What do you think is the single biggest marketing mistake that small businesses make today?
- Is it setting the marketing budget too low?
- Choosing the wrong advertising channel?
- Failing to capitalize on current trends?
No, no, and no.
According to Jay Conrad Levinson (author of the multi-million best-seller “Guerilla Marketing”) the biggest marketing mistake can be summed up simply and directly…
“The Number 1 marketing mistake small businesses make is NOT creating a simple marketing plan… and failing to COMMIT to their plan.”
It’s true, I’ve seen it happen over and over again.
Someone will get a great idea for a small business and do all the work to get it up and going…. only to find that people aren’t necessarily going to line up around the block to buy what they have.
So they throw a bunch of money at a variety of different marketing techniques (usually suggested by a media rep who has their own agenda), all of which are 99% certain to fail miserably.
And sooner or later, the doors shut for good–while the entrepreneur is left scratching their head as to why their great idea didn’t work.
I’m reminded of the old saying, “People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan”. That’s why Jay Conrad Levinson has developed a quick and easy way to simplify your marketing plan (without letting it intimidate you), in a way that doesn’t have to be complicated–unless YOU make it complicated!
I spoke with Jay recently to go over some details regarding this week’s webcast for the League Of Extraordinary Minds. Jay’s going to be on the panel, along with a KILLER lineup of experts (more on that later).
During the call, Jay revealed his “7 Sentence Simple Marketing Plan” to me. This thing is absolutely brilliant. And the best part is, it takes no more than 5 minutes to create.
Just ask yourself these 7 simple, direct questions. Then write down the answers to create your 7 Sentence Simple Marketing Plan:
Ready? Here goes….
- What is the purpose of your marketing? (What action do you want them to take?
- What is the main competitive advantage you stress to achieve that action/purpose? (What main benefit do you offer that your competitors do not?)
- Who is your target audience?
- Which marketing “weapons” will you use to achieve that action/purpose? (Expressed as a list.)
- For your market niche, what do you stand for?
- What is your identity, your personality?
- What is your marketing budget? (as a percentage of your projected gross sales)
That’s it. See how easy that was?
No long, drawn out document. No confusing spreadsheet. Just 7 simple question to answer and voila! You’ve got the basics of a winning marketing plan.
But I know what you’re thinking…”Rich, are you SURE this is going to work for me?“
Without a doubt–YES! And here’s why…
In my years of experience as a entrepreneur and small business owner, I’ve seen more marketing tactics, strategies, and techniques than I can remember…
And I can say this with absolutely certainty: Even the most mediocre marketing WITH commitment will always outperform brilliant marketing WITHOUT commitment.
So sit down right now and create your “7 Sentence Simple Marketing Plan.”
Then I want to hear what you think about it, specifically:
– How did this exercise bring clarity to the marketing tasks you must perform?
– How do you think your new “7 Sentence Simple Marketing Plan” will affect your business in the next 30 days?
– And how much more confidence do you have this very moment, that you will EASILY be able to commit to your “7 Sentence Simple Marketing Plan?”
So please leave a comment below once you’re finished. I’ll check the site and read your comments as they come in. Then we’ll continue this conversation on another blog post.
And as my way of saying thanks for participating, I’ll send you a special gift by email to help you commit to following through on your new, simple, POWERFUL marketing plan.
How does that sound?
So please go do that right now, and we’ll talk again soon.
To Higher Profits,
Rich