10 Tips for Marketing Success

The TC Success Marketing Philosophy

Learn our top 10 tips for creating an efficient and effective marketing strategy. In her many years in the industry, TC Success founder Kathryn Joy has discovered that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The tools have evolved, but the fundamentals are more important than ever in the digital marketing age.  

1. In marketing you can’t have a one hit wonder. It’s creating the right combination of things and having them all work together. Create an efficient process and operational platform where each thing builds on the next to make everything more effective.
2. Don’t ask yourself about the product. Start with the customer. Ask yourself what does my customer want and why? How do they feel about what they need? How do we help them reach their goals? Then deliver and communicate that effectively.
3. Successful marketing is like a successful relationship. If you are good at personal relationships, you already know how good marketing works. Listen, respond, support, care, be honest, follow-through, and stay in touch so you build trust and maintain long-term bonds.
4. Marketing is an art and a science, applying both creativity and discipline. Create and measure. Creativity without applied discipline and measurement is art, not marketing. Data without creative ways to incorporate and communicate insights is analytics not marketing.
5. Tactics are the means to the end. Never start with the tactics. Choosing the tactics has to come after you’ve set the objectives, and only as a means to attain them.
6. Good messaging comes from the heart. The Latin root of the word “communication” means to “share, impart, join, unite, or make one with.” The translation of your product into a solution from your customer’s perspective has to mean something. Dig deep.
7. Build your house upon rock. Do the foundational work up front. Invest the necessary time and effort in developing a mission… strategy… positioning… targets… and measurement. Time spent here is like gold. Later when you are hurried and pressured you can bang things out fast, but if they follow the foundation, they’ll be good.
8. Learn to say “yes” and learn to say “no.” Regularly evaluate and prioritize ideas and projects in relation to your goals. Not every program is of equal value, and some will surprise you. Estimate their impact on resources and revenue. Rank them top down from easiest to do with biggest impact, to hardest to do, least impact. Realign the plan incorporating the winners, and let go of the losers.
9. Targeting is of value to both you and your audience. When done effectively, it allows your message to meet the most receptive, qualified audience possible while using your resources wisely (ROI). Marketing without thoughtful targeting is throwing money into the wind. Advertising without targeting is SPAM. Carefully analyze your audiences and tailor your messaging to them. A well aimed ad is inspiring, and a poorly aimed ad is annoying.
10.  Guiding a qualified audience through discovery to conversion is a journey, and your duty is to keep it interesting and rewarding. Everything you do – from copy to design – should add value to their experience. Educate, entertain, and engage your audience, and create relationships that mean something. By guiding the customer through a fulfilling journey, you’re increasing brand affinity and customer lifetime value. Your audience is one of your company’s most valuable assets. Train yourself to think of and manage it that way.

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