Get Over the Overwhelm: the 3-Stage Marketing Strategy
When you’re running your own marketing, it’s hard to know where to focus first. Making a haphazard choice can set you back months - and thousands of dollars. In this blog post, you’ll learn the three key stages every successful marketing strategy needs - from foundational elements to automated systems to ongoing content. With these in place you will reach new audiences and foster engagement with old ones. All without having to worry if you’re putting your efforts in the wrong place.
The 3-Stage Marketing Strategy
Stage 1: Foundational
Get the messaging down
Creating a strong brand message that resonates with your audience is crucial. You don’t want to be scrambling when someone asks you what you do. You want to know just what to say every time. Your message must be clear, concise, and consistent across all communication channels. You want your marketing assets to help your audience understand what you do, how it makes their lives better, and how they can get it. To achieve this, you need the right tools and framework, and that's where a BrandScript, one-liner, and Brand Playbook come in. These tools empower you to build a strong brand story that engages your audience and creates a lasting impression. With the BrandScript, you Clarify your marketing message by inviting customers into a story that’s about them. A one-liner quickly piques a customer’s curiosity about your brand. And a Brand Playbook gives an overall brand identity that keeps anyone associated with your brand aligned around your marketing and messaging. By using these tools strategically, you can create an unforgettable brand that resonates with your target customers. Once you have them, though, it’s important to make sure that all of your marketing assets are using this messaging. And the first place to start is one of the most important: your website.
Stage 2: Automated
Put your messaging to work
When you don’t have a lot of time, or a big team around you, then it’s vital that you put as many things on autopilot as you can. Your website is one of your hardest working marketing assets. But if it’s not bringing in new subscribers or new business, it’s not working hard enough.
In this stage, you take your BrandScript and one-liner and incorporate them throughout your website. You want your website to clearly invite customers into a story in which your product or service solves their problem. Within seconds of going to your site, they should know what you offer, how it’s going to make their lives better, and how they can get it. And they should be able to at least take the first step to get it very easily on your site. All of that needs to happen without you being involved.
If people who come to your site aren’t ready to pay you right away, they may be ready to pay attention. That’s where you want to offer them something for free in exchange for their email address: a video series, downloadable pdf, or even six-episode podcast series. They should be able to input their email and get the thing right away. Without you being involved.
Once you get their information, then you want to follow up with them with a series of emails that leads them to a sale. Again, you want this all to happen without you being involved.
After these steps of Stage 2 are set up, then you can work on the relentless part of marketing. Read on for more.
Stage 3: Ongoing
Nurture and New
Okay, so now that you have your messaging, and you have a way that people can learn about your brand, buy from you, and subscribe to your email list without you being involved it’s time to focus on the never ending part of marketing.
In this stage you focus on your social media content and your nurturing emails. With social media, you start implementing the PAGER method to simpify your social media and make sure that you are moving the needle on your business goals.
You’ll also want to start a nurturing email sequence by regularly sending emails to your audience. They may not need what you are offering right away, but when they do, you will be one of the first companies that comes to mind.
More about the Ongoing Stage of Marketing
What stage are you on?
Now you know the three stages of successful marketing, and have a realization of where to focus your efforts. Knowing it all can feel daunting, but don’t fret. Most companies who have taken these steps are benefitting from increased exposure without having to put in extra hours. Even if you only take it one step at a time, you’ll soon be surprised with how far your marketing has come. If you’re missing any of the three components mentioned above, take the StoryBrand Marketing Assessment now and see what parts of your marketing need improvement. With the tips in this blog post and customized answers from the assessment, you will be able to improve your brand presence and create a truly successful marketing strategy that leads to customer growth. All it takes is a small commitment on your part—give yourself permission to go for it and start focusing on success today!
