Marketing Without a Strategy? You’re Doing it Wrong

As a business coach, I know firsthand the struggles of marketing a business without a strategy. It can be overwhelming, confusing, and downright frustrating when you’re not seeing the results you want. But it’s important to understand that marketing without a strategy is like trying to hit a target while blindfolded – you may get lucky and hit it occasionally, but chances are you’ll miss more often than not.

That’s where a marketing strategy comes in. A marketing strategy is a plan that outlines the actions you will take to reach your marketing goals. It helps you focus your efforts, allocate your resources, and make informed decisions about how to reach your target audience.

If you’re an online service provider or business coach who has been marketing your business without a strategy, it’s time to take a step back and reassess your approach. In this blog post, we’ll cover the importance of having a marketing strategy, how to create one, and why it’s essential for the success of your business.

Why Marketing Without a Strategy Doesn’t Work

Marketing without a strategy is like trying to build a house without a blueprint. Sure, you may have all the materials you need, but without a plan, you’ll have a hard time figuring out where to start, what goes where, and how to make it all come together.

The same is true for marketing. Without a strategy, you’ll have a hard time figuring out which marketing efforts are working, which aren’t, and how to allocate your resources effectively. You’ll also have a hard time measuring your success and making informed decisions about the future of your marketing efforts.

But the biggest reason marketing without a strategy doesn’t work is because it’s not focused. You may be doing a lot of things – posting on social media, sending emails, running ads – but if they’re not all working towards a common goal, they’re not going to be effective.

Think about it this way: if you’re a business coach, your goal may be to attract more clients. But if you’re posting random things on social media, sending emails about unrelated topics, and running ads for unrelated products, how is any of that going to attract more clients? It’s not.

On the other hand, if you have a marketing strategy that outlines specific actions you will take to reach your target audience and convert them into clients, you’ll be much more effective. Your marketing efforts will be focused and aligned with your goals, which means you’ll see better results.

How to Create a Marketing Strategy

Creating a marketing strategy may seem daunting, but it’s actually a fairly straightforward process. Here are the steps to follow (plus examples for both a service provider and a coach):

1. Define your goals.

What do you want to achieve with your marketing efforts? Are you trying to increase brand awareness, attract more leads, or convert more sales? Be specific and set clear, measurable goals.

Examples: An OBM might set a goal to increase website traffic by 20% in the next quarter.

A business coach might set a goal to attract 10 new clients in the next 6 months.

2. Identify your target audience.

Who are you trying to reach with your marketing efforts? Be as specific as possible. Consider things like demographics, interests, needs, and behaviors.

Examples: An OBM might identify their target audience as small business owners who need help with project management and organization.

A business coach might identify their target audience as entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses and improve their leadership skills.

3. Conduct a SWOT analysis.

A SWOT analysis is a tool that helps you identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This will give you a better understanding of your business and how it fits into the market.

Examples: An OBM might conduct a SWOT analysis to identify their strengths (such as strong project management skills and efficiency), weaknesses (such as limited budget for marketing), opportunities (such as the growing trend of outsourcing business tasks), and threats (such as competition from other OBMs).

A business coach might conduct a SWOT analysis to identify their strengths (such as a strong network and a proven track record of helping clients achieve their goals), weaknesses (such as limited time for marketing efforts), opportunities (such as the increasing demand for business coaching services), and threats (such as competition from other business coaches).

4. Determine your budget and resources.

How much money and time do you have to devote to your marketing efforts? This will help you determine which tactics are realistic and which ones may be

Examples: An OBM might determine their budget for marketing efforts by calculating how much they can allocate from their profits each month. They might also consider the time and resources they have available for marketing, such as how many hours per week they can devote to social media or email marketing.

A business coach might determine their budget for marketing efforts by considering how much they are willing to invest in paid advertising, such as Facebook Ads or Google Ads. They might also consider the time and resources they have available for marketing, such as how much time they can devote to creating content or reaching out to potential clients.

