Take a Step Back

Jumping in with both feet and getting started with online marketing is commendable. But it’s also a good way to spin your wheels and spend money needlessly.

If your online marketing efforts aren’t generating the results you had hoped for, them it’s time to take a step back to assess what it’s going to take to get things on track.

Ask yourself the following questions to gauge your commitment to executing on key marketing and business development activities:

Business Objectives

• What specific business results do you want to achieve through your online marketing activities, and are your online strategies aligned with these objectives?
• Are you measuring your performance to ensure that your business objectives are being supported?

Segmentation

• Are you clear about the market segments that you are targeting through your online marketing efforts?
• Are you develop a data base of prospects that meet your segmentation criteria?
• Have you validated that your chosen segment(s) present enough of an opportunity to allow you to achieve your growth objectives?

Market Analysis

• When was the last time you asked a typical prospect how they make a buying decision?
• Do your online activities align with their how they make decisions?
• When was the last time you asked a typical prospect how they perceive you and your competitors?
• What are your competitors doing to market their businesses online?

Positioning and Differentiation Strategy

• Have you validated that your Positioning and Differentiation Strategy truly makes you unique?
• Is your positioning stratgy clearly articulated in all your online communications activities?

Marketing and Sales Process

• Have you mapped out an end to end process to:

1. Generate the leads you require to fill your sales pipeline?
2. Educate your prospect through the decision making cycle?
3. Optimize your close (conversion) rate?
4. Leverage your existing customer base?

• Do your online activities and content support your end to end business development process?

Marketing Communications Plan

• Have you developed a communications plan and schedule to consistently execute online marketing activities?
• Have you allocated enough money to execute your plan and, if so, are you consistently executing?
• Are you measuring the results of your online marketing activities?

These questions will help you determine whether your online marketing efforts are focused on the right issues.

Once you know what you should be doing, then it’s about consistently executing. This is what creates traction and momentum, and ultimately leads to the predictable and sustainable growth that your business development efforts are supposed to drive.

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