Let’s face it—marketing in 2025 feels like a whirlwind. AI tools are everywhere. They’re writing copy, designing graphics, analyzing data, and sliding into your inbox with “game-changing” promises daily.
But here’s the real talk: just because you can automate everything doesn’t mean you should.
If you want to build a brand people actually trust and connect with, you’ve gotta keep the human part of marketing alive. And in a world that’s getting noisier by the second, that might just be your biggest advantage.
Let’s walk through how to actually do that.
Start with Strategy—Not Shiny Objects
New AI tools are fun. But chasing every single one is like trying to drink from a firehose.
You need a plan.
If you don’t have a clear strategy—who you serve, what you stand for, how you solve problems—AI won’t fix that. It’ll just help you screw it up faster.
Before you plug into the next “must-have” tech, ask:
Empathy, context, tone, real human understanding? That’s on you.
The marketers who are going to thrive are the ones who can actually read a situation, listen well, and build trust—not just crank out perfectly formatted content. That human connection? That’s your edge.
Storytelling Is Your Superpower
Look, AI can generate blog posts all day long—but it can’t tell your story.
Your actual experience. That awkward client meeting that turned into a breakthrough. The late-night idea that changed your business. That’s the stuff people connect with.
So don’t hold back. Tell your story. Be real. That’s how you build trust (and stand out from all the generic, AI-generated noise).
Know Your Voice—and Stick to It
The fastest way to lose credibility? Sounding like a robot.
You’ve got a voice. Whether it’s laid-back and funny or sharp and straight-shooting, your audience knows it—and they expect it.
So if you’re using AI to help with content (which, hey, go for it), make sure it still sounds like you. Your voice is part of your brand. Own it.
Get Personal
We’ve all gotten those “Hi [FirstName]!” emails that feel anything but personal.
Now that AI can access more data, personalization is getting way more interesting—and way more powerful.
Imagine sending someone an email at the exact time they’re usually online… with content that directly speaks to what they just posted about on LinkedIn… and a product suggestion that actually solves the problem they’re dealing with.
That’s where this is headed. The brands that do this well are going to win.
Use AI to Boost Your Team—Not Replace Them
Let’s squash the fear: AI isn’t here to steal your job—it’s here to kill the stuff you hate doing.
What’s left for you and your team? Strategy. Creativity. Relationship-building. The high-impact work that actually grows your business.
So instead of thinking, “How do we replace people with AI?” ask, “How can we free up our people to do what they’re best at?”
You Don’t Have to Master It All Today
AI is moving fast. That doesn’t mean you need to learn every tool or automate every part of your business this week.
Take a breath.
Pick one tool or use case. Try it. Learn. Keep going.
Better yet, find a few smart people you trust and share what you’re learning. Start a mini mastermind. Talk about what’s working, what’s not, and how to stay grounded while still moving forward.
Because this new wave of marketing? It’s not about choosing between human or machine—it’s about finding the right mix.
Strategic planning is one of those things that’s easy to push off because, let’s face it, running a business keeps you busy. But here’s the deal: if you don’t have a clear plan, it’s way harder to hit your goals. You’ll just be spinning your wheels instead of moving forward.
At Duct Tape Marketing, we’ve been tweaking our strategic planning process for years, and it’s been a game-changer. Since we started using this approach, we’ve grown our revenue by over 20% every year.
If you’re ready to map out your best year yet, let’s take a look at how we do it.
What Is Strategic Planning, Really?
Strategic planning is just a fancy way of saying you’re making a plan to reach your goals and figuring out how to take action. It’s about thinking big (one-year and three-year goals) and then breaking it down into smaller, manageable chunks you can focus on every quarter.
A lot of people skip strategic planning because they feel too busy, or they don’t follow through after they make the plan. That’s why having a simple system makes all the difference.
Our Go-To Framework for Strategic Planning
At Duct Tape Marketing, we mix mindset, goal-setting, and action steps into a process that actually works. Here’s how:
1. Get Clear on What Matters to You
Before you dive into business goals, take a minute to think about your personal values. What drives you? What matters most? When you’re clear on this, it’s way easier to stay motivated and make decisions that align with what you care about.
Try This:
Grab a notebook (or our handy spreadsheet) and brainstorm what’s important to you. Is it work-life balance? Making an impact? Financial security? Once you have your list, rank your top 10. These are your guideposts for staying focused and grounded as you plan.
2. Lay the Foundation for Your Business
Your business needs a strong foundation. This means knowing your purpose, values, what makes you unique, and who your ideal customers are. This step sets the stage for everything else you’ll do—from marketing to operations.
Ask Yourself:
Why does my business exist? What’s the deeper purpose?
What values define how we operate and interact with clients?
How are we different from competitors in our space?
Who are we trying to help? What do they need from us?
Taking the time to answer these questions creates clarity and ensures every decision you make aligns with your bigger picture.
3. Write Down Your Goals
If you don’t write it down, it’s not a real goal—it’s just a wish. Studies show that people who write their goals are way more likely to achieve them. For your business, focus on revenue and profit targets for the next year and three years.
SMARTER Goals:
We use a twist on the classic SMART goals. Our SMARTER goals are:
Specific: Clear and actionable.
Measurable: Define success with numbers.
Achievable: Set a stretch goal, but keep it realistic.
Relevant: Align with your overall strategy.
Time-Based: Set a deadline.
Empowering: Goals should inspire you and your team.
Reflective: Make sure they align with your values and purpose.
4. Figure Out Your “Why”
This one’s huge. Why do your goals matter? When things get tough (and they will), your “why” is what keeps you going and reminds you why you started in the first place.
Example:
“I want to grow revenue by 20% because it will let me provide stability for my family, expand my team, and give back to my community.”
A strong “why” is like a north star—it keeps you motivated and focused no matter what challenges come your way.
5. Plan Quarterly Priorities
Breaking your big goals into quarterly priorities makes them way less overwhelming. Plus, it gives you a chance to adjust as things change, whether that’s in your business or the market.
