Learn the Framework First

Welcome to the Foundations First Marketing Framework.

Before you dive into your Toolkit, I want you to understand why it’s organized the way it is.

This approach will help you stay focused on doing the right things, not just more things…which leads to being overworked and over budget without getting better results.

If you want streamlined, efficient marketing, this is the way to get there.

These are what I would consider the 20 foundational marketing building blocks.

If these are not set up, everything you do will take more time and money than it needs to. Everything will feel way harder than it needs to be. And I’m talking EVERYTHING down to a single social post.

Here’s where things go wrong.

Most businesses spend most of their time and energy in this outer execution ring. They are focused on doing a bunch of stuff. Social posts, ads, newsletter, trade shows and tons of blog posts.

How can you possibly write content if you don’t know who your target market is? How do you know which trade shows to sponsor?

How can you run ads if you haven’t defined your value proposition?

The short answer – you can’t. I mean, you can, but it’s not going to be good and it’s going to waste a small fortune.

Unfortunately this is where a lot of businesses are.

I have a different approach.

Let’s start with what you’re trying to accomplish in the first place.

Instead of starting with the fun tactics that get bloated and scattered…

You start with your vision – where you want to go with your company…I’m not talking a mission statement. I’m talking nitty gritty brass tacks vision.

So think 5-10 years down the road.

What do you REALLY want?

Do you want to serve 100,000 customers?

Do you want to get acquired by Microsoft?

Do you want to expand to all 50 states or go international?

Notice I’m talking specifics in these examples…

It’s not “I want to make the world a better place” … it’s more… “I want to end child homelessness in my city.”

One is measurable. One is not.

From that vision you figure out how to measure towards it…those are your KPIs (key performance indicators)…

….and you use a budget to set your guardrails around what is realistic and possible. It also keeps you prioritizing your efforts and prevents distractions.

From there you define your brand message to attract your target markets…build the products… that are all going to get you closer to that vision.

Absolutely everything you do is geared towards your vision.

So you ask…what target markets are going to help get us there?

What products and services should we offer to get us closer to that vision?

When you know where you’re going and you know what to sell…and who to sell it to…

THEN…you can look at the fun execution tactics like writing blog posts…posting on social media…running ads…going to events and trade shows.

But here’s the difference.

It’s not, “I think we need a company newsletter”

Now it’s asking “would a newsletter delight our target market and get us closer to our vision?”

You are focused on getting closer to the vision not the doing of the task. 

I hope you can see why this approach keeps your marketing efforts lean.

At the end of the day I want you focused on the right things, not just more things.

Now enjoy your tools and training videos as we dive deeper into each of these 20 marketing building blocks.