Ready to Grow Your Business?
The 5k
Strategy
Here’s the 3 a.m. question for executives who have built a business, but know there’s still room to grow - “What do I do next?”
What’s the difference between the CEOs who can take a week (or how about a month) off and still see things moving up and to the right… and the ones who still have to punch the clock by 8am every day and have lost count of the number of soccer games they’ve missed?
It’s simple.
They know where they’re going, and they know what they need to do to get there.
It's not some revolutionary “hack” that everyone knows about but you.
It’s not some million dollar mastermind secret sauce.
It’s not even really that sexy.
It’s having a clear understanding of who your customers are, what they want, and how you can solve their problems in a unique and compelling way. The problem is that most business owners and executives are missing (at least) one of the 3 critical factors you HAVE to be in control of to grow your business. (More on that later.)
First, this:
The odds of a commercial plane crashing are about 1 in 11 million. That’s about 0.0009%. Planes are remarkably safe - much safer than traveling by car, actually. Why? It’s the same reason that houses withstand hurricanes. It’s the same reason that we can take cross-country road trips and not get lost. It’s the same reason that people can lose hundreds of pounds, keep the weight off, and transform their health.
It’s because there’s a plan in place.
Before any action gets taken, the map gets drawn. The blueprint gets built. The boxes get checked. Nothing goes wrong because they knew the plan before they started, then they executed on the plan.
Tell me if this sounds familiar:
You watched a YouTube video, talked to a friend that saw some success, or listened to a podcast that told you [insert tactic of the week] was the ticket to marketing success.
So you tried it, and… *crickets*. So you stayed up until 3am, watching YouTube videos (all of which told you something different, of course) until you just decided to throw the whole thing out and boldly declare, “digital marketing just doesn’t work for my business.”
I’ll say this the nicest way I can:
that’s a load of crap.
Your business is wonderful and unique and beautiful, but it’s not so special that timeless, proven strategies and principles don’t still hold.
The fact of the matter is that there are 3 critical pieces to building your business.
They all have to be in place if you’re going to have a prayer of succeeding.
Actionable
Metrics
We have to keep score.
If we don’t know whether we’re winning or losing, it’s hard to tell if we need to change the way we’re playing the game. These are the numbers that drive success or failure for our business, and they don’t change. Referees in a basketball game don’t decide to track how many times the ball goes through the basket on Tuesday and then to count how many times each team dribbles on Wednesday to see who wins the game. Before tipoff, everyone knows what they have to do to win, and everyone’s playing the same game.
The metrics have to tell us something.
They have to give us a clue as to what to do next.
Not getting enough traffic?
Cool, let’s optimize your ads.
Tons of traffic but no leads?
Word. Let’s fix your landing page.
Lots of leads but no customers?
Newsflash. You suck at selling.
But here’s the thing.
Without the data, we don’t know what levers to pull to help you grow.
Tools and Tactics
Remember that YouTube video and the cutting edge marketing campaign you tried that fell flat? That wasn’t the problem. In fact, it may very well be part of the solution. But unless it’s part of a larger whole, it isn’t any good by itself. It’s like buying a fresh new set of tires and a transmission and wondering why you still need to Uber everywhere. You’re not done.
And the world of digital marketing is always changing. AI, machine learning, TikTok, whatever the next thing happens to be… they’re just repackaged versions of the stuff you’re already familiar with. When people needed a service, they used to go to the Yellow Pages. Now they go to Google. When you wanted to enter the conversation in the places they’re already focusing their attention, it used to be radio and TV ads. Now it’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
The tactics change.
The principles don’t.
Enter Strategy, stage left.
Strategy is the big picture. It’s the plan that holds the tactics in place and gives meaning to the metrics. It’s the blueprint, the pathway, the roadmap. And without it, everything falls apart.
Our Marketing Action Plan
Our Marketing Action Plan is the most comprehensive Strategic Plan you can get to build the foundation for digital marketing and business growth success. Period.
1
Understanding your business
In order for your strategy to be effective, you’ve got to know who you’re trying to reach, how you make those people’s lives better, and what other options they’re considering (i.e. your competition).
2
Developing a clear message
You’ve got to develop clear, compelling messaging that gets used across ALL of the tactical elements (ads, landing pages, emails, smoke signals, carrier pigeons, whatever) so that your brand’s voice and value proposition are obvious and impactful.
