When asked why he robbed banks, the famous early 20^th century criminal Willy Sutton replied, “because that’s where the money is.” You’re not robbing banks, of course, but you do need to know “where the money is”. If you have been following along with my prior blogs, or have done that work already, then you have your Ideal Clients targeted – the ones who are the most desirable types, or profiles, that bring in high revenues, high margin and are a great fit for your company. If you haven’t narrowed that down yet, check out my blog on the topic here.

Presumably you’ve also worked on the messaging for your Ideal Clients – focusing on their pain points and the emotion they feel because of those struggles. Your company’s impact on those pain points and the value you bring that is different from your competitors complete your “Pain, Impact and Value” messaging platform. You’ll find more details along with an actual client example here.

Avoid the Marketing “Soup”

Now that you know your “Who”, and you know “What” to say, “Where” do you need to promote and market your messages to be seen and heard by your Ideal Clients? There are so many options out there such as paid digital advertising (Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.), event marketing and direct mail (yes, it’s even more effective today). And then there’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media posting, webinars, video, newsletters, etc. It’s a marketing soup out there – how on earth do you figure out what to invest in? That’s (sometimes literally) the million dollar question! And it’s where many businesses, regardless of size, industry, B2B or B2C focus, fall face first into the soup bowl.

Often, the marketing investment in time, money and energy is made based on 3 factors: SOS (Shiny Object Syndrome), FOMO (fear of missing out) or LOSS (lack of strategy solutions). Have you been approached in networking, in emails, or social media by marketing agencies or individuals that provide marketing services? I hear horror stories about all the revenue promises that were made, and money being spent with no results. The latest technology, another “expert” that has the secret formula to drive in six or seven-figure sales – it’s tempting to not want to miss out. Maybe this time it will work, right?

Think Backwards

In spite of the temptation, it’s important to step away from the soup! Instead of first thinking about the different marketing “channels” out there, consider your Ideal Client targets, how they behave and make decisions. How have your Ideal Clients connected to you in the past? Replicating that “success model” of where your best clients come from is a good place to start. Did they come from referrals? Did you do a presentation – where? Looking for the patterns of success is the secret to finding the right channels.

If you haven’t seen the success you’d like and you need to determine new ways to get in front of the right prospects and referral partners, ask yourself:

• Do they use social media? If they do, is it logical that they “do business” on social media? For instance, they may be on Facebook, but that may not be where they want to engage in business discussions. They may be on LinkedIn for business. Your messages might be out of context on Instagram or Facebook if they don’t use these regularly or use them for social versus business purposes.
• Are your ideal clients types in the field vs. in the office? If one were to target Landscaping companies, that business owner is probably not likely to read a newsletter or social media as they don’t typically consume information this way. Consider how they do like to connect. What associations do they belong to for networking and connecting with other like-minded professionals? To target landscapers, consider visiting and becoming a member of the local Home Builders Association, for instance.
• Do your decision makers gather in other places? Maybe the CEO is part of a peer advisory group, or roundtable. Positioning yourself as a subject matter expert that can be brought in to present valuable information through the business consultant that facilitates CEO groups is a “marketing channel” too, and perhaps an effective one.

Go Where Your Ideal Clients Already Are

There are dozens more points I could make about effective use of marketing channels, but I think I’ve given you enough to think about how to match your methods to your prospects. The secret tip is: Go where your Ideal Clients already gather and be a part of the “ecosystem”, by doing talks, panel discussions, webinars, run a committee – be of service. This is how you increase your awareness, visibility and create engagement with your Ideal Client targets.

As always, if I can be of help, please reach out! See you next time.

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