of marketing.  Education is so important and while I am a master at the big picture strategy and project management, I work with experienced teams to execute different parts of the client value journey.

Today, I’m talking with Web Developer, Sarah Kornblum from 2 Dogs and a Laptop. Together, we are going to teach you:

• The basic elements of user experience and user interface (UX/UI)
• How to choose a website platform
• The #1 thing you can do to assure your website performs (it’s not flashy design)
• and more…

Leave a comment. I can’t wait to hear when you think!

 

💬  Let's talk. Hi! I'm Victoria, Marketing Mentor, Growth Hacker, and Virtual CMO. I create and manage sales-focused marketing strategies. Let's schedule your free 30 min strategy session where I'll share tangible, tactical advice on how you can create or improve your marketing plan. Book Now.

Growth takes investment. Today on the podcast, I'm sharing exactly how to spend your money wisely in 2021.

We live in a DIY culture which leaves many founders googling their way through their businesses. There is a YouTube video for almost anything you'd like to do in marketing or in your business. But investing in the future of your is essential to up-leveling what you can achieve.

Growth is a mindset.

The old adage "it takes money to make money" is certainly true in business. While the barrier for entry has lowered, thanks to cookies and social media, competition has never been more fierce. We are battling to get our message heard and our brands connected to the right people.  This is why it's important to craft your budget wisely. When money is tight, it is especially important to know exactly where you should spend your dollars.

 

Always start with your systems

When you are first allocating your marketing budget, it is essential to make sure your operation is optimized. This means that you have a fully realized Client Value Journey and that your systems are running smoothly

There are three ways to attract new customers: SEO, partnerships, and advertising. Determining which tactic to use is a big decision but one that can help supercharge growth. 

Always start with what will be easier to implement. From there, it's all about testing and iterating.  Listen on for more ideas!

 

💬  Let's talk. Hi! I'm Victoria, Marketing Mentor, Growth Hacker, and Virtual CMO. I create and manage sales-focused marketing strategies. Let's schedule your free 30 min strategy session where I'll share tangible, tactical advice on how you can create or improve your marketing plan. Book Now.

What is the difference between Strategy and Tactics?  It may be easy to distinguish in your mind, but less clear to decipher as your go about your day.  You see, most of us are diligent about making a business plan or a Go-to-Market strategy when we first start our business or the  New Year. But then we get stuck in the weeds hustling and seizing opportunities. We may find ourselves divorced a bit from the "big picture."  Operating in this way could be the reason you haven't see the traction you'd like to in your business. It certainly was for me.

 

How to avoid "Tantalizing Tactic" Syndrome

As founders, we are idea machines. I've never met an entrepreneur short of creativity. The problem is, ideas mean nothing. It is in the execution of those ideas where the true value lies. Trendy tactics change daily.  This could take the form of hopping on the bandwagon of the newest social media platform or the hottest guerilla marketing craze without a clear path to revenue. 

To avoid this, we need to be wholeheartedly connected to the plans that we create. In marketing, this means crafting a tight, well-thought-out, (and yes) creative Client Value Journey.  This truly is the backbone of all the marketing that you do. 

In order to stay grounded in your plan, it helps to hold steady to the bigger dream you have for your life and business. 

 

Why is the Client Value Journey so important?

The reason why the Client Value Journey is so important is that it gives purpose and focus to all of the tactics you use in your business.  Without a unifying plan, marketing becomes a "throw spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks" approach, which is time-consuming and ineffective. Layout your plan first and get as granular as you can about how each step of the plan supports your revenue goals and the bigger vision your hold for the company. 

Once this Client Value Journey is set, then you can begin to attach goals and milestones that are easy to identify. Through the process, you now have a framework for measuring the success of your marketing efforts and are able to adjust and improve. While revenue is a lagging metric, everything you do to support your Client Value Journey is a leading metric-- which means something you can influence.  This offers you a level of control in your business and an understanding of the actions you need to take to produce a better outcome.

 

What is are Tactics?

Strategy defines your long-term goals and how you're planning to achieve them. In other words, your strategy gives you the path you need toward achieving your organization's mission. Tactics are much more concrete and are often oriented toward smaller steps and a shorter time frame along the way.

