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…what are you waiting for?
I’m all for having a plan when it comes to marketing. To just start flailing around is usually a waste of money and opportunity. But for many businesses, the need for a plan and the “right” time is just an excuse to do absolutely nothing.
I’m also absolutely positive that there is one marketing tactic that you KNOW you should be doing but for some reason you haven’t started it yet.
Maybe you don’t have the perfect name for your newsletter. Perhaps you aren’t sure if you have the stamina to blog. Or something might happen in the 4th quarter that would negate the momentum of the initiative (translation = you’re scared).
Just start. Don’t put it off for another minute.
You are letting your head get in the way of your marketing gut. Maybe you can’t explain why you know it’s the right choice or you have never done it before so you’re worried you’ll do it wrong — whatever is stopping you — get out of your own way.
Call it a pilot program or a test run. In your own head, make it sound like it’s no big deal. However you have to psych yourself out/up — do it.
Marketing is an every day thing. Not a special day thing. It’s not the Thanksgiving china — it’s the Corelle dishes you use on Mondays (and Tuesdays…). So get over yourself and just make this happen.
How can you actually get this done?
- Starting right now — create a list of what you need to have/do to launch.
- Set a date. A firm date that you’re not going to miss.
- Tell someone (your team, your boss, your customers) that you’re going to do it and when (i.e. We’re launching our company Facebook fan page on Oct 1!)
- Create a reward for yourself/team to celebrate the launch (it can be as simple as ice cream cones to as big as a day off)
- Start chipping away at the list. Now. Today.
You have 4 months left in 2011. There’s always going to be a reason not to start. Isn’t it time that you just did it anyway?
BRILLIANT post, Drew! You nailed it, sir. As a business strategist, my time is often spent convincing which can end up with a prospect that seems to want to improve yet does nothing and the sound of crickets fill the air.
Anytime after NOW.
Kneale,
Fear can be a very powerful influence and often times, it is literally and figuratively paralyzing. Like you, we often find ourselves sitting with clients who desperately want something different but for the life of them, cannot move forward.
The idea of possibly doing it wrong seems somehow more horrific than not doing anything, which they know is wrong.
Drew
Hey Drew,
Very often people are stuck at point 1 – “create a list of what you need to have/do to launch”
More than fear I think it is a lack of a **crystal clear** vision of what one wants to achieve that paralyzes people.
To prevent this from happening it is important to create this plan in 2 phases:
Phase 1: The general steps
Phase 2: The details
Let’s imagine that your client wants to launch a new digital product in a specific market.
The General Steps would be something like:
1 – Analyze the top 3 products in the market
2 – Make sure your client’s product is of a higher caliber.
3 – Generate buzz about the coming launch of the product
4 – Launch product
5 – Have the new customers talk positively about the product
The details would be something like:
1 – Analyze the top 3 products in the market
a/ Make a list of as many related products as possible
b/ Check existing reviews for all these products
c/ Check on forums what people are saying about them
d/ Keep a list of the top 3 recommended ones – and WHY they are recommended
2 – Make sure your client’s product is of a higher caliber.
a/ Does the client’s product have the “things” that the top 3 products have? (the ones that were mentioned by people recommending them). If not then have the client add them.
b/ Look at the sales pages of these products and make a list of all the features/benefits they provide. Does the client’s product have them? If not then have the client add them.
3 – Generate buzz about the coming launch of the product
a/ …
etc…
Well you get the idea… that’s just a very quick explanation of the approach but I have found that creating the plan you mentioned in step 1 is easier if you do it in 2 phases.
May I suggest that you read the following post I published sometimes ago?
http://vitavee.com/forums/thread-1554.html
It is not 100% related but extremely close.
Vita Vee