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The Easiest Way to Make Your Marketing Effective

Has marketing your business ever felt like throwing spaghetti at a wall to see what sticks… and nothing sticks? Well, in this article, I will explain how answering three basic yet very important questions will make every single spaghetti, macaroni, or whatever noodle you throw at the wall STICK! I’m sorry! You will be disappointed if you’re reading this and expecting me to reveal my grandmother’s secret spaghetti sauce recipe. But if you are looking for the easiest way to make your marketing effective and efficient, you’re in the right place because I’m about to give you my three-question secret formula!

Table of contents

WHO: Who Is Most Likely to Buy Your Product or Service?

HOW: How Are You Going to Reach Them?

WHAT: Messaging. What Do You Say

Where to Start

Like any good spaghetti sauce recipe, it all starts with fresh, simple ingredients. So does marketing. Look… I own a small business, too. I know running a small business can be quite a burden. Managing everything from marketing to payroll, sales, delivery, customers, etc., can be difficult. When businesses feel pressured to boost sales, they often rush headfirst into marketing because their sales pipeline depends on generating good leads. And so, the all-too-familiar marketing cycle begins: Find a person or a marketing agency, listen to their pitch, and if it sounds good, hire them. If the leads start coming in, great! But if they don’t, quickly fire them and move on to the next person or marketing company, hoping you’ll get it right now. Now, if you find the right marketing guy or agency that delivers the leads you need, fantastic – you’re in the clear for a while. But all too often, businesses struggle with either not getting enough leads or paying far too much for the ones they do get. The result? Marketing becomes a revolving door of trial and error, frustration, and wasted resources, and – the spaghetti you throw at the wall doesn’t stick! So, here’s the thing: I’ve always believed in doing things right from the get-go. So, when answering the question, “Where do I start with marketing?” my answer is simple: Don’t rush into marketing just for the sake of “doing marketing.” Instead, take the time necessary to do the groundwork, the research that will set your marketing up for success. This is where my secret formula comes into play. It’s not about jumping into tactics or campaigns right away; it’s about laying the foundation for effective marketing.

The Purpose of a Business from a Marketing Perspective

Ok, one last thing before I give you my marketing spaghetti recipe.

You could scroll down, but hang with me for a second.

From a marketing perspective, the purpose of a business is crystal clear:

TO GENERATE AND RETAIN CUSTOMERS

This is the heartbeat of any successful company and is the primary goal of every marketing effort. If your marketing isn’t bringing in customers and helping you keep them, something’s off.

So, marketing is not just about getting people through the door (or onto your website); it’s about ensuring they stick around. That means attracting the right customers and creating enough value and engagement that they keep coming back for more.

If your marketing efforts aren’t driving new customers or helping you retain the ones you have, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

Remember, marketing is more than just flashy campaigns or a few ads here and there to say, “You’re doing marketing. ” It’s the lifeline that sustains your customer base. And without customers, there’s no business.

So, if your marketing isn’t working as you want it to, it’s worth taking a step back and reassessing your approach. At the end of the day, if your marketing isn’t generating and retaining customers, it’s not doing its job.

Three Questions You Need to Answer to Make Your Marketing Effective

Ah… finally, the three questions you’ve been waiting for.

When marketing, three simple yet over-overlooked questions that, when answered, can make or break your entire strategy:

WHO?
HOW?
WHAT?

Now, these seem simple, but you will be surprised how many businesses skimp over these questions. Don’t research; instead, jump straight into the marketing part.

I’ll also tell you that you’ll be even more surprised at how many marketing agencies will do the tiniest amount of work to find this out and then start running your ads or whatever you hired them to do.

So forgive me if I take a bit of time here to discuss some of the mistakes small businesses should avoid:

Assuming You Already Know Your Audience Without Surveys: Many companies make the mistake of thinking they already know who their product or service applies to. This is often because it’s obvious. But if you keep reading, you’ll see when I ask, “WHO?” I am not asking, “Who could benefit?” or “Who is it for?” or “Who can we sell it to?” or many of the common questions you hear. No, I’m asking WHO WILL BUY IT. And if you never ask, you’ll never know. This assumption can lead you down the wrong path without conducting surveys or gathering actual data.

Believing Your Product is for “Everyone”: I’m not trying to offend anyone here but too many small businesses tell me their product or service is for EVERYONE. Or “Anybody that wants to __________.” While it might be true that anyone could benefit from your service or product, it’s almost always more effective to niche down and target a specific audience. By narrowing your focus, you’ll create a stronger connection with the people most likely to buy.