What to Do:
Set a specific revenue target for the quarter.
Identify three main priorities to focus on.
Break each priority into smaller projects with clear deadlines and team assignments.
By tackling one quarter at a time, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and build momentum towards your bigger goals.
6. Schedule Time for Your Plan
All the planning in the world won’t help if you don’t take action. Block time on your calendar to work on your priorities—and treat it like an unbreakable meeting.
Pro Tip:
Experiment with what works for you. Maybe you dedicate Mondays to strategy or block out mornings for focused work. The key is sticking to your schedule and showing up for yourself just like you would for a client or team meeting.
How AI Can Make Planning Easier
AI tools like ChatGPT can help you work smarter and make strategic planning more effective. Here’s how:
Analyze your data for trends, opportunities, and patterns.
Compare your priorities to long-term goals to ensure alignment.
Use AI to streamline repetitive tasks, freeing up time for high-level thinking and strategy.
AI isn’t just a tool—it’s like having a data analyst and assistant by your side, helping you make better decisions faster.
Tying It All Back to Marketing
Strategic planning isn’t just for operations—it’s the foundation for effective marketing too. At Duct Tape Marketing, we use a Marketing Strategy Pyramid that builds on your business strategy. Once you know where you’re headed, you can create a marketing plan that supports your goals and drives real results.
Let’s Get Started
Ready to make a plan for 2025? Make a copy and download our strategic planning spreadsheet and start mapping out your goals. If you’re feeling stuck or want help taking your plan to the next level, let’s chat. We’re passionate about helping businesses create strategies that actually work.
Marketing is a word that can stir up a lot of emotions for business owners. For some, it’s excitement – the thrill of attracting new customers and watching your business grow.
But for many, it’s more like frustration, confusion, and even dread. Why?
Because marketing today can feel incredibly complex. There are countless channels to manage, strategies to execute, and metrics to track. It’s no wonder so many business owners feel overwhelmed.
But what if I told you that marketing doesn’t have to be complicated?
What if there was a way to cut through the noise and focus on what really matters?
That’s exactly what I’m going to show you today with the Marketing Snapshot – a simple, yet powerful tool that can transform your approach to marketing and set your business up for success.
Let’s start with a harsh truth: most businesses overcomplicate their marketing. It’s not your fault – the marketing world is filled with shiny objects, new trends, and endless tools that promise to deliver incredible results. The problem is that chasing these trends often leads to fragmented efforts, wasted time, and frustration. Instead of clarity, you get confusion. Instead of results, you get noise.
Here’s what I’ve learned after years of working with small business owners: the best marketing is simple. Simple because it’s focused. Simple because it’s consistent. Simple because it’s based on a system.
Marketing Snapshot Training With John Jantsch
Tired of feeling overwhelmed by marketing?
In this hands-on training, I’ll guide you through creating a clear, actionable one-page Marketing Snapshot that cuts through the noise and sets you on a path to success. Learn the key elements of a winning strategy, and leave with a personalized plan you can put into action right away.
Let’s simplify your marketing and get results.
The Solution: A Simple, Systematic Approach
What if you could distill your entire marketing strategy onto one page? What if you had a clear, concise plan that guided every marketing decision you made? That’s the idea behind the Marketing Snapshot.
The Marketing Snapshot is a one-page tool designed to capture the essential elements of your marketing strategy. It’s not about cramming everything you do onto a single page – it’s about focusing on what really matters. It helps you identify your ideal client, craft a compelling core message, and choose the right channels to reach your audience. It’s a simple, systematic approach that brings clarity and direction to your marketing efforts.
Breaking Down the Marketing Snapshot
So, what exactly does the Marketing Snapshot include? Let’s walk through each section.
1. Ideal Client
This is where it all begins. You can’t create an effective marketing strategy if you don’t know who you’re trying to reach. The Ideal Client section helps you define exactly who your best customers are – not just in terms of demographics, but also their needs, challenges, and behaviors. By understanding your ideal client, you can tailor your marketing efforts to attract more people like them.
2. Core Message
Your core message is the heart of your marketing. It’s the promise you make to your customers – the reason they should choose you over your competitors. In this section, you’ll craft a message that resonates with your ideal client, speaks to their pain points, and clearly communicates the value you offer.
3. Core Channels
With your ideal client and core message defined, the next step is to figure out where to reach them. The Core Channels section helps you identify the most effective marketing channels for your business. Whether it’s social media, email, content marketing, or something else, this section ensures that your efforts are focused where they’ll have the biggest impact.
4. Brand Strategy
Your brand is more than just a logo or tagline – it’s the perception people have of your business. In this section, you’ll define your brand’s mission, vision, and values, and ensure that everything you do aligns with your brand identity. A strong brand strategy helps you build trust and loyalty with your customers.
5. Growth Strategy
This section is all about scaling your business. Whether it’s through new product lines, expanding into new markets, or increasing customer lifetime value, your Growth Strategy will outline the steps you need to take to achieve your business goals.
6. Customer Strategy
Your marketing doesn’t end once someone becomes a customer. The Customer Strategy section maps out the entire customer journey – from awareness to advocacy. It ensures that you’re not only attracting customers but also nurturing them into loyal, repeat buyers who refer others to your business.
Why the Marketing Snapshot Works
You might be wondering, “Can something this simple really make a difference?” The answer is a resounding yes.
The Marketing Snapshot works because it forces you to focus on the most important aspects of your marketing strategy. It eliminates the distractions and helps you see the big picture.
Here’s why it’s so effective:
Clarity: With everything distilled onto one page, you gain a clear understanding of what you need to do and why. No more second-guessing or getting lost in the weeds.
Focus: The Marketing Snapshot helps you prioritize your efforts. Instead of spreading yourself thin across dozens of tactics, you focus on the strategies that will have the biggest impact.
Consistency: Marketing success doesn’t happen overnight. The Snapshot keeps you consistent by providing a roadmap to follow, ensuring that your efforts are aligned and working together.
