Marketing to me has never been an exact science, but there are certain ingredients that make up successful marketing plans and strategies. Here are the 4C’s of marketing: Creativity, Clarity, Consistency, Continuity.

Creativity:

You are unique and you should celebrate that in your business.

Find different things about your organization that allow you to stand out in the market, rather than blend in. This means digging deep and getting creative with your marketing. Yes, you need a website, business cards and other marketing materials, but be you! Do not copy the competition; create something your audience would not expect, but would appreciate.

Clarity:

Who are you? Who is your customer? What value do you bring to the table?

It is important to be clear about these important questions. Without clarity marketing can often be all over the place. One of my client’s and a SCORE mentor in Westchester advises her mentees to create a position statement. This will help you focus and be clear about your message. We learn this early on in business marketing classes in college, but sometimes as entrepreneurs we forgot how important clarity is to the process. This step not only focuses your market, it also focuses your team.

Consistency:

No matter how creative you get, no matter what you produce for marketing materials, it needs to be cohesive with your message and your brand.

You should not look at your Facebook page and back at your website and feel like they represent two different companies. This often happens as people grow in the use of their digital tools. Review your LinkedIn bio; does it have the same feel as the bio on your website? Is your Twitter feed reflecting the same advice you give on your website? Are the photos you’re sharing on Pinterest in line with your overall message and personality? We use so many different tools today to tell our stories, but no matter what it needs to be consistent.

Continuity:

This is probably one of my biggest pet peeves, and I will admit – I too have made this mistake. However, staying constant in your connections and communications with your customers and audience is crucial.

There is a reason why the saying “persistency pays” was coined – because it does. Staying constant in your marketing and not stopping the flow will ensure that you never run into dry spells in your business. This means that you need to have a rhythm to what you send out and when it is disseminated across all your platforms: email, website updates and social media. Without ongoing, continuous communication you will find that your business will be erratic.

If you have questions or need help with any of the 4C’s of marketing, please feel free to schedule a free consultation to see how we can help you.