Skipping Proper Research: This one is obvious, and as I discussed above, many companies need to do more than just the research step. It is critical to take the time to conduct thorough research and surveys. Too often, businesses rush into marketing without having the correct data, which leads to poorly targeted campaigns that don’t resonate with their audience.

Half-Hearted Research: Even if you do the research, skimping on it or not digging deep enough can be just as bad as not doing it at all. You need to ensure your research provides the correct answers—answers that will effectively guide your marketing decisions.

WHO: Who Is Most Likely to Buy Your Product or Service?

A deep understanding of your audience is at the core of every successful marketing strategy. Knowing who will likely buy your product or service is the foundation for everything else. You need to know this to avoid targeting the wrong people, wasting your marketing dollars, and seeing the results you want. As you probably see by now, marketing to “everyone” isn’t always practical. Yes, your product might benefit a wide range of people, but that doesn’t mean everyone is your ideal customer. By zeroing in on a specific target audience, you’re better able to speak directly to their needs and desires, which increases the likelihood of converting them into loyal customers.
Tips for Getting the Right Data: Surveys and Questionnaires: Send surveys to your current customers or prospective audience to gather demographic data, interests, and purchasing behaviors. Customer Interviews: Conduct one-on-one interviews with customers to learn more about their motivations, challenges, and why they chose your product. Analytics Tools: Use website and social media analytics to see who engages with your content. Look at age, location, interests, and buying patterns. Pro tip when facing competition: Positioning yourself in the marketplace is critical. You might have lots of competition, so you have two main options: go after the same audience and try to differentiate yourself, or find an untapped segment your competitors overlook. Knowing who you’re targeting gives you a more straightforward path to success.

HOW: How Are You Going to Reach Them?

Now that you know who is most likely to buy your product or service, let’s figure out how you will reach them.

This means understanding what channels they use to discover and purchase products like yours. Are they scrolling through Instagram, browsing Facebook, shopping on Amazon, or preferring recommendations from friends? Knowing where they spend their time is crucial for placing your marketing in front of the right eyes.

Knowing how to reach your audience ensures that your marketing dollars are spent in the right places. Without this understanding, you could be investing in channels your audience doesn’t use. The proper channels will allow you to connect with your audience when they’re most open to receiving your message.

Three Questions You Need to Answer to Make Your Marketing Effective

Channel Research: Use tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and customer surveys to determine where your audience spends most of their time online. Buying Behavior Surveys: Ask your customers how they heard about your product. Was it through social media, word of mouth, or a physical store? This will help you identify the channels most effective for reaching them. A/B Testing: Experiment with different channels, like email, social media, and paid ads, to see which ones perform best in terms of engagement and conversions.

WHAT: Messaging. What Do You Say to Them?

Now that you know who you’re targeting and how to reach them, the next step is figuring out what to say. Your messaging is vital to making an emotional connection with your audience. People buy for two main reasons: to solve a problem or to see how a product makes them feel. Your message should speak directly to these motivations. You have only a few seconds to grab someone’s attention in today’s crowded digital space. If your message doesn’t resonate with your audience on an emotional level or communicate how your product solves their problem, they’ll move on without a second thought.

Tips for Crafting the Right Message:

Customer Research: Review your surveys and interviews. What are your customers’ pain points? What solutions are they looking for? Your message should address these needs directly.

Test Your Messaging: Try different versions of your ads or website copy (A/B testing) to see what resonates best with your audience. This could be different headlines, calls to action, or emotional triggers.

Focus on Benefits, Not Features: People don’t just want to know what your product does; they want to know how it will improve their lives. Speak about the emotional or practical benefits of using your product.

Answering the WHO, HOW, and WHAT of your marketing strategy is not just important—it’s essential. It’s the difference between a scattershot approach that yields unpredictable results and a targeted, practical plan that drives real growth. Take the time to research and deeply understand these three questions, and your marketing will be far more successful in the short and long term.

So… while you didn’t wind up with my grandmother’s spaghetti recipe, I hope you found this article helpful in understanding the importance of answering the fundamental marketing questions of WHO, HOW, and WHAT.

And… If you need assistance with your marketing efforts, I’m here to help. I offer marketing consulting to any business that requires support, and if there’s a way my company, Key Marketing Strategies, can assist, we’d be happy to jump in. Here’s to successful marketing and taking your business to the next level!

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