book.chapter Fundamental 7 day marketing strategy

To initiate a comprehensive marketing strategy within just seven days, it is crucial to follow a daily regimen. Start by establishing clear objectives and understanding your target audience. This foundation will guide the creation of a compelling value proposition and key messaging on the second day. By the third day, select the most effective marketing channels and tools that align with your audience's preferences. The fourth day is crucial for developing engaging content and creative assets. On the fifth day, focus on setting up tracking systems for analytics and performance measurement. The sixth day is dedicated to reviewing everything and ensuring all elements are cohesive and ready for launch. Finally, on the seventh day, execute your plan, closely monitoring initial results to make adjustments as necessary. This methodical approach ensures that by the end of the week, your marketing plan is not only operational but also poised for success. Identify your target market While it is commonly believed that targeting a broader audience leads to increased profits, the reality suggests a different strategy. By honing in on a specific niche, businesses can distinguish themselves from competitors and mitigate potential customer hesitations about engaging with their services or products. Specializing rather than generalizing enhances a company's attractiveness by positioning it as an expert in a particular field. In the current business landscape, where standing out amidst the market's cacophony is challenging, focusing on a niche addresses this issue effectively. By delivering messages that precisely address the unique challenges faced by a niche, businesses implicitly demonstrate their expertise in providing the necessary solutions. This targeted approach significantly reduces customer resistance to what is being offered. Niche markets are categorized into two types, and identifying the most suitable niche involves a thorough analysis. Questions to consider include identifying the client group that currently contributes the most to your revenue, the group that is the easiest to reach and sell to, the clients you have enjoyed working with the most, those with the most urgent need for your offerings, and those who stand to gain the most from your expertise. Additionally, consider which client group you resonate with the most and in which niche you would have a clear competitive edge due to your products or services. Based on these considerations, select a niche to focus on initially. If indecision persists due to multiple appealing niches, start with a marketing plan for one and later develop a plan for another. Concentrating on a specific niche does not necessitate abandoning other business avenues. However, implementing a focused marketing strategy, such as the one week marketing plan, tends to yield better results when targeting a specific group. Develop an attractive freebie Creating an enticing free offer is a strategic move designed to pique the interest of potential clients, prompting them to signal their initial curiosity or need. This offer should be something of significant value and relevance to your target audience, ensuring it resonates deeply with their needs or desires. According to mark satterfield, the essence of this strategy lies in identifying and providing the type of information your customers are eagerly seeking. To craft such an offer, a three-step process is recommended. Firstly, decide on the delivery format of your offer. This could range from a free report, video, audio program, to software, an app, or a diagnostic tool. While the mode of delivery plays a role, the content's value is paramount, so choose a format that best suits your audience's preferences. Secondly, select a topic that will undeniably capture the attention of your target market. This involves deep reflection on what truly matters to them. Consider their most significant challenges, fears, curiosities, frustrations, and interests. Think about the myths you can dispel for them, what concerns keep them awake at night, and the potential consequences they face by overlooking certain issues. Lastly, craft a title for your offer that not only grabs attention but also stirs a strong desire in the reader to engage with your content. Titles like "a simple solution to ensure you never outlive your retirement savings," "7 warning signs your roof might leak – regardless of the weather," "20 ways to identify counterfeit perfume," "the effortless path to wealth," or "recognizing the 7 early signs of high blood pressure" serve as excellent examples. These titles are designed to intrigue and promise valuable insights. Construct a site for your offer The primary objective is to captivate visitors and encourage them to reveal their identities, thereby establishing a line of communication. This is crucial for maintaining engagement and persuading them to subscribe to your complimentary offering. In the past, marketers favored constructing single-page websites to distribute their freebies in return for contact information. However, google's disdain for such sites has led to their exclusion from its advertising platforms, including adwords. Consequently, it's now more advantageous to integrate the page promoting your free offer into your existing website, either as the main page or as an additional landing page. This strategy not only circumvents google's restrictions but also allows for the creation of multiple free offers, each targeted at a specific niche with its own dedicated landing page. Should you decide to launch a separate website for your free offer, opt for a wordpress setup. Wordpress is not only free but also comes with a blogging feature, which is its most significant benefit. By regularly adding blog posts, you can expand your site with more pages, thus steering clear of any google-related issues. The homepage of your free offer website should be straightforward yet compelling, essentially comprising five key elements. Start with a headline that directly addresses the issue you're solving or the advantage you're providing. It should be captivating, perhaps following the format "discover secrets most [audience] will never know about [topic]." for instance, "discover secrets most employees will never know about climbing the corporate