Marketing is a big, broad term that can be scary to a lot of business owners, but it’s essential to master in order to attract new clients and grow. Like any big project or goal, it sometimes helps to break it down into smaller pieces to make it more manageable.

For marketing to be effective, you have to define what your brand is all about. It’s a lengthy process and the hardest part, but it drives your marketing. Taking time to establish your core values, your vision for the company, and how you provide services, etc. will make marketing a whole lot easier!

Then when it’s time to start marketing, there are three main things you should be thinking about when coming up with a plan or creating images to represent your brand.

Who are you trying to reach?

If you’re marketing to anyone or everyone, you’re marketing to no one. It’s important to identify who your ideal client is. The more specific you can be, the more effective your marketing will be.

Is your ideal client a man or woman? What age range? What industry are they in? Where are they located? Are they more casual or business formal? How do they make buying decisions? What organizations are they involved in? The more specific you can get with who you’re targeting, the more effective your marketing will be.

How do you reach your ideal client?

After you identify who you’re talking to, you figure out how to talk to them. For example, you might market differently when talking to women vs. men, older vs. younger, etc. Understanding how your ideal client communicates will save you a lot of wasted effort.

Where does your ideal client hang out? If your ideal clients spend their time on LinkedIn and you’re focusing on Instagram, there’s a disconnect there. If you’re relying on social media to market and your ideal clients aren’t on social media, you’re going to have to get out and go to where they are, join the organizations they’re involved in, advertise where they’re likely to see it, etc.

What are your differentiators?

What differentiates you from your competitors? This is really hard and it’s one a lot of companies miss the mark on. Things like “quality,” great customer service,” and “attention to detail” aren’t usually differentiators.

I challenge you to take a look at 3 or 4 of your competitors’ websites. Now compare them to yours. Do they say the same things? If so, you’re not differentiating yourself, are you?

Once you determine what your actual differentiators are, you can create your brand message. Think of it as telling your ideal clients how you use your differentiators to create solutions for their specific needs. The message should be used in everything you use to market your business.

Of course, words are never enough! You have to show people how you’re different. This is where brand photography can play a big role in how you communicate. From team headshots to corporate portraits to brand photography, we can help you develop the visuals you need to support the message you’re trying to convey. Contact us today for a free consultation.