3
Analyzing customers
Then, you’ve got to take a hard look around and see what your customers are seeing. They’ve got options. They’re checking out your competitors too, and without you doing a little spying on your competition’s strategy, you’re going to get out-maneuvered.
4
Creating a roadmap
Finally, you’ve got to draw out the road map that systematically puts your customers’ eyeballs on your brand, allows them to develop trust in you as an authority that can actually make their life better, and turns them into leads, customers, and raving fans.
None of that happens by accident.
And my guess is that you’ve never taken the time to sit down and map it out. Maybe you felt like you didn’t need to – that it was just a waste of time when there are things you could be doing to move your business forward today. That’s kind of like saying, “I don’t have time to actually pull the bow backwards before I fire the arrow – I’m just going to move the arrow forward.” Um… good luck?
Here’s a better solution:
Our Marketing Action Plan is the strategy blueprint your business needs to stop getting distracted by shiny objects, stop wasting time and money on marketing that isn’t creating a return on your investment, and actually have a clear set of steps that will help you grow.
Marketing Action Plan
Starting the process is simple
Your investment is $5,000. That kicks off a 2-week process where we’ll do a deep dive on your business and present the clear strategy you’ve been looking for. You’ll know exactly what steps to take and you’ll have complete clarity on the path forward. Our team can take it from there and put the plan into action.
And if you’re not happy with our work (for any reason), tell us. We’ll edit, revise, or just give you your money back. We want you to be as excited and confident about your plan as we are, and we’re so confident in our ability to put a winning plan together for you that if you don’t like it, we’ll refund it 100%.
Look, here’s the thing:
A well-crafted marketing strategy isn’t just part of the toolkit you need to see results. It’s the foundation. Unless you’ve charted the path in advance, you can’t expect your customers to follow it, and your marketing efforts are going to fall flat.
The good news, though, is that it’s never the wrong time to build an effective plan.
Even if (actually, especially if) you’re already spending thousands of dollars every month on social media, search ads, SEO, or other advertising channels
Even if you already have a team in place that’s managing your marketing efforts - whether it’s in-house or an agency relationship
Even if you’re not a marketing expert yourself and get overwhelmed by all the terminology, jargon, and acronyms
Even if you’re planning a new product launch, entry into a new market, a website rebuild, or some other significant change in your operations
We take all of that into account.
Sorry if I burst your bubble earlier with that whole, “your business is not a unique snowflake” thing.
The fact is that while there are lots of other jewelry stores, widget manufacturers, and e-commerce stores in your space, there’s only one of your business. Your goals are different, your customer base is probably different, and the strategy that works best for a bakery selling wedding cakes is different than the strategy for a bakery selling birthday cakes to 5 year olds.
One of our favorite things to say is that
Prescription Without Diagnosis Is Malpractice."
If we just start acting (running campaigns, creating content, sending emails, etc) without planning and evaluating the opportunity that’s in front of us, it’s going to fall flat. We have to understand what products and services are most profitable for you to sell, and who buys the most of them. That’s the core element of every strategy we build.
From there, we analyze how we can reach these people, what messages resonate with them, and what we can offer them to make their ears perk up. We dive deep into what your competitors are saying in their ads, and more importantly, what your customers are saying about your competitors. If we know what your customers want, what they like and don’t like, we can craft our plan around that. And guess what? They’re already telling us! Our unique review-mining process gives us insight into underserved markets, problems that arise over and over again, and what kind of service delights our customers so that they stick around and refer you to others.
These 3 critical elements give us everything we need to craft an effective brand message and build the first part of your Marketing Action Plan - the Brand Message Guide.
Our most profitable products and services
Our most profitable markets and customers
Our unique positioning and what separates us from our competitors
What makes an effective brand message?
It’s the words you use in literally everything you produce to tell people about your business – your ads, your emails, your website, your blog posts, your landing pages – everything. It’s got to set you apart, show your customers that you understand them and can help them, and position you as the solution to their problems. When you have that, people buy. When you don’t, they ignore you.
The messaging has to be
clear, compelling, and customer-focused.
It’s got to be about them, it’s got to show them exactly how you make their life better, and it has to be believable. When you deliver that kind of message consistently, your business grows. We help you get the customer insights you need so that you can take the blinders off and stop thinking short-term. Nothing else we do with your brand is going to have the same impact if we don’t take time to craft the message first.