5. Choose your marketing tactics.

Based on your goals, target audience, SWOT analysis, and budget, decide which marketing tactics you will use to reach your audience and achieve your goals. Some common tactics for online service providers and business coaches include social media, email marketing, content marketing, and paid advertising.

Examples: An OBM might choose tactics such as social media marketing, content marketing, and networking to reach their target audience and achieve their goals. They might also consider paid advertising, such as Facebook Ads, to reach a wider audience.

A business coach might choose tactics such as email marketing, content marketing, and networking to reach their target audience and achieve their goals. They might also consider paid advertising, such as Google Ads, to reach a wider audience.

6. Implement and track your tactics.

Once you have chosen your tactics, it’s time to put your plan into action. Be consistent and track your results so you can see what’s working and what’s not. Make adjustments as needed.

Examples: An OBM might implement their marketing tactics by creating a social media calendar, scheduling blog posts, and networking with potential clients at events or online. They would then track their results by using tools such as Google Analytics to see how their website traffic and conversions are affected by their marketing efforts.

A business coach might implement their marketing tactics by creating an email marketing campaign, writing blog posts, and networking with potential clients at events or online. They would then track their results by using tools such as their email marketing software to see how their open and click-through rates are affected by their marketing efforts. They might also track the number of new clients they attract and the revenue they generate from those clients.

Why a Marketing Strategy is Essential for Success

Now that you know how to create a marketing strategy, you may be wondering why it’s so important. Here are a few reasons why a marketing strategy is essential for the success of your business:

1. It helps you focus your efforts.

A marketing strategy helps you prioritize your efforts and allocate your resources effectively. This means you can focus on the tactics that are most likely to help you achieve your goals, rather than wasting time and money on things that aren’t working. 

Without a marketing strategy, you may find yourself spreading your efforts too thin and not achieving any significant results. For example, a business coach who is trying to attract more clients but is posting random things on social media, sending emails about unrelated topics, and running ads for unrelated products is not likely to see much success.

2. It helps you measure success.

With a marketing strategy in place, you’ll have specific goals to measure against. This will help you see what’s working and what’s not, so you can make informed decisions about the future of your marketing efforts. 

Without a marketing strategy, you won’t have specific goals to measure against, so you won’t be able to see what’s working and what’s not. This means you won’t be able to make informed decisions about the future of your marketing efforts. For example, an OBM who is running a variety of marketing efforts but has no way of measuring their effectiveness is likely to waste time and money on tactics that aren’t working.

3. It helps you adapt to change.

The world of marketing is constantly changing, and a good marketing strategy is flexible enough to adapt to those changes. By regularly reviewing and adjusting your strategy, you can stay ahead of the curve and continue to see success. 

Without a marketing strategy, you won’t have a plan in place to adapt to changes in the market. This means you’ll be less able to respond to new opportunities and threats, which can negatively impact your business. For example, an online service provider who is not keeping up with the latest trends and technologies is likely to fall behind their competition and lose business.

So if you’re an online service provider or business coach who has been marketing your business without a strategy, it’s time to take a step back and reassess your approach. A marketing strategy will help you focus your efforts, measure your success, and adapt to change. It’s essential for the success of your business, so don’t wait any longer – start creating your marketing strategy today.

Discover a Simple and Effective Marketing Strategy with the Lead Overflow Workshop

Are you struggling to find a marketing strategy that works for you? Look no further than the Lead Overflow workshop. In just three days, you’ll learn how to build a multichannel marketing strategy that focuses on the style of marketing content you enjoy and can maintain, even when you’re busy or unmotivated. 

You’ll discover a simple daily ritual that will instantly boost your marketing confidence and a 3-peat organic marketing strategy to attract high ticket leads from multiple sources. Plus, you’ll learn how to increase your visibility and brand awareness without increasing your workload, and discover the 3 content strategies you’re failing to implement that are keeping change in your pockets instead of stacks.