In marking, tactics are the things you do for your Client Value Journey.  As we know, the Client Value Journey is:

1. Aware
2. Engage
3. Nurture
4. Invite
5. Delight
6. Advocate

The specific actions you take during each stage become the tactics you are employing in your business.  For example, for the AWARE stage, you could utilize one or all of 3 tactics to grow your audience: Advertising, SEO, or Partnerships (leveraging other businesses or individuals audiences).  Let's say you choose to advertise, within that you could create video content, interactive content like a quiz or survey, or event a carousel of photos.  The options are endless. 

The real fun begins are you test the performance of each tactic and improve along the way. This is the only path to lasting success.

 

Need help laying out your marketing strategy and tactics?  I can help...

 

💬  Let's talk. Hi! I'm Victoria, Marketing Mentor, Growth Hacker, and Virtual CMO. I create and manage sales-focused marketing strategies. Let's schedule your free 30 min strategy session where I'll share tangible, tactical advice on how you can create or improve your marketing plan. Book Now.

 

Here is the BIG secret many business gurus don't want you to know.  It's actually not as complicated as you may think to create a successful business. Notice, I didn't say easy.  It certainly isn't easy, but it is simple. And here is the key:

If you're looking to gain traction in your business, all you'll need is a strong strategy and consistent implementation.

 

That's it.

 

How do you create a solid marketing strategy?

This starts with your Go-to-Market Strategy (GTM). Even if you've already created your GTM strategy, it's worthwhile to revisit especially if you haven't gained the traction you want. It is also valuable to be reviewing your GTM as your business grows.  You should be gaining meaningful insights as you serve clients, run marketing campaigns, and develop content for your audience. The core tenets of your strategy, like your business's mission and values, should remain consistent.  However, details about your core target client or your communication strategy should be reexamined as your company matures and has data to support your original hypothesis.

 

If you're struggling to get started on creating your GTM, you can grab my FREE Go-to-Market template which will set you on the right path.

 

1. Understanding the Client Value Journey

The most critical part of your GTM is your Client Value Journey.  This is the 6-step process that clients go through when first discovering your brand all the way through buying your product or service.  If you don't spend the time to develop a well-thought-out plan, you're not going to be able to maximize any of the marketing tactics you put into play.

 

2. Build your Team and Create Systems

Once you're developed your Client Value Journey, it's time to put the plan and systems in place to execute each part of that roadmap. This means getting the right people to perform the various tasks of your marketing department. 

 

3. Stick to the plan!

Don't get seduced by shiny objects. Marketing and sales are all about consistency. Focus on what matters with all your might.

 

4. Review Data then iterate, iterate, iterate

Marketing is an art and a science. Use the valuable insights you gain from data metrics to improve on your plan. If you're struggling to implement a data review practice in your business, check out this post.

 

💬  Let's talk. Hi! I'm Victoria, Marketing Mentor, Growth Hacker, and Virtual CMO. I create and manage sales-focused marketing strategies. Let's schedule your free 30 min strategy session where I'll share tangible, tactical advice on how you can create or improve your marketing plan. Book Now.

Did you know that there are only 3 ways to grow your business online?  Today we are going to dive into these three ATTRACT tactics to grow your audience.  

If you're trying to gain traction in your business, it is essential to always be reaching new audiences and growing your customer base and email list.  But just how do you do that?  Today I'm breaking down exactly how to get started.

 

How to Attract More Clients

When you are first starting out, it may feel daunting to think about sales. The truth is, businesses need investment to grow. This investment can be big or small, but the basic principles still apply.  There are only 3 ways to grow your audience online:

1. Partnerships & Other People's Audiences (OPA)
2. SEO Program
3. Paid Advertising

Growing through Partnerships

Utilizing other people's audiences is a great way to expand your current audience. You can leverage OPA through working with influencers with large followings, attending events or conferences, or collaborating with complementary brands.  In each of these instances, the important thing is to gain exposure to their email list/ followership in a way that allows you to retain email addresses or gain followers yourself. In the past, this used to be a cost-effective way to grow; however, today we see the cost of partnership activities increasing.