Simplicity: There’s beauty in simplicity. The Snapshot cuts through the complexity of modern marketing and brings you back to the basics- the things that really matter.
How to Get Started with the Marketing Snapshot
How can you start using the Marketing Snapshot in your business?
The first step is to take a step back and assess your current marketing efforts. Are they aligned with your business goals? Are you targeting the right audience? Is your message clear and compelling?
Once you’ve answered these questions, it’s time to fill out your own Marketing Snapshot. If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry – I’m here to help.
I’m offering a free training where I’ll walk you through the process of creating your own Marketing Snapshot. By the end of the session, you’ll have a clear, concise plan that you can put into action right away.
Marketing Snapshot Training With John Jantsch
Tired of feeling overwhelmed by marketing?
In this hands-on training, I’ll guide you through creating a clear, actionable one-page Marketing Snapshot that cuts through the noise and sets you on a path to success. Learn the key elements of a winning strategy, and leave with a personalized plan you can put into action right away.
Let’s simplify your marketing and get results.
Start Transforming Your Marketing with the Marketing Snapshot
Marketing doesn’t have to be a headache. It doesn’t have to be complicated. With the Marketing Snapshot, you can simplify your approach, gain clarity, and start seeing real results. It’s time to stop chasing trends and start focusing on what really works.
If you’re ready to transform your marketing and grow your business, I invite you to join me for this free training. Let’s make marketing simple, effective, and fun again.
Want to stay ahead of your competition and keep your business growing? A solid marketing strategy and understanding the Marketing Strategy Pyramid are key.
With AI evolving fast, attention spans shrinking, social media algorithms constantly changing, unpredictable ad costs, and tighter privacy rules, it’s easy to get caught up in the latest “quick fixes.”
But what your business—or your clients’ businesses—really needs is a steady guiding light to stay on track. That’s where the Marketing Strategy Pyramid comes in.
You can catch the podcast episode here if you would rather listen to me talk about the Marketing Strategy Pyramid.
It’s easy to get tangled in the jargon of marketing tactics, but at its core, a marketing strategy is the master plan that sets the direction for how your business will compete and stand out in the marketplace.
For fCMOs and business owners, it’s critical to not just know but to master the art of aligning these strategies with broader business objectives.
For businesses, it’s important to prioritize strategic planning over quick fixes. Strategic planning provides the framework to make decisions that enhance long-term sustainability rather than just immediate gains.
If I were to give marketing strategy an emotional definition, it’s how you will place the flag in the sand to say, “Here’s how we’re going to dominate.” But that probably isn’t helpful in understanding how to create a successful marketing strategy. That is why I built the Marketing Strategy Pyramid.
The Marketing Strategy Pyramid
Think of the Marketing Strategy Pyramid as your roadmap for integrating comprehensive strategies with your business’s key goals. The Marketing Strategy Pyramid shows that there is no one magic marketing strategy or marketing tactic. It’s really about integration, and that’s what we do for clients, something we call Strategy First.
The Marketing Strategy Pyramid has five layers to it, and the middle three layers are really the marketing strategy component and everything rests on the overarching business strategy.
3 Core Components of the Marketing Strategy Pyramid:
Business Strategy: This is the bedrock that focuses on growth, dominating your market, and retaining clients.
Marketing Strategy: This layer is the heart of the operation, including brand, growth, and customer strategies.
Team Strategy: The capstone that ensures your strategies are executed flawlessly by your team.
When we come in to work with a client, the main thing we are there to do is develop the marketing strategy and then the list of tactics to employ that strategy, but everything is based on the overarching business objectives. So if growth is a business objective, if dominance in a market is a business objective if retention of clients is a business objective, then the marketing strategy is built around that and only that to begin with.
Business Strategy
The foundation of all of this is the business strategy, which sets the stage for every tactical decision.
For example, the very first thing we do in working with a client is try to understand where they’re going, try to understand the profit that they want to make in this business, try to understand the market share that they want to enjoy before we ever start really suggesting anything.
And unfortunately, very few marketers actually take that approach. Very few business owners actually take that approach. They want to hire a marketer to generate some leads, and that usually leads them to doing a whole bunch of different tactics that they shouldn’t be doing and takes them away from focusing on the things that are actually going to allow them to meet their marketing objectives and drive real growth.
Developing a Marketing Strategy
The marketing strategy is the meat of the Marketing Strategy Pyramid and consists of brand, growth, and customer strategies. These three elements reflect the comprehensive journey a customer takes with your business.
At Duct Tape Marketing, we believe this is how a customer or a lead effectively moves through a business. These three elements reflect the marketing journey inside of the marketing strategy.
Often, people end their marketing strategy with a clever tagline, colors, and logos, and they call it a day. But what I want to suggest is a marketing strategy actually runs through the entire customer journey.
We use something called the Marketing Hourglass. It’s a tool we use to reinforce this idea of the customer journey.
The Real Brand Strategy
Brand strategy is where we will help identify who makes an ideal customer, narrow the focus, and define the products and services the customer is looking for.
We also are going to focus a great deal of attention on messaging. Are we promising to solve that ideal customer’s biggest problem as opposed to, here’s what we sell, so nobody cares what we sell; they want their problems solved.
Narrowing Focus: Pinpoint your ideal customer to tailor your marketing efforts directly to them.
Defining Offerings: Clarify what you provide that specifically solves your customers’ problems.
Messaging: Shift the conversation from what you sell to how you solve their biggest headaches.
For example, consider Cedar Ridge Retreat Homes, who came to us facing significant challenges in marketing their luxury home-building services. Their previous marketing efforts failed to resonate, leaving their brand message unclear and poorly aligned with their business objectives.
Through our “Strategy First” process, we pinpointed their ideal customer and crafted a resonant brand identity that emphasized retreat spaces over generic rentals. This strategic pivot not only clarified their offerings but positioned Cedar Ridge for substantial growth in their niche market.
Brand strategy development also includes things like how we want to be perceived. Are we fun? Are we very serious? Are we analytical? This drives all of your content. Lastly, many people put this first, we want to make sure that the names, colors, graphics, logos and things all support the message and the brand promise are aligned. That is all the first part of marketing strategy.