ladder" or "discover secrets most homeowners will never know about boosting their property's value with minimal investment." Next, include bullet points that pique interest and outline the benefits of the report. Use intriguing templates like "why [common approach] isn't the best strategy for [goal] and the alternative plan," or "the top five strategies for [achieving a specific outcome]." Then, describe the benefits in a way that highlights the pain points, fears, and gains your report addresses. Templates such as "how to achieve [result] in just [timeframe], even if [common obstacle]," or "the one [common mistake] that 90% of [audience] make leading to [negative outcome], and how to sidestep it," can be very effective. The opt-in page is where you'll collect the visitor's contact information. Many sites now employ a two-step process, initially requesting just a name and email, and later on, more detailed contact information. This gradual approach is sensible, as it allows visitors to become more familiar with you before providing additional details. Implement ongoing marketing communications When individuals respond to your complimentary offering, they are essentially signaling their preliminary interest in your products or services. To transform these potential clients into actual buyers, it's essential to engage them with a sequence of varied marketing communications. The most straightforward method to accomplish this is by employing an autoresponder—a software tool that dispatches emails automatically to your subscribers in a predetermined order and at set intervals. You input the contact details of those who have shown interest in your freebie into the autoresponder, which then dutifully sends out your planned messages at the chosen times. A well-crafted drip-marketing campaign might consist of seven distinct messages, each dispatched at strategic intervals. The initial message is sent immediately upon their subscription, providing them with the link to download the free content they signed up for. The next day, a brief message is sent to confirm they've successfully received the download link. Three days later, a message is dispatched to inquire if they've uncovered a particular piece of valuable information in the report and to solicit their feedback, nudging them to engage with the content if they haven't already. Five days after their initial opt-in, you share an anecdote about someone who has benefited from the advice in your report, subtly indicating that others are successfully addressing their issues by heeding your guidance. After seven days, you offer additional insights or tips that weren't included in the initial report, hinting at the wealth of information you have yet to share. On the ninth day, you answer an insightful question posed by a client, including a case study that illustrates the value you've provided, and you invite further feedback regarding their unique needs and desires. Finally, eleven days into the sequence, you extend an offer for a complimentary 30-minute consultation to discuss their specific interests, suggesting potential topics for conversation. To ensure the effectiveness of this marketing sequence, it's crucial to maintain a conversational tone in your messages, as if you're speaking directly to an individual. Adopt a friendly, approachable, and supportive tone. Be assertive in your expertise, welcoming differing opinions while positioning yourself as an authority in your field. Engage your audience with compelling stories of how you've assisted others, providing enticing details without digressing. Always leave your readers eager for more by teasing the content of your next email, creating a sense of anticipation. Lastly, capitalize on current industry debates, national events, or even celebrity gossip to make your offerings appear timely and pertinent, thereby connecting your messages to these topics. Increase website visitors After setting up your complimentary offer, website, and automated marketing sequence, the next crucial step is to generate traffic to your website to initiate the marketing process. There are numerous methods to achieve this, but four widely utilized options include: Firstly, google adwords, a pay-per-click advertising service, was groundbreaking at its inception. The concept that charges only apply when someone interacts with your advertisement, indicating their interest, is highly effective. Presently, a combination of organic search results, pay-per-click, and paid advertisements is possible on google and virtually all other search engines. To begin, one must establish a google adwords account and take advantage of the plethora of tools and educational resources provided. Google ads are keyword-driven, and the platform offers keyword planners along with various other tools and resources. You are tasked with composing ads that are limited to 70 characters, constructing campaigns for these ads, and monitoring the outcomes. Secondly, bing provides similar products and services to google adwords but at a more affordable cost. By visiting bing's website and selecting "advertise," you can join the yahoo bing network. Bing's operation is quite similar to google adwords, with a few minor distinctions. Campaigns can be launched on bing with relative ease and at a lower expense. Thirdly, facebook, which surpassed one million advertisers in june 2013, is particularly effective for targeting consumers and women. Starting is as simple as clicking on the "create advert" link on your main facebook page. You'll be prompted to specify what you wish to advertise and can then proceed to design your ads. Facebook's setup resembles google's, with a 95-character limit for the ad's body, and allows for the inclusion of headlines, links, and images. Bidding is done on chosen keywords. Lastly, linkedin, the social media platform designed for professionals, enables targeted advertising based on job titles, industries, past employers, group memberships, reading habits, and other criteria. To get started, navigate to linkedin's website, click on "advertising," and then "start now." linkedin permits up to 15 different ad variations to determine the most effective one. Although linkedin's keywords are pricier, with a minimum of $2 per click, it can be highly effective for high-end products aimed at the business sector.