 

What is an SEO Program?

Hiring a professional SEO expert is the best way to increase visibility on search and capture new customers searching for your product or service. I suggest engaging with a professional to execute a higher-level strategy in order to see better results.

 

When to start using Paid Ads?

Paid advertising can certainly be the most costly endeavor to grow your audience, but could also be the most effective.  If you have your strategy "dialed in" and your Client Value Journey systems in place, a simple client acquisition costs calculation gives you a clear understanding of how an ad investment could help you gain traction and increase revenue instantly.

 

Ready for growth marketing? Let's talk. I am a Marketing Growth Strategist and virtual Chief Marketing Officer. I love helping entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses. Let's schedule your free 30 min discovery call where I'll share tangible, tactical advice on how you can create or improve your sales-focused marketing strategy. Book Now.

 

  

The best way to determine product/market fit is by doing market research and asking questions.  There is nothing worse than pouring your heart and soul into building a service or product and then no one buying it. 

Remember: "The one who knows their customer best wins"

You do market research by interviewing prospective buyers and gathering valuable information. 

How to find people to interview

1. Talk to current or past customers (if applicable)
2. Use prospects list
3. Referrals
4. 3 part networks 

How do you get people to talk to you?

1. Incentives (like Starbucks gift cards)
2. Make sure you are not sales-y
3. Make it easy to organize
4. Set a target for yourself.  I suggest 50-100 people!

What questions do you ask?

1. Title & Role
2. Company Information
3. Goals
4. Challenges
5. How do you learn/search?
6. Shopping preferences
7. Ask WHY
8. Etc..

Remember to follow up with a thank you or even a gift...

Ready for growth marketing? Let's talk. I am a Marketing Growth Strategist and virtual Chief Marketing Officer. I love helping entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses. Let's schedule your free 30 min discovery call where I'll share tangible, tactical advice on how you can create or improve your sales-focused marketing strategy. Book Now.

 

 

In today's this episode, I'm talking all about How to Create your Buyer Persona. 

For the past couple of weeks, we've been digging into the steps you need to take in order to create an effective Go-to-Market Strategy. One part of this is doing in-depth market research and interviewing potential clients who are interested in your product or service. 

Today, the purpose of this episode is to help you convert the information you gather from interviews and market research into a buttoned-up buyer persona that you can use.

Why is the Buyer Persona Important?

Your most important marketing goal is to figure out what messages connect with your buyer and how to tap into their pain points. If you're creating some sales scripts or advertising copy, you're going to want to make sure that the messages and offers you create are ones that your customers are going to care about.

All the content that you create should be hitting a chord with your potential client and having an organized buyer persona ready (whether it is a one-page PDF or quick presentation) is a really wonderful way to get your team on the same page and help give you clarity on the sales and marketing tactics to employ in your business.

 

In this episode, we cover:

• What demographic information to pay attention to

• Why psychographics is more important than traditional demographics

• Using real quotes to create copy and offers

• How to develop a messaging matrix for sales and marketing messages 

 

Resources:

Fast Company Article: "Sophisticated Sell"

Hubspot Personal Builder

GTM Strategy Template

This month we are continuing to break down the Go-to-Market strategy. I invite you to download my FREE Go-to-Marketing Strategy Template and follow along during this episode of the Marketing for Startups Podcast to capture any ideas that may pop up while you're listening.

 

Today's episode is all about how to find and connect with your customers. You'll hear a bit of a unique approach from the usual BS that is around the internet on hacks, tips, and tricks...

 

Listen along as we go through how to prepare your business for sales and the necessary steps you'll need to find and attract your ideal client.

 

Ready for growth marketing? Let's talk. I am a Marketing Growth Strategist and virtual Chief Marketing Officer. I love helping entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses. Let's schedule your free 30 min discovery call where I'll share tangible, tactical advice on how you can create or improve your sales-focused marketing strategy. Book Now.

 

You'll also love...

• 3 Simple Steps for a Successful Brand
• Why Data is Important for your Business
• Understanding the Client Value Journey