When most people think about marketing, they think about all the stuff they see on a daily basis - emails, TV commercials, billboards, mail, posters, vending machines, signs, etc. What they often don’t consider is how much effort (meetings, money, time, people) went into planning, organizing, and testing each message and marketing tool.

Do you think McDonald’s just decides one day that it wants to run a commercial? Of course not. There are many meetings with ad agencies about their target audience (kids, teens, moms, health conscious), their message (McDonald’s is a cool teen hangout, McDonald’s now offers salads and healthy options, McDonald’s has cool prizes in its kids meals), and how to communicate their message (through movie tie-ins, celebrity endorsements, games like Monopoly).

Marketing involves thinking beyond ads, brochures, or websites. How can each marketing tool help you achieve your marketing goals? Yes, goals - to increase sales, generate leads, cut down on sales time, enter into a new segment or whatever goals you have in mind.

Marketing is about setting realistic and measurable goals. Can you really do this? Have you come close with similar efforts in the past? Has your competition done something similar? Are the numbers, time frame, money practical?

Marketing is about setting metrics. What specifically does your marketing need to achieve to grow your business? Number of leads generated per week? Percent of leads converted to sales? Total revenue?

Marketing is about planning. Where do you want to be and how can you get there? After all, if you don’t know where you’re going, how can you expect to get there?

Marketing is about clarity. How do you define who you are, what you do, and why people should care. If you can’t summarize this concisely, how can you expect others to understand what you do?

Marketing is about understanding your prospects. What are their main goals and what prevents them from achieving those goals? Too many lawyers want to help “anyone that can use my service.” This is the quickest way to burn through your marketing budget with few (if any) results.

Marketing is about narrowing your focus. Which customers will be a good fit for your services? These types of people are the most likely to be qualified - meaning they have a need for your services, can pay you, and are looking to buy in the next few months. Once your target audience is defined, marketing involves understanding:

1. what are their key goals
2. how can you help them achieve those goals
3. what is it worth to them to achieve those goals

Marketing is about building awareness. How can you let your target audience know that you understand their key goals and problems, and that you can help them achieve those goals or solve those problems at a reasonable price? You can’t sell a service no one has heard of. Yet, rarely will a brochure or advertisement sell your service - only you can do that during your face to face or phone interaction with your prospect. Each marketing tool plays a role in building awareness about your service and sparking that initial interest that will motivate them to pick up the phone or send away for your information kit.

Finally, marketing is about commitment. It’s about devoting time and resources monthly to investing in your business, even when you get busy. It’s about sticking to the plan for the long-term, adjusting it as you get client feedback and measure results from your marketing activities.

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