Even the best marketing plans will fail if the foundations are not there. There is no marketing activity on the planet that will override a mispositioned product. To get those solid foundations nailed down, there are a few key components to consider.
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To begin, ask yourself the following questions:
- What does your company stand for?
- What problem or problems does your product solve?
- What is your target industry?
- What does your ideal customer look like - what is their job title, what are their top priorities, and are you able to articulate their pain points?
- What category is your product in?
- Who are your competitors and how do you stack up against each one?
- What are the triggers or events that make your product interesting (e.g. “just raised funding” or “hiring SDRs”)?
- What does your ideal customer journey look like?
These questions are fundamentals. No two ways about it. Before you go any further, you should be able to answer the above questions confidently and succinctly. If you can’t, you might need to spend a bit more time on what is basically a planning and setup phase. The foundations are non-negotiable and any weaknesses here will quickly become apparent during active campaigns and sales conversations.
One thing to keep in mind here however is that unlike a house, the foundations need not be set in stone. We have seen some hugely successful companies make surprising pivots that ultimately transformed their company. The other thing to bear in mind is that market feedback is hugely valuable and can help you make important tweaks that help you refine your positioning and value proposition.
Work on the Vision
Once you are crystal clear on your company mission it is time to move onto your company vision. You are moving from the current state and why you do what you do to an idealized future. What is the desired future state of your company and, importantly, how do you get there?
The reason we are focusing on these foundational activities - such as establishing the company mission and articulating your vision - is because these ideals will inform everything that you do. Every single marketing or business development campaign you run needs a solid foundation. The tactics and tools will vary, but the premise can not. Foundational failure equals campaign failure every time. The question for you as a company leader is - can you articulate your vision in a way that is ambitious, believable, strategic, and concise?
4 Tips for Perfecting Your Marketing Vision
1 - Your vision should be bold. Staying still is not an option. A company that is not ambitious and moving forward is one that will struggle.
2 - The vision must be believable. Remember, this vision will inform everything you do in your company. You need a vision that your team will believe in and carry around with them through their day to day activities.
3 - Be strategic. Your vision must be distilled to contain only the most strategic, even lofty aims. Don’t get too granular.
4 - Aim for brevity. To quote Blaise Pascal: “If I had more time, I would have written you a shorter letter”. Anything beyond two sentences is probably too long. Work on getting your vision written down, shorten it, and, once you are happy with it, shorten it again.
This post is an excerpt from our recently released B2B Startup Marketing Playbook. If you would like to read more you can access the Playbook in full here. If you have a marketing challenge you are looking for support with, you are welcome to set up a no obligation initial strategy consultation with our team.