Marketing Your Business? Develop a Game Plan First.

When I started Voice Communications, I was a new mom with a dream of writing for a living. I’d been writing “for fun” for years, but to actually make writing my livelihood seemed like a bit of a long shot at the time. I had an accounting degree and only accounting and finance experience under my belt, but no professional writing experience.

Good marketing requires planning, focus, and a plan.

The first thing I did when I decided to start offering copywriting services and content marketing writing services was think about who might want to hire me. I’d done enough research to recognize that businesses were beginning to rely heavily on writers to help them write blogs and other website content and develop strong marketing and communications materials.

But how could I get to the people who would actually want to hire me?

Funny enough, before I set out to market the heck out of myself, I did something then that I advise my clients to do today: I wrote down a simplified game plan. Sure, I could have sent out tons of mailers and made a bunch of calls about my services, but somehow that outbound marketing strategy didn’t seem like the best approach.

Instead, I wrote down these things:

1. What types of clients I wanted (as specific as possible).
2. What I assumed those companies needed in terms of content writing and copywriting services.
3. How I could help them— and more importantly, how I could convince them that I could help them.

Lay the groundwork first, then market.

Only when I had the above items pretty ironed out did I start going after clients and marketing my content writing/copywriting services. I had done my homework, so companies that actually had a need got the picture right away once I reached out. My marketing efforts weren’t vague or broad. They were targeted and backed by my research into my best prospective clients.

Marketing teams today are working harder AND smarter.

Today’s world of digital marketing is overwhelming for businesses that simply want to get noticed and drive traffic to their websites. There’s content marketing and social media marketing. There are a zillion mediums to reach people. There are Google search ads and display ads. Should you be blogging? Sending out an e-newsletter? How do you find your best customers and draw in more like them?

Most companies are not just marketing their products or services via ads and email blasts. They’ve embraced inbound marketing strategies to attract customers to them. They create content that engages their audience, tells their story, and builds a following. They might even have tools like HubSpot to automate some of this and nurture leads through email marketing and automated workflows.

It’s a whole new marketing world…or is it?

Although our data-driven, digital world has changed marketing forever, in many ways, the basic principles of solid marketing still apply.

Whether you’re a large company or a smaller business, before you even think about building a brand—and certainly before you spend any time creating blogs, ad campaigns, a newsletter, or anything else—you must answer these questions:

1. Who is my audience?
2. What do those people need?
3. How can my business help them?/What problems can my business solve for them?

If you have a handle on the above before you begin marketing your business, you’re headed in the right direction. If you’re struggling to do so, it might be a good idea to hit the pause button. Your audience will never hear you if you’re not even sure what you’re trying to tell them. You could be shouting into the void and wasting your marketing dollars (and your time).

Need marketing and copywriting/content writing support?

The landscape has changed a lot since I started Voice Communications, but there is also a lot that hasn’t changed much. I am a believer in the importance of writing great content. Companies and organizations that do so set themselves apart in a noisy digital world.

I’m grateful to the clients that trust me to support their marketing and communications efforts. It’s been a fun journey and I’m excited to continue working with companies, colleges, universities, and others for years to come. If you need help with content marketing, copywriting, and getting your business noticed, reach out. I’d be happy to help!