Marketing Action Plan
Let's Get Started
There’s more to a Marketing Action Plan (and I’ll get into that next), but the Brand Message Guide by itself is more than worth the investment it takes to get a MAP. If you’re in, great. Here’s another one of those handy buttons that lets you add it to your cart and get the process started.
If not, maybe you want to hear from someone who’s put this together for their own business and seen the results first-hand. Here’s that:
Onward and
upward
How much are your competitors spending on Google Ads? Facebook Ads? What kinds of content are they creating for those platforms? What are they offering? Where are they strong and you’re a little weaker? Where do you absolutely blow them out of the water? If you don’t immediately know the answers to those questions, you’re probably squirming in your seat a little bit. And for good reason.
There’s a reason that the most successful athletes in any sport are the ones that are the most committed to watching their opponents’ game film. They spot tendencies, deficiencies, and opportunities.
Here’s an example:
We work with a company that sells non-alcoholic drink mixers. Margarita mix, Old-fashioned mix, Bloody Mary mix, that kind of thing. When we researched their competitors, we found that a HUGE percentage of their competitors’ customers were recovering alcoholics and non-drinkers that used these products to make “mocktails” so that they didn’t have to be the only person at the dinner party holding a Diet Coke can.
But no one was speaking to or advertising to this audience!
It wasn’t mentioned in any ads, on any websites, or anywhere else – yet the customers were right there in the reviews, telling them how they were using it.
When we uncover an opportunity like that, it’s easy to build a plan to speak to that audience with messaging that will resonate with them, ads that will catch their attention, and offers they’ll be excited about. Imagine how successful those sports teams we talked about would be if they had access to the other team’s playbook before the game started! When it comes to marketing your business online, you don’t have to imagine – the data is right there, if you know where to look.
And we know where to look.
Most importantly, we know what to do with that information when we get our hands on it.
As part of our detailed competitor analysis, you’ll get access to:
Keywords
The keywords your competitors are paying for on Google Ads
Offers
The offers they’re making to customers - your customers
Message
The messaging and copy they’re using in their ads and on their site
Social Media
The social media channels they’re advertising on and utilizing to reach their audience
Graphics
The imagery, colors, and patterns that are working to catch people’s attention in ads
Mailings
The emails they’re sending to their list (which we’ll join just for the sake of research)
Ads
Top-performing ads across every platform, not just from your competitors, but from other businesses in your space in other areas of the country
Don't let your competitors outsmart you; it's time to level the playing field and make informed decisions.
Stop leaving your business success to chance and let us help you uncover the hidden opportunities that can propel your growth. Take the first step towards an optimized marketing strategy by partnering with us for a Marketing Action Plan and the comprehensive competitor analysis you get with it.
Alright, partner. Let’s land this plane.
You and I both know that good relationships don’t happen by accident. Whether it’s your relationship with your spouse, your kids, your friends, your work colleagues, or *gasp* your customers, it takes intentional effort to deepen the relationship over time. If you don’t put that effort in place, relationships stall out or die.
With your customers, that means a systematic, step by step process
1
Turning Visitors Into Customers
That allows you to introduce yourself to your customers, build trust with them, exchange contact information, and turn them from visitors into leads into customers.
2
Customer Satisfaction
Then, once they’re customers, we have to keep them around and keep them happy. When we do that, they’re going to pay us more, give us great reviews, and tell their friends about us.
3
Customer Value Journey
The last part of your Marketing Action Plan spells out exactly how we build those relationships with customers – it’s called the Customer Value Journey, and it’s the backbone of your business growth. It’s the strategy where all of your tactics and measurements live.
In this phase, we analyze every potential traffic platform and decide not only whether it’s a viable channel for your business, but also give you deep insight into exactly how we’d use that channel.
So you get
information like:
“We see Google Ads as a great fit for your business, and here’s how we’d set up that campaign and optimize it for lead generation,”
“We don’t think LinkedIn is the most immediate opportunity for your business, but might be a great ‘Phase 2’ channel. When we get there, here’s how we recommend building out those campaigns.”
That includes example ad copy, example ad creative, how to structure the audiences… ALL OF IT.
*psstt* don’t tell anyone, but you could literally take the information we give you in the Marketing Action Plan and build the campaigns yourself. That’s why we design it the way we do.
