Graphic By Renjith Krishnan - freedigitialphotos.net

It’s another Monday morning and as you sit down at your desk, you wonder how you’ll find more customers this week.  This feels frustrating and there’s a perfectly logical explanation. Your mind wanders at the the thought of social media, placing an ad in the local paper and even putting one of your employees in a costume to go stand on the corner with a handful of postcards.

Just as you wouldn’t bake a cake without a recipe or build a house without a blueprint, your marketing is missing a plan.  Having a solid strategy enables you to clear your mind of random events and ideas. Having a strategy helps you manage your time and money.  If you have a roadmap, then you have an idea of where you are going and what your destination looks like.

Imagine taking a trip to a new place without directions.  Maybe you’ll get there by following what feels right, and then again maybe you get lost.  Creating a marketing strategy does not have to be complicated.  As a Duct Tape Marketing consultant I have seen my own clients find great success in small actions.  It can be as practical and simple as figuring out who your best customers are and then finding out why they chose you.  Now you can focus on getting the attention of your ideal customer.  The one who values what you do and is a joy to work with.

In today’s economy, customers are very careful of how and when they spend money.  The value of what you’re providing has to exceed the dollar amount they are paying.  The best way to communicate that value is not by competing on price, but by demonstrating what makes your business different from the competition.

Saying you provide “good quality service” does not help your business stand out.  Good quality service is what is expected by default.  No one pays for bad unreliable service. Price is a terrible factor to compete on. Think of the story of four gas stations who share a major intersection.  Each one goes in order lowering their price until eventually three of them go out of business.  Even the one left standing will have a hard time sustaining such a low price and will be forced to raise it.

The point is that there’s always someone out there willing to go out of business faster than you.  Besides, lower your price also lowers the inherent value in what you’re offering.  If you can give me something for 50% off and still make a profit then why don’t you do it all the time?  Is your product marked up that much?  Your ideal customer will pay a premium if they truly see the value in what you are selling.

Your business offers a product or service that helps them solve a problem, stop a pain, make their lives a little better in some way.  Money will not be a priority if you can communicate how your difference fits the customer’s needs.  Your differentiator needs to resonate with the customer and it may be a small niche.  No matter though.  You end up delighting the customer.  A customer who will happily make repeat purchases and refer you to their own network of friends and colleagues.

So beat those Monday Morning Marketing Blues by looking at your ideal customer and figuring out what your key differentiators are for your products and services.  It will be an eye opening experience that can really set you apart from your competitors.