Formulating a Growth Strategy
The second part is the growth strategy. What are the tactics we’re going to use to attract, build trust, get people to try and buy from us?
The growth strategy includes all of the communication and content designed to move people through the Marketing Hourglass stages. Certainly, it’s advertising and all the things that create awareness. It should also be about building trust and facilitating a seamless buying experience.
Content and Advertising: Use these tools to educate and engage potential customers.
Sales Processes: Create processes that are as streamlined as they are effective.
By staying attuned to the current landscape, we, as fractional CMOs, can pinpoint the opportunities and challenges that will shape the success of our strategies. For instance, if we observe a rising trend in video content consumption and it aligns with the business strategy, it’s essential to weave video marketing into our growth plans to effectively capture and engage our client’s target audience.
Building a Customer Strategy
After the sale, the real work begins. Your customer strategy should aim to turn first-time buyers into lifelong fans and advocates. This includes:
Onboarding: Make their first experience with your brand unforgettable.
Customer Engagement: Keep the dialogue going and the relationship growing.
By investing in these customer loyalty strategies, you can build a base of devoted customers who drive sustainable growth for your business.
Implementing a Team Strategy
So their overarching business builds on this business strategy, has marketing strategy in the middle, and the cherry on top is the team strategy.
The team is there for the execution. You build it (business strategy), communicate it (marketing strategy), and execute on it (team strategy).
Team strategy includes:
Team Alignment: Ensure everyone is on the same page and fully equipped to deliver.
Training and Development: Keep your team sharp and informed with regular training.
Culture: Cultivate a team culture that attracts and retains top talent, emphasizing values that elevate both the company and its clients.
As a business owner, the team also allows you to scale efficiently and effectively.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
For fCMOs and business owners, a well-crafted marketing strategy is more than a set of tactics. It’s a comprehensive system that threads through every layer of your business. By leveraging a structured approach like the marketing strategy pyramid, you can align your business goals with your marketing efforts to drive real, sustainable growth.
Visit dtm.world/growth for insights and tools to understand your or your clients’ marketing strategy and ultimately grow your business.
Navigating this journey isn’t just about knowing what to do; it’s about making strategic moves that make sense for your business.
Struggling to scale your strategic marketing agency? Working tirelessly on both big and small projects but feeling like your earnings don’t match your effort? This frustration is shared by many, where the hours poured into work seem to overshadow the financial return. I navigated a similar hurdle when I first started my strategic marketing agency, Duct Tape Marketing, working relentlessly but watching my earnings plateau. It was at that moment I understood things couldn’t stay the same.
Over 20 years ago, I pivoted from tailoring bespoke, effort-heavy marketing solutions that left me exhausted and my clients less than impressed to embracing a transformative strategy: productized offerings. productized marketing services. This strategy was a game-changer, allowing my agency to work smarter, not harder, and significantly increasing our revenue year after year.
Get a complete fractional CMO system that changes how you think about your agency’s growth.
Productized marketing services are fixed, repeatable offerings; most agencies offer services tailored to each clients’ unique needs. This is not to say that each client is not unique and should not be treated as such. But in the very beginning of an agency-client relationship there are certain things that every client needs and that is what can be productized.
In marketing, productizing means turning your offerings into standardized packages. Like products on a shelf, these services have fixed scopes and price tags. Think Facebook ads or web design but sold like off-the-rack suits: they fit well enough for most businesses without needing tailor-made solutions.
This business model takes what typically might be custom work—say designing a website—and distills it down into something more tangible: “Website Design Package A includes up to 5 pages with basic SEO optimization.” It makes buying decisions easier because clients know exactly what they’re getting and at what cost—a powerful lure for small businesses watching every penny.
Benefits of Productizing Your Agency’s Services
If you’ve ever faced cash flow headaches at month-end or juggled multiple client expectations simultaneously, standardization could be your ticket to scalability heaven. By defining precise deliverables upfront—whether it’s logo design or web development—you let potential clients know exactly what they’re getting without any guesswork involved.
Productizing also allows agency owners to save time focusing on crafting high-quality content rather than being bogged down by project management intricacies every step along the way. You get more space to stay focused on market trends while fostering long-term relationships through reliable delivery mechanisms; ultimately leading not just revenue growth but also customer satisfaction due largely thanks in part because user experiences have been made so much better.
Revolutionize your agency with productized services—like a 3 item coffee shop menu for digital marketing. Say hello to clear choices, fixed prices, and happy clients. #MarketingStrategy #AgencyGrowthClick To Tweet
Crafting Your Productized Marketing Service Offerings
Turning your marketing agency’s services into well-oiled machines starts with a focus on productization. Creating a consistent experience for your customers through productizing is the key to providing an efficient and expert service.
Identifying Your Target Market
Before anything else, zeroing in on who will love your service is key. You want to aim for that sweet spot where 20% of customers bring in most business benefits—your ideal target market. Look at your data trends; they don’t lie. They tell tales of who your best clients and who’s willing to pay for the value you provide.
Once you have identified the top percent then dig deeper. You need to understand their pain points better than they do themselves because let’s face it, everyone loves someone who gets them.
Structuring Your Service Packages – Standardize
The art here lies not just in creating attractive bundles but ensuring each one has clear deliverables—a transparent blueprint clients can trust. With clarity comes confidence from both sides: agencies promise tangible results while clients grasp exactly what they’re investing in.
Pricing structures mustn’t be a puzzle either; transparency wins races here too. By communicating pricing models early, clearly, and often you can start to earn trust, something that is hard to do in the agency world.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Consistency
SOPs aren’t glamorous—but boy do they pack a punch when delivering consistent customer experiences. This step will take time. Even if it took 3 weeks, it would likely be the most beneficial 3 weeks you spent on one thing for you agency.
This structured approach helps teams stay focused so time isn’t wasted reinventing wheels but rather polishing those already rolling smoothly along tracks paved by streamlined processes designed specifically around efficiency—and ultimately leading towards predictable outcomes loved by all parties involved.
