Your company’s image is its brand, and so the brand becomes the embodiment of the features and benefits of the company itself. To lay a strong foundation communicating your company’s value proposition internally and externally, you must ensure your brand foundation is solidly in place. In fact, according to Forbes, consistent brand presentation across all platforms increases revenue by up to 23%. By defining the key elements supporting your brand you can ensure your brand is well-positioned from others in the market.
As you’re developing a marketing plan, there are a few things to keep in mind. The first: It’s 2017. Your website is now the center of your marketing universe. It is the most valuable marketing asset your company has, and your plan should incorporate it to full effect. Next, your plan needs the ability to scale if necessary. Keep your company’s goals and objectives in mind. Over the next year, where is your business headed? Think about the markets you’ll exist in, the markets you plan to enter, the products or services you already offer and the ones you’ll introduce over the next 12 months. From there, figure out what success looks like, both to you and to those running your business. Can your marketing plan scale up for success beyond that? If it can, and if you can get your marketing plan to align with your executive team’s goals, selling them on it will be a much simpler task.
In today’s business environment, marketing must generate a measurable revenue stream. This means that when you invest in marketing strategies, tactics and tools, you must be able to capture and measure the return. Taking this revenue generating approach will allow marketing to become a stronger sales partner and take on more and more of the heavy lifting in the sales process. But what tactics can you use to pivot and make revenue marketing a reality in your business?
Bridging the Gap
If you think of yourself as a Marketing or Sales professional, then you likely have direct experience navigating the chasm that can exist between the Marketing & Sales teams. Even though both teams are working to achieve revenue goals and company growth, Marketing & Sales have very different approaches. The difference in these approaches is equal to the gap or chasm between the two sides.