If you’ve got an agency that’s great at pulling levers and pushing buttons to manage campaigns, but doesn’t offer a lot of strategic insight,
get a MAP
So if you’ve got an internal team of really talented folks, but aren’t sure exactly how to direct them, get a MAP
If you’re staring at the business equivalent of a blinking cursor on a blank page and know you need to grow your business but just don’t know what the first step is… say it with me - “Get a MAP.”
Marketing Action Plan
Let’s recap
The Marketing Action Plan is the foundation for your business growth. It’s the backbone. The blueprint. The flight plan. The cheat sheet for profit. When you unleash our team and task us with putting this together
Here’s what you get:
Brand Message Guide
Custom-Crafted Customer Profiles
Unveil your ideal audience with tailor-made buyer personas, laser-focused on their needs, wants, and behaviors—so you can target them with laser precision.
Target Customer Key Purchase Drivers
Decode the essential purchase drivers that make your target customers tick, and leverage them to turn casual browsers into loyal, eager buyers.
Brand Message Guide
Discover the art of speaking on behalf of your brand with a comprehensive guide, ensuring consistency, authenticity, and impact across all touchpoints.
StoryBrand Framework
Transform your business message into a captivating narrative that resonates with your audience and compels them to take action.
Brand Differentiators
Identify and capitalize on your business's key differentiating factors to set you apart and leave your competition in the dust.
Detailed Competitor Analysis
In-Depth Competitor Research
Dive deep into your competition's digital behavior, traffic sources, advertising efforts, and more to uncover untapped opportunities.
Detailed Keyword Insights
See the exact keywords that your competition is advertising for and ranking for organically, as well as the exact ad copy they’re using to get new business from your target audience
Top-Performing Ads By Platform
See the best-performing ads across all digital platforms. Success leaves clues, and we’ll help you do the detective work to put your best foot forward.
Competitor Offer Analysis
Take a look behind the scenes to see exactly what your competitors are offering, at what price points, and how they communicate those offers via advertising and email
Customer Value Journey
Website X-ray
Analyze your site's performance, content, and design to optimize user experience, engagement, and conversion rates.
Paid Media Plan
Craft data-driven campaigns across social media, Google Ads, and other relevant channels for maximum ROI.
SEO Success Blueprint
Fine-tune your site structure, content, and current positioning to dominate search engine rankings and attract organic traffic.
Social Media Game Plan
A compelling content plan and advertising blueprint to skyrocket your brand's reach, engagement, and influence.
Lead Generation Goldmine
Create high-converting lead magnets to captivate your ideal audience and grow your list like never before.
Email Marketing Framework
Implement strategic automations and ongoing nurture campaigns to keep your subscribers engaged, informed, and craving more.
Customer Retention Map
Deliver exceptional service to maximize customer lifetime value, boost loyalty, and minimize churn.
Referral Strategy
Amplify your brand through raving reviews, referrals, and testimonials to attract new customers and bolster your reputation.
Your Custom Path Forward
Step-by-Step Strategy Action Items
Enjoy a crystal-clear, comprehensive plan that keeps you focused, on track, and immune to the allure of shiny object syndrome.
Look, you could try doing this yourself, but you’re going to spend way more in terms of time, effort, and frustration, and the fact of the matter is that you’re too close to it.
It’s hard to see the forest when you’re walking among the trees, but to get this strategy thing right, you’ve got to zoom out. We’ve built hundreds of these things and run thousands of campaigns for businesses like yours, so we’re leaning not just on the research we do for your business, but on years of experience and expertise creating profitable campaigns. This isn’t a problem that works itself out – if you want the clarity and peace of mind that comes from knowing exactly what your business’ next step is, you’re going to have to take action. Fortunately, that action is as simple as giving our team a green light.
We’re not a marketing agency. We’re obsessed with business growth – your business growth, and we don’t have clients. We have partners. That’s because we work together to let you focus on the things that only you can do, while our team leverages our expertise. We said it earlier – we don’t know right now what the right steps are to get your business’ numbers moving up and to the right, but we can find them. Any agency that tells you they’ve got a solution or a plan without doing this kind of extensive research is guessing at best, and mishandling your money at worst.
We’re different. Before we publish a single social media post, spend a penny on ads, or send a single email, we build the blueprint. You wouldn’t hire a builder that puts nails into boards “just to see if it works when it goes there.” Why are you doing the same for your marketing? Let us draw the blueprint and then build you the business you really want.