5 Marketing Tips for Businesses that want to Change the World

If I only had a nickle for every time someone asked me, “What’s the best way to do ______ {fill in with your choice of marketing channel/idea}?”

Yep, I’d be a very rich woman.

For some reason, even well-seasoned business people have been known to ask this question — even when they know the answer:  “It depends.”

It depends on many, many factors too numerous to list here.  But for the sake of argument, let’s just start with these 5 things:

1. Your Vision

What do you stand for?  What are you passionate about? And what is your vision of a perfect world?

Can you define it?  Really?

Then complete this sentence:  “I envision a world where everyone ____.”

If your vision were realized, would it put you out of business?  It should.  As a social entrepreneur, your vision needs to describe a world so perfect that you can understand, and explain to others, what’s currently missing in our reality.

2. Your Mission

Once you know your end game (your vision), you then need to know how you specifically will realize that picture.

This is your mission statement.  Every successful organization has one.  It keeps them focused.  And focused intention is key to getting somewhere.

If your mission statement is too long or too fancy or just plain too much, it won’t be able to do its job.  So make sure you have one that you can memorize.  (This is a sure way to test for length).  And it needs to be clear:  what are you trying to do?  And how are you doing it?  Period.

3. Your Target Market

Have you done the research?  Do you know who you are trying to reach?  Do you know what gets them out of bed in the morning? Where they hang out? And whether or not they even care about what your product/service/idea?

If you don’t know these things, stop what you’re doing right now and find out.

Find out the demographics and psychographics of your ideal customers, clients or audience members.  Then write up a profile for each of them.  (Yes, you probably have more than one.)

Make this profile at least one full page of detail.  And give the ideal person a name.  This will make it easier to write your marketing copy (because you’ll know who you’re talking to).

4. Your Strategy (aka Your Plan)

Do you have any idea how you will proceed? Do you have measurable goals?

If not, stop what you’re doing right now and work on this one.  Really. It’s that important.

The only way you will ever never know if you’ve been successful, is by choosing specific goal(s) that you will accomplish and then laying out a step-by-step plan to get there.

5. Be Flexible

Yes, you want to follow the plan.  But stuff happens.  The economy shifts.  Your ideal clients evolve.  Things change.  Get used to it.

Just pay attention.  Listen to your customers.  Listen to your audience.  And make adjustments to your plan when appropriate.

If you do all of these things persistently, you can’t help but see positive results. I promise. And for those of you in business to change the world, that’s all the incentive you need, right?

Do you have other tips for social entrepreneurs?  If so, share!

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