For the overachievers who want an A+ in marketing
|
Hello Reader, While doing some internal planning for the business yesterday, I was reflecting on a phenomenon I see so often: folks wanting to work with me or one of my colleagues (friends have shared this phenomena with me as well), but holding back because they "don't feel ready." This actually came up in one of my Alignthority® Strategy Sprints as well—that recurring question, "What do I need to do to be ready?" There are plenty of reasons why people feel this way, but the crux of it is the belief that undertaking strategic marketing planning requires you to have all the answers already. (Spoiler alert: you don't need to come with answers—that's the whole point of planning!) If you're an overachiever who feels the need to get not only an A+, but multiple gold stars, on your homework (ahem), here is my pro tip for feeling ready to create a marketing plan, whether you're getting help or going it alone: Define Your Destination. What does this mean? It is nearly impossible to strategically plan your marketing if you don't have:
This definition focuses your messaging, fuels your next best action steps, and is the driving force for your content and SEO. Within my Alignthority® system, this clarity is the foundational piece that makes everything else possible. If you skip this first step—and, yes, you have to define both sides of that destination, both your own goals and your audience's transformation—everything that follows will feel difficult. And I don’t know about you, but I hate hard. So, put your marketing planning on "easy mode" (we love easy) and Define Your Destination. Talk soon, Sarah |