How to Create a Solid Marketing Foundation

There are probably a thousand marketing strategies you could employ at any given time. They come in all shapes and sizes. All you need to do is pick one and get started. But before you do, it’s important to have a strong and solid foundation underlying your marketing. This is the basis on which your ultimate success rests.

It's important to have a strong and solid foundation underlying your marketing before you do anything else. Share on X

 

Core Values

Your core values are the principles that underlie everything your organisation believes, says, or does. It’s important to define these core values since they have such a huge effect on the direction your business will take. Without clearly defined core values, you’re just wandering around rudderless.

For example, you might choose ‘innovation’ as a core value. This means that everything your business does should in some way be innovative. If your customers know you for this, you’ll know to avoid products, strategies, or methods that are outdated or appear ordinary.

Your core values are the principles that underlie everything your organisation believes, says, or does. Share on X

 

Natural Strengths

An important part of a business’s foundation is an understanding of its natural strengths. Natural strengths are the things you’re good at without really trying. These are the qualities of your organisation’s ‘personality’.

Your natural strength might be your effortlessly friendly customer service. Knowing that you talk to your customers just like old, close friends, you might choose an email marketing campaign as a marketing strategy since it’s an intimate and friendly way to market to your audience.

Understand your business' natural strengths. These are the things you're good at without really trying. Share on X

 

Long-Term Goals

Your organisation’s foundation should rest on clear and well-defined long-term goals. Long-term goals should show the direction you’ll take in the next five, ten, or even twenty years.

These goals align with the core values and fundamentals of your business. But they also tell you where to go once you’ve reached a short-term goal. For example, you might grow your social media following to 1,000 people, but what are you then going to do you do with them? Look to your long-term goals to guide your next efforts.

Long-term goals should show the direction you'll take in the next five, ten, or even twenty years. They align with the core values and fundamentals of your business. Share on X

 

Creating a Solid Foundation

A solid foundation gets your employees on the same page. It provides a map of where your business is going and also defines the culture of your company so that it’s clear and everyone knows where they stand.

A solid foundation defines the culture of your company and makes it clear so that everyone knows where they stand. Share on X

I was brought into one business to turn it around as its performance had been heading steadily south for a while. When I started there, I soon realised there was a culture of Chinese whispers, consultant-fatigue and, as a result, a belief that the parent company was going to close the division down. Quickly recognising that, for this business to grow, it needed a culture of open communication and confidence and belief in itself, I re-established a solid foundation and the business took off! Within two years it became the best performing division in the company and maintained that position for many years more.

 

Key Business Fundamentals

Before you get started on any marketing push, start by defining a few key business fundamentals:

1. What are your core values? Core values can be expressed as single words like ‘diversity’, ‘results-oriented’, ‘service’, or ‘flexibility’.
2. Work out your natural strengths. Try to think of the compliments you get from customers. What do they praise you for that comes naturally to you?
3. Identify a unique value proposition. This is a statement that explains what benefit you bring those who use your product or service, and what separates you from competitors.
4. Create a list of long-term goals that reach beyond the next year or next few years. Imagine where you want your organisation to be at specific points in the future such as five years, ten years, and so on.

Once you’ve done this, write it up in a way that’s easy for everyone in your organisation to understand and communicate it clearly to them.

If you need help to create a solid marketing foundation for your business then book a free 30-minute marketing review session with me.