These SOPs are what will allow you to scale, to teach others how to run your processes almost as well as you would. This is what will allow you to start working on your agency instead of in it.
Key Takeaway: Turn your agency’s services into productized services, offering the same excellence every time—like a trusted cup of coffee.
Nail down who really digs your service. Use data to uncover their pain points and craft packages that hit home – For Them, Not You.
Create clear, confidence-boosting service bundles with straightforward pricing. And finally experience a trusted client relationship.
SOPs are your secret sauce for delivering spot-on customer experiences consistently—it’s all about precision and predictability.
More on the Benefits of Productizing Your Marketing Services
It’s about transforming those time-sucking, custom, often unpredictable service offerings into neatly packaged, expert solutions that clients can trust. Because you have done it before you know what the results will be. Your services are proven and not a test.
Streamlining Sales and Operations
By standardizing your offerings with productized services, you create a smooth-running machine. Your client knows the exact service that they will get with clear package outlines and pricing and you know exactly how to deliver that to them and how much time it will take.
Your team members will thank you as well because when they have clear standard operating procedures (SOPs) to follow, it takes away guesswork and streamlines training. And if there’s one thing employees appreciate, it’s knowing exactly what needs to be done without having to decode cryptic instructions every day.
Boosting Profit Margins
Once you’ve nailed down an efficient delivery method for your productized service—the kind that lets customers know precisely what they’re getting—you can actually charge more for them. Yes indeed. Because consistency breeds quality which justifies premium pricing all day long.
This model also helps keep cash flow steady since recurring services mean predictable monthly income streams—it’s like subscription models in retail but without needing fancy box packaging or catchy jingles.
Enhancing Customer Value Proposition
Last but certainly not least is how this approach elevates customer experience—a critical factor considering today’s consumer savviness where poor user experiences never go unnoticed (or so social media would have us believe). When clients understand exactly what they’ll get from each package offer—they’re happier because transparency builds trust.
The cherry on top? They start seeing results quicker thanks again to those standardized processes which make delivering high-quality work efficiently.
Key Takeaway: Productizing your marketing services turns chaos into clarity, making sales smoother and boosting profits. Your team gets clear SOPs while clients enjoy transparent packages they can trust—leading to quicker results and killer referrals.
Communicating Value Effectively
Sell not just what it is but what it solves; paint a picture where their life gets easier because of your packaged solution—and yes, we mean literally spell out those benefits so they know exactly what they’re signing up for.
Your Facebook ads management might save 10 hours per week—that’s binge-watching two seasons of “The Office” worth of time saved.
Show them how speed optimization means no more spinning wheels on their website—which translates into visitors sticking around longer than a confused squirrel on a busy street.
Remember though—no amount of persuasive chatter will stick if you don’t deliver promised results. That said, once people see others singing praises about how much easier life is post-adoption (cue testimonials.), trust me—they’ll line up faster than kids at an ice cream truck.
Examples of Productized Marketing Services
Social Media Management: Create tiered packages for managing different aspects of social media. These could range from basic content creation and scheduling to comprehensive management, including strategy development, analytics, and engagement across multiple platforms. Here is an example of Lyfe’s social media management’s packaged service. SEO Optimization: Develop bundles tailored for different levels of SEO needs. Services could include keyword research, on-page optimization, technical SEO audits, content strategy for SEO, and backlink building strategies.
Content Creation: Offer monthly subscription plans for creating various types of content. Depending on the package, this could include blog posts, articles, video scripts, and infographics, with different volumes and frequencies of content production.
Email Marketing: Provide structured packages for designing and managing email marketing campaigns. This can include newsletter design, list segmentation, campaign automation, and performance analysis to optimize engagement and conversions.
Marketing Strategy and Consulting Packages: My personal favorite and expertise. Offer a comprehensive package that includes market analysis, strategy development, and implementation guidance. This could involve competitor analysis, identifying target demographics, developing marketing strategies tailored to the client’s business, and providing ongoing consulting services for strategy refinement and execution. At Duct Tape Marketing we offer this in just one inclusive and expertly crafted package through our Fractional CMO+ System.
Marketing Your Productized Services Effectively
Give Your Productized Service a Name
Name or brand your service to help sell it. For example, I created Strategy First, which is the name for my marketing system that I offer to clients. That itself became it’s own brand. I created materials, elements, and graphics just for Strategy First. This showed my clients exactly what they were going to get and familiarize themselves with the concept.
Leveraging Social Media and Content Creation
According to a survey by Databox 47% of agencies are not happy with their self-marketing when compared to their competitors. Social media isn’t just for cat videos anymore—it’s a megaphone for your marketing message. Educate your audience on the problems that this productized approach solves for them and use social media to amplify that message. Craft high-quality content around pain points, showing them there’s light at the end of their problem-riddled tunnel through your well-defined service packages.
Field Testing and Refinement
Rome wasn’t built in a day—and neither will perfect productized service models be conjured up overnight either. Once you’ve created some stellar packages based on your best-selling services it’s showtime: field testing with actual paying customers who’ll give honest feedback. This stage is crucial since customer insights help tweak those initial assumptions made during development.
Key Takeaway: Market your productized services: Give your productized service a brand, name and voice.
Build trust through content. Use social media for more than just posts; tell stories that resonate with your audience’s challenges and spotlight how your services are their light at the end of the tunnel.
Leverage SEO to make sure those searching for what you offer find you first—optimize content, clarify deliverables, and use internal linking to drive conversions.
Test & refine.
Embrace productized marketing services, and you transform chaos into clarity. Embrace standardization, and you give your clients the gift of certainty. Embrace scalability, and watch your business grow.
Finding that sweet spot in pricing models takes finesse but gets you closer to predictable cash flow and agency expansion. Crafting these services means tuning into your top clients, taking the time to standardize, and locking down SOPs—because consistency is king.
