The dark arts of Marketing don’t have to be that dark.

When entrepreneurial businesses think of marketing, it can just seem too hard. So many mediums, so much market noise, so hard to get cut through. What truly works on social media? How do radio and television fit in in the modern world? Do traditional print, and public relations still have a role to play?  

Having coached and mentored entrepreneurial businesses for 20 years, I adopt a very simple model to marketing. This four-step process moves away from the noise of the media mix and focuses on the prospect. 

1. Plant – Create the avatar of your ideal client and sow the seeds where they are most likely to germinate.  

2. Emerge – Once the prospects show themselves, build your touchpoints and their familiarity with your product or service. 

3. Fertilise- Demonstrate your value, punch your positioning, and rev up your referral engine. 

3. Harvest – Convert, onboard, and create lifelong value. 

Rinse and repeat.  

Just like farming a field or growing your tomato plant at home, it takes a process, time and patience to grow a bumper crop. 

By focussing on the process and not getting to wound up in the vehicle (media mix), businesses can gain great clarity in who they want to work with, how they are going to find them and building lifelong sales partnerships.