The best Marketing Strategy involves developing your Branding Strategy and Building Your Brand. Why do I call my company Image & Branding? Because you must develop a Brand that establishes an Image consistent with your company’s unique value. When Branding and Marketing, you should be focused on selling the benefit. Ask yourself the following questions to help you develop a strategic Brand Identity that will highlight your company’s unique value.

1. Is Your Business Concept Defined? Your Business concept is a brief, clear statement of the specific type of products/services you provide. What you do for clients must be crystal clear for the purposes of a Marketing Strategy. For example, rather than stating you are a Branding Consultant, specify that you are a Branding Consultant specializing in establishing women owned businesses as major name brands.

2. Who is Your Target Market? Rather than casting your net far and wide, have a niche. This allows you to tailor your products/services to your clearly defined target market. For example, you target market is not just small or medium size businesses, but it’s women owned businesses. Or perhaps it’s women owned businesses in a particular geographic area.

3. Who Are Your Main Competitors? While there is plenty of business to go around, it is still an important part of your Marketing Strategy to identify who else provides the products/services within your niche. Review their business Image (website, blog, methods of doing business etc) and determine how your business is distinguished from theirs.

4. What is Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP)? Your UPV is the value/benefit that clients receive from your business and your business alone. For example, you may include more in a given package than other businesses in your niche. Or maybe, you make yourself more readily available to your clients making it more convenient for clients to work with you. Your UPV is one of the most crucial aspects of your Marketing Strategy.

5. What is Your Fresh Marketing Strategy?You want to market to a brand new audience. There are several marketing options including maximizing your online marketing, blogging, complete and active profiles, pages, ads on social media, digital business cards, online and offline networking, and phenomenal promotional events. Clients work with me to discuss fresh ways to promote their business.

6. Don’t Have the Time? Executing the plan is the hard part. Some of my clients simply hire me to do what I just taught you here and the many other things I couldn't cover in this article. My company uses various marketing tools (Social Media, PR, Event Management, and Community Relations) to provide exposure and create more business for your company. See some of our Branding events on Facebookand find out about opportunities for your business. Please Like our page here!

So there you have it! Some questions to help you get the ball rolling on establishing your Brand Identity and having a killer Marketing Strategy, instead of a Marketing Strategy that’s Dead. Enjoy!

Build your Brand. Build your Business.