Scoring "Where's your marketing message" quiz
Scoring:
Mostly A's. Your marketing message is definitely the life of the party. It's getting in front of your target market and your target market is responding to it. Better yet, you aren't wasting your efforts reaching people who have no interest in what your business does. Great job!
The only caution I would offer is to not allow yourself to be lulled into a false sense of security. Things change. Markets shift. Don't let your current success blind you to a new competitor or a new product or a changing marketing landscape. History is littered with companies who allowed themselves to lose market share or even be toppled by a shift in the marketplace.
Mostly B's. Your marketing message may not be the star, but it's certainly turning heads. While you could be getting more from your marketing efforts, you've definitely accomplished much. Your target market is both getting the message and acting on it. You're seeing a slow and steady growth in your business.
While everyone would love be to the next "overnight" success, truthfully that's not terribly realistic. Marketing is about slow and steady growth peppered by occasional setbacks and maybe even a big leap or two. While huge marketing success is great as a goal, you should be very pleased with what you've accomplished.
Mostly C's. Your marketing message has about half of its dance card filled. Your business is flat. Probably as flat as your marketing. Your business is certainly not growing and may even be slowly declining.
While there's nothing wrong with holding the status quo, this is still a precarious place to be. If you're not careful, you could find your business sliding into the "business is not so good" category.
I would suggest taking a hard look at your marketing message. Maybe you're not reaching your target market at all. Maybe you're wasting your marketing efforts by getting your message in front of people who will never buy your products or services. Or maybe you are finding your target market, but your marketing message isn't persuading them to do business with you. Maybe the marketplace or your target market is changing. Or maybe it's a combination of things.
Mostly D's. Your marketing message is hiding in the bathroom and has been there for awhile. This is not a good place to be, but you already know this. If it isn't too late, I would suggest a complete revamp of your entire marketing plan. Maybe your target market isn't right. Maybe you have too much competition. Maybe you're competing on price (never a wise selling point). Maybe you're not differentiating yourself enough from your competition. Maybe you're not explaining your product correctly. Or maybe it's something even deeper, a major problem with your product or business.
But don't lose heart! It’s still very possible to turn things around. Remember, all successful people suffered setbacks (and downright failures) at some point in their careers. You can make a comeback.
Mostly E's. Your marketing message is still outside looking for a place to park. Many service-based, single-person businesses find themselves in this category – for instance consultants, coaches, graphic designers and (ahem) copywriters. You never really take the time to put together a marketing plan or market yourself in any orderly manner. When work falls into your lap, you happily snatch it up. When it doesn't, you find yourself wringing your hands a lot.
Yes, I too was in this category. When I first started my business, I didn't write down my goals and promoting myself was haphazard at best. Believe it or not, I was actually pretty successful for several years using this model. I was lucky. I had good, loyal clients who I could count on for repeat projects.
However, even with good clients, you still end up with the "feast or famine" business model. Does this sound familiar? Work starts raining from the heavens, so you hole yourself in your office and focus on, what else? Getting the work done. And you're so busy with paying work, you stop promoting yourself. When you finish the work, you pick up your head, look around and discover there's nothing new waiting for you. So you rush out, start networking and contacting people and pretty soon the work is raining down again. And you stop promoting yourself because you're busy and…you get the picture.
In this model, you aren't really growing your business. You don't have time. You're either doing billable work or looking for billable work. Even if you use outside help during the busy times, the busy times don't last so you can't build your business.
Speaking from someone who's been there, I would strongly, strongly urge you to take a hard look at your business, your goals and your marketing model. A regular, sustained marketing campaign can lead to regular, sustained work. Your cash flow will even out, and you can start outsourcing certain tasks on a regular basis so you can start growing your business.
(A note on Question 4 in case you thought I had the answers reversed. The point of this question is to find out if you've picked marketing vehicles that are reaching your target market or if your marketing is so scattered it's reaching people who have no interest in purchasing your products and services. Don't waste your time and money driving just anyone to your business – target people who have the interest and the means to purchase your products and services.).
Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC, a copywriting, marketing communications and creativity agency. She helps people become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level, visit her site at http://www.michelepw.com. Copyright 2004 Michele Pariza Wacek.
I also write fiction. Learn more here.
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