As a business owner, you know that marketing is an essential part of a successful business. So, that’s often where you start when you want to grow your business. You spend time trying to figure out the right way to market your business, and while that is extremely important work, it’s not the best place to start if you’re not first absolutely clear about your business model.
A solid business model will give you the information you need for the next step, crafting memorable marketing messages. And once you have a concrete business model and clear marketing messages, it will be much easier to choose and effectively implement your marketing strategies. Let’s take a closer look at how they’re all connected and how they naturally flow from one to the other.
How you make money
How your business makes money is called your business model. It is the foundation of every business, that is why it’s crucial you start here. When you are clear about the problem you help solve, who you help solve it for, and how you solve it, you have a strong business model.
Your business model includes all of the revenue streams you have, each product and service, how many people buy them, and the price for each of them. Pricing is part of how you position your business and will influence how you talk about your business (that’s coming next). Think about it, if you’re out there talking about your business but you’re not clear about your offers, it’s not going to be very productive.
Once you have a sound business model, it will be much easier to create the next piece: your marketing messages.
How you talk about your business
Your marketing messages - how you talk about your business - will flow from the clarity you have about your business model. You know exactly who your offers are for and how they can help people. You’ve thought deeply about the best way to deliver your work so that it has the highest impact. You know the results your clients get and you’re able to communicate them in a memorable and concise way. And you’re sharing your pricing on your website so that your positioning is clear.
This way, you will only connect with people who are the right fit. This saves you time and energy as well as the time and energy of the people for whom it’s not a match. Everyone wins. Once you have your compelling marketing messages, you can turn your attention to your marketing strategies.
How you connect with ideal clients
The ways you connect with your ideal clients are your marketing strategies. If you’ve taken the time to gain insight into your business model and focused on the creation of your marketing messages, then figuring out your marketing strategies will be a much smoother process.
In addition to that, having clarity about your business model and marketing messages will also increase your confidence. You will feel empowered as you take action to implement your marketing strategies and connect with your ideal clients. You will be able to answer questions about how you can help people and talk about the benefits of your work with joy and ease. Plus, you will never have to discuss pricing again because your prices are on your website and you invite potential clients to take a look at your offers before you have a conversation.
This is how these three concepts are connected and why the order matters. I hope it’s apparent how helpful it is to start with your foundation (your business model), and then work on your marketing messages and finish with your marketing strategies. Marketing your business shouldn’t be painful and it can actually be fun when you find the strategies that are aligned with your strengths and who you are.
Schedule some time to dive deeper into these three fundamental parts of your business and you will reap the reward of more clients with less frustration and stress.
Could your business model use a refresh? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.