Your marketing strategy and expert-level productized services should make you the trusted advisor in your clients eyes. Ultimately, enhancing customer experience through clear deliverables that secure trust and those long-term relationships crucial for sustained success for any strategic marketing agency.
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There’s a constant, niggling question that haunts every small business owner: “Am I doing enough in my business?” This is often followed by: “Is my marketing strategy hitting the mark?” If you’ve found yourself pondering these questions, you’re not alone. The complexity of marketing today often leaves us wondering if we are doing too much or too little. It’s a balancing act, trying to keep pace with the evolving digital landscape without squandering precious resources.
As the founder of Duct Tape Marketing, I’ve watched the scene evolve, with businesses trying to navigate the maze that is modern marketing. Often, I find entrepreneurs trying to be everywhere at once, which, in my experience, leads to two things: wasted time and wasted resources. A scattergun approach might cover more ground, but it rarely hits the target.
There’s no sugarcoating it: today’s entrepreneurial world is complex, with an array of marketing channels at your disposal. Social media alone offers a plethora of platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok… the list goes on. Add to this email marketing, SEO, content marketing, PPC advertising, influencer marketing, affiliate marketing – and you’re facing a veritable buffet of choices.
With so many options and so little time, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But rather than throwing your hands up in defeat or jumping haphazardly from one strategy to another, it’s critical to devise a marketing plan. A well-thought-out, strategic approach helps you focus on the strategies that work best for your business.
5 Effective Goal-Setting Tips
5 Effective Goal-Setting Tips for Small Business Owners to help them stop wasting time and start focusing on high-impact activities that drive business growth and enhance customer engagement.
To help you create a more efficient and effective marketing plan, here are five goal-setting tips to consider:
1. Focus on Key Marketing Strategies
Don’t fall into the trap of following every new marketing trend. Instead, focus on the key strategies that align with your business goals and customer needs.
2. Prioritize High-Payoff Tasks
All tasks are not created equal. Identify those that offer the highest payoff for your investment. This could be SEO optimization, targeted email campaigns, strategic partnerships, or another high-impact initiative.
3. Avoid Non-Productive Marketing Channels
It’s essential to know where your ideal customers spend their time. If they aren’t active on a certain platform, there’s no point in wasting resources there.
4. Allocate Time and Effort Wisely
After identifying the most effective channels, invest appropriate resources into making them work for you. This could mean hiring a social media manager or spending more time developing high-quality blog content.
Are you wasting money with your marketing efforts?
Embark on a journey to uncover your business’s untapped potential with our Gap Analysis. Turn chaos into clarity and see your vision come to life, driving your marketing strategy and propelling your business toward success.
As a small business owner, you might feel pressured to have a presence on every available marketing channel. Resist this urge. Instead, identify your ideal customers, find out where they hang out, and focus your resources there. By being strategic and selective, you can maximize your marketing impact and save valuable time and effort.
The Power of a Marketing Strategy
A well-crafted marketing strategy not only guides your efforts but also informs you of what not to do. It’s a map that helps you navigate the vast marketing landscape, avoiding unnecessary detours and dead ends. This strategy-centric approach allows you to build momentum by focusing on key areas and tracking your results, which is essential for growth.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck, it might be time to reevaluate your current marketing strategy and learn about the components to create a good one. Remember, it’s not about doing everything—it’s about doing the right things.
To aid you in your marketing journey, consider our Gap Analysis. This tool helps you uncover untapped potential and inefficiencies in your current marketing strategy, transforming chaos into clarity. It’s a powerful first step towards a more efficient and effective marketing approach.
Remember, in marketing and in business, focus is key. Instead of scattering your efforts across every platform and strategy, hone in on what truly works for your business. Stop wasting time and resources, start maximizing your marketing strategy today. Your future self will thank you.
Have you ever felt as though managing a business is a perpetual climb or that you are spinning too many plates, constantly working to keep all the various projects and responsibilities moving without letting anything fall apart.
If you find yourself nodding in agreement, know that you’re in good company. The path of an entrepreneur often resembles a never-ending checklist that can become burdensome. Managing customer expectations, staff, finances – it all adds up. So the question arises: How do we steer through this with success? It’s a challenge, but with the right strategies and a clear mindset it is certainly possible.
Overwhelm is like a hidden enemy. It doesn’t just take away your calm and happiness; it stops you from moving forward. It can make you rush decisions, change paths, and lose faith in yourself. Without a clear plan, you can feel stuck, always reacting instead of acting. It’s like drowning in tasks with never enough time. But with the right approach, you can get through it.
The potential of a marketing strategy
Here is where the magic lies – a potent marketing strategy. This strategy does more than dictate your to-do list; it helps decide what not to be done. A strong marketing strategy permits you to establish weekly, monthly, or even quarterly priorities. It plots a route from your current position to your desired destination.
When unforeseen circumstances, customer complaints, or employee-related challenges arise, your marketing strategy will keep you grounded. Clear set priorities will keep you on track, preventing minor distractions or crises from knocking you off course. Here you can find out if your business needs a marketing strategy.
Are you overwhelmed with your marketing efforts?
Embark on a journey to uncover your business’s untapped potential with our Gap Analysis. Turn chaos into clarity and see your vision come to life, driving your marketing strategy and propelling your business toward success.
4 goal-setting tips to stop entrepreneurial overwhelm
1. Set SMART Goals
Make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, instead of vaguely aiming to “increase sales,” target a 15% rise in sales over the next quarter. This framework lends structure and clarity to your goals, steering clear of the overwhelm that can accompany vague and unachievable objectives.
2. Prioritize
Not all goals carry the same weight. Discern which ones will make the most significant impact on your business and channel your efforts in that direction. Keep the 80/20 rule at the forefront of your decision-making process.
3. Develop a Marketing Strategy
A well-crafted marketing strategy serves as your roadmap, helping you make sense of the chaos. It helps you to discern what needs to be done to move your business forward. It’s a decision-making tool, a constant guide, and a source of reassurance that your efforts are focused on the right places.
4. Break it Down
Large goals can be intimidating. Make them more manageable by breaking them down into smaller, actionable tasks. Say you want to expand your retail business into a new city; you can break this down into tasks like researching locations, securing financing, and hiring local staff. Each completed task becomes a milestone, making the goal feel more achievable and keeping overwhelm at a distance.
Growth without the overwhelm
By incorporating these four tips into your business routine, you can transform your approach to goal setting and dodge the business overwhelm. If you’re ready to make this shift, the Duct Tape Marketing Gap Analysis is a perfect guide. It helps you identify your priorities, highlight your growth drivers, and scale without multiplying your stress.
With the right plan, you can say goodbye to the confusion and mess that marketing overwhelm brings. It’s time to replace it with clear thinking, confidence, and growth. Let’s remove the chaos from your business and put in place a focused strategy that really works.
Have you ever felt as though managing a business is a perpetual climb, constantly battling with overwhelm? If you answered yes, rest assured, you are not alone. The entrepreneurial journey often feels like juggling a sea of ever-increasing tasks – from managing customer expectations to dealing with staff, finances, and more. In the midst of these, business overwhelm can sneak up, affecting momentum, causing waste, and instilling confusion. So, how do we successfully navigate this?
Overwhelm, a sneaky adversary, robs not only your peace and joy but also your ability to foster progress. The pressure can lead to hasty decisions, shifts in direction, and a general lack of confidence. In the absence of a clear plan or strategy, we find ourselves caught in a perpetual cycle of reaction, which can quickly lead to a sense of drowning in tasks with too little time to execute them.
Harness the Potential of a Marketing Strategy
Here is where the magic lies – a potent marketing strategy. This strategy does more than dictate your to-do list; it helps decide what not to be done. A strong marketing strategy permits you to establish weekly, monthly, or even quarterly priorities. It plots a route from your current position to your desired destination.
When unforeseen circumstances, customer complaints, or employee-related challenges arise, your marketing strategy will keep you grounded. Clear set priorities will keep you on track, preventing minor distractions or crises from knocking you off course. Here you can find out if your business needs a marketing strategy.
Are you overwhelmed with your marketing efforts?
Embark on a journey to uncover your business’s untapped potential with our Gap Analysis. Turn chaos into clarity and see your vision come to life, driving your marketing strategy and propelling your business toward success.
Four Goal-Setting Tips to Combat Business Overwhelm
1. Set SMART Goals
Make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This framework lends structure and clarity to your goals, steering clear of the overwhelm that can accompany vague and unachievable objectives.
2. Prioritize
Not all goals carry the same weight. Discern which ones will make the most significant impact on your business and channel your efforts in that direction. Keep the 80/20 rule at the forefront of your decision-making process.
3. Develop a Marketing Strategy
A well-crafted marketing strategy serves as your roadmap, helping you make sense of the chaos. It helps you to discern what needs to be done to move your business forward. It’s a decision-making tool, a constant guide, and a source of reassurance that your efforts are focused on the right places.
4. Break it Down
Large goals can seem daunting. Make them more manageable by breaking them down into smaller, actionable tasks. Each completed task adds to a sense of progress, keeping the feeling of overwhelm at bay.
Forge Forward with Focus
By incorporating these four tips into your business routine, you can transform your approach to goal setting and dodge the business overwhelm. If you’re ready to make this shift, our Gap Analysis at Duct Tape Marketing can be your guiding compass. It helps you identify your priorities, highlight your growth drivers, and scale your dreams without multiplying your stress.
In conclusion, with a clear plan, you can bid adieu to marketing overwhelm and inefficiencies, and welcome clarity, confidence, and growth. Let’s take the chaos out of your business and replace it with a focused, effective strategy.
A company’s vision is its roadmap for the future. It encompasses the organization’s long-term goals and aspirations and lays out its desired destination. Experience tells me that a successful vision is more than just an aspirational concept. It’s a practical, actionable plan that should guide every decision and action within your business, including your marketing strategy.
Understanding the Role of Vision in Marketing Strategy
In the realm of marketing, your vision takes on an especially significant role. It provides the framework within which your marketing strategy operates, informing decisions about audience targeting, channel selection, messaging, and more. If you’re a small business owner, it’s vital to grasp this connection and ensure your marketing strategy is steeply aligned with your overall business vision.
Charting Profitable Growth Goals
Armed with your vision, you can begin setting realistic and profitable growth goals. This requires translating your vision into tangible, measurable objectives. It’s not enough to say you want your business to grow. Make your goals SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound – to increase your chances of success.
Maximizing Impact with a Robust Business Vision
Your vision also defines the kind of impact you wish your business to have. What image do you want to project in the market? How would you like your customers to perceive your brand? The answers to these questions should be reflected in your vision. And this vision, in turn, should shape your marketing strategy, guiding you to attract the right customers and establish a strong brand identity.
Tips for Crafting an Effective Vision Statement
A vision statement encapsulates your aspirations and paints a picture of your company’s future. It’s more than just a series of words, it’s a communication tool that tells your employees, shareholders, and customers where your company is heading.
For crafting an effective vision statement, keep the following tips in mind:
Keep it succinct: The best vision statements are concise yet powerful.
Make it future-oriented: Your vision statement should look ahead, projecting where your company aspires to be.
Ensure it aligns with your values: A good vision statement is in sync with your company’s values and culture.
Make it inspirational: Your vision statement should inspire and motivate, both internally and externally.
Making Your Vision an Integral Part of Your Business
Your vision shouldn’t be a statement you craft and then forget. It must be a living, breathing part of your everyday business practices. From product development to customer service, every aspect of your business should be guided by your vision. The more consistently you align your operations with your vision, the more powerful your marketing strategy will be.
Is your vision driving your marketing efforts?
Embark on a journey to uncover your business’s untapped potential with our Gap Analysis. Turn chaos into clarity and see your vision come to life, driving your marketing strategy and propelling your business toward success.
Having a clear, well-articulated vision is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. It’s the compass that steers your marketing strategy, helping you navigate the challenges of the business landscape and stay on the path to success.
As a marketing consultant, I meet numerous business owners who are all set to take their companies to new heights. But, I’ve also noticed a consistent pattern of confusion about what a marketing strategy truly entails. It’s a detailed plan designed by businesses to promote their product or service through different channels and tactics, in order to accomplish their business goals and understand their customer needs.
But, today I’m not just going to define it for you. Instead, let’s uncover the 10 symptoms indicating your business might be operating without a solid marketing strategy.
If you find yourself nodding along to any of these symptoms, it’s high time to collaborate with a strategic professional.
This is where the AI Prompts for Building a Marketing Strategy toolkit comes in!
This toolkit can help you develop a complete marketing strategy to overcome these symptoms. It’s a step-by-step approach designed to boost your marketing efforts, enhance customer retention, increase online visibility, and improve ROI.
Your marketing strategy should be the backbone of your business – a roadmap leading you toward your growth goals. By identifying your ideal customers, creating consistent branding, and tracking your performance, you can start working smarter, not harder.
We’ve all been there. If I’m a dentist, anybody with teeth is my ideal client, right? But this approach, while maybe attracting clients, fails to identify your most profitable, ideal, and best customers. Without understanding this, how can you effectively attract more of them?
Instead focus on being the right thing to the right people.
The idea of being a universal solution might seem appealing initially, but the truth is, you can’t be all things to all people. In the world of business, it’s crucial to identify your specific target market – the people who will benefit the most from your product or service.
Who is your ideal client? What are their pain points? What can you offer them that your competitors can’t? By identifying and understanding your ideal client, you can tailor your marketing efforts to reach them more effectively instead of casting a wide net and hoping to catch something.
2. Lack Of Competitive Edge
Sound familiar? You’re a commodity. In your clients’ minds, every business that offers the same services is pretty much the same. If you’re just one of many, why should they choose you over ten others who look just like you?
Create one.
To prevent falling into the “commodity trap”, strive to create a unique value proposition. What makes you different? Why should clients pick you over competitors? Developing a distinct competitive edge doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s well worth the effort. It will allow you to stand out in your market, so you aren’t forced to compete solely on price.
3. Forced To Compete On Price
If your customers can’t distinguish how you’re different or unique, they’ll default to comparing prices. And as we all know, price is a terrible place to compete. There will always be someone willing to sell cheaper than you do.
Instead charge a premium.
If you’re struggling to differentiate your offering and find yourself competing primarily on price, you might need to reconsider your marketing strategy. The goal should be to provide such outstanding value that your customers are happy to pay a premium for your services.
Instead of lowering your prices to compete, consider how you can add more value. How can you make your customers’ lives easier, save them time, or help them achieve their goals? By focusing on value over price, you can charge a premium and boost your profitability.
4. Wasting Money And Resources
Without a clear strategy, you’re constantly testing the waters, never really sure what’s working. There’s a significant chance that most of your efforts aren’t producing the results you expect.
Make sure to resource allocation and track performance.
Where are your marketing dollars going? Are you spreading them too thin across too many platforms or channels without really knowing which one is driving results? A robust marketing strategy will include a clear plan for resource allocation backed by regular performance tracking. This approach ensures you’re investing your money and time in avenues that drive results and help you understand what works best for your business.
5. Inconsistent Branding
Branding isn’t just for large corporations or soap bars. It’s about how customers perceive your promise or your values. Inconsistent branding leads to confused customers; you either stand for nothing, or you represent confusion.
Be Consistent.
Inconsistent branding leads to confused customers, and confused customers seldom become loyal customers. Be clear about what your brand stands for, and make sure this message is consistent across all your marketing channels. This includes your website, social media platforms, email marketing, and even your offline marketing materials. Remember, the least expensive thing you can do is to get more business from existing customers.
6. Low Customer Retention
You’re losing customers as fast as you’re getting them. Remember, the most cost-effective marketing is getting more business from existing customers.
Enhance your customer retention.
It’s cheaper to keep an existing customer than to acquire a new one. By focusing on customer retention, you can increase your profitability. This might involve launching a loyalty program, consistently exceeding customer expectations. Here are some ways to make sure you’re always delivering an outstanding value to your customers.
7. Poor Online Presence
Today, every business is served by having a robust online presence. If your online presence is weak, it’s likely a symptom of a reactive and weak marketing approach.
Improve your online presence.
Today, an online presence is non-negotiable. But it’s not enough to just “be online”. You need to have a strategic approach to your online presence. This involves a well-designed, user-friendly website, an engaging social media presence, and maybe even a content marketing strategy that helps establish you as a leader in your field. You need a consistent online presence.
8. Untracked Performance
Do you have no clue what’s working and what’s not? Maybe business is fine, but you don’t know why or whether it will still be good tomorrow.
Set a tracking performance strategy.
A well-defined strategy allows you to set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), like website traffic, leads, conversion rates, or customer retention rates. Tracking these KPIs provides invaluable insights into what’s working and what isn’t, enabling strategic adjustments.
Having a marketing strategy is about setting goals, tracking progress, and making necessary tweaks. Consistent performance monitoring assures your marketing efforts are steering your business in the right direction.
9. Missed Opportunities
Without a strategic focus on your ideal client, you miss the chance to serve them better. You also overlook the potential for partnerships and referrals.
If your sales are flat, and your profits are flat or non-existent, you feel like you’re stuck in a rut.
Boost your sales and profits.
Lastly, if you find your sales and profits are flat, this is a sure sign you need to rethink your marketing strategy. Integrating sales with a well-executed marketing strategy can help you target your most profitable customers, differentiate your offering, and ultimately drive business growth.
Recognizing and admitting that you’re suffering from these symptoms is the first step towards a cure. The next step is taking action. And that’s where the AI Prompts for Building a Marketing Strategy toolkit can truly make a difference. Start creating your complete marketing strategy with this prompts and see the difference a focused and efficient marketing strategy can make to your bottom line.
Are you ready to turn these symptoms into solutions?
