9StepGuideFixYourMarketing

Have you ever felt like
marketing your business
is just a waste of time,
money and effort?

Does this sound familiar? You finally are realizing your
dream of owning your own business. You open your doors on
the first day with grand hopes of an overwhelming success,
and you wait. The waiting seems to stretch out into days,
weeks, months. All the happy customers you imagined never
seem to show up.

You are determined to make this work, so you decide you have to advertise.
With so many choices, and so little to spend, how do you choose where to
advertise? You are afraid of wasting that money. You try one thing, then
another but none of it seems to work. Soon you are frustrated with the whole
idea. You start to think, “marketing works, but not for me, I give up.”

You take one more chance with the latest marketing fad, they always ask
questions you don’t have answers to, and they always seem to be expensive.
But you still hold out hope that this time it will work for you. But more often
than not… it doesn’t. Any gains are short lived and you find yourself back in
the same spot… stuck and frustrated with no clue what to do next. On top of
that, it seems like your competition is winning at every turn.

You are reminded of your frustration every time you see your competitor’s ad
or event. You resign to the fact that your marketing is broken.

If only there was a way to fix your marketing so you
actually make money doing it.

How to fix your marketing
by fixing your BRAND.

I’m Mark Combs, owner of The Brand Fix. In
this guide, I want to show you how to fix your
marketing, but we first must fix your brand.

Let me tell you a story. I am a 25+ year veteran in the
branding & marketing field. The entire time I worked at
those agencies and corporate marketing departments, I
loved crafting brands for small businesses.

Some time ago, my mom purchased a struggling local consignment store. It
was small, dimly lit, and crowded. It was surviving but that is about it. My
mom wanted to thrive in her retirement, and thought this little store would
help her do that.

She soon found that running a small business is hard. The old movie adage
“if you build it, they will come” is as true as any other Hollywood fiction. My
mom was alone and frustrated. She didn’t know where to start marketing
her business, what to say, or who to say it to.

I started to help of course. I am her favorite (only) son, I am a branding
designer, I love serving small business. Perfect fit. Right?

Well not quite.

I had been designing logos for years. But it was in this project that I suddenly
realized that a brand is much more than just a logo. A brand is customer,
message, image, consistency, perceived value, market, competition and so
much more. It was like the Matrix opened up to me.

I started digging, reading, studying how to market small business so I could
help my mom succeed. We made changes. We tried new things. We failed.
We tried more things. We kept trying… and trying. We started to see results.

I began to use this method with all of my clients, and it worked every time. I
used it with restaurants, food manufacturers, air craft manufacturers, pizza
franchises, soloprenuers, recording studios, public speakers, credit unions,
brick & mortar stores, online retail. It worked. My clients started seeing
results in places they didn’t expect. Customers were more engaged, and
more responsive to campaigns.

Today, my mom is thriving in her store. She knows who her
perfect customer is and where she needs to be to connect with
them. She knows exactly what to say to them to help them buy.
And she has a map of what she is doing next and how to achieve
it. She has more than doubled the inventory and size of her
consignment store. She tripled her consignors list and even has a
few employees.

I learned a ton in that process. The biggest thing I learned is that

Your Brand IS Your Marketing.

Branding is, at its simplest form, is just Market, Message, & Mark.

Marketing, at its simplest form, is taking your Message to your Market.

So, if I solve the questions of my Market, my Message, and my Mark the
marketing is solved along with it. You see, when I know my Market (who I
am trying to reach, who else is trying to reach them and why I am different),
it helps me know what to say (my Message). And when my Market and
my Message are in line with the image I portray (my Mark) my customers
gravitate to my marketing. There is a science to it. There is a path to follow.

In This Guide...

We are going to cover the 9 steps I take all of my
clients through to fix their brand, and in turn,
fix their marketing. Each step is simple, but not
necessarily easy. I will give you an explanation for
each step to help you achieve it. Also, there is an
assessment for each one so you can take an honest
look at where you are in your business. This also
lets you know what you need to work on.

Lets get started…

Your Market.

Step 1 - Your Perfect Customer

How well do you know your customer? Do you know their Demographics
(their statistics)? Their Psycho-graphics (their thinking)? Their Motu-
graphics (their feelings)? Their Actio-graphics (their motivations)?

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on how well you know your Customer.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Step 2 - Your Competition

How well do you know your Competition and what they offer? Do you
research their marketing? Are you following them on Facebook? Are you
aware of their promotions and events? What is their offer that reaches your
customer?

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on how well you know your Competition.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Step 3 - Your Difference

Have you written down what makes your company different? What sets you
apart from your competition? What words do you own in your customer’s
mind? Why should your customer buy from you over anyone else?

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on how well you know your Difference.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Your Message.

Step 4 - Your Mission

Have you written down why you are in business? Beyond just money. What
is the grand mission of your company? Have you found a cause that is bigger
than yourself or your business? Why do you do what you do? What is your
driving force?

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on how well you know your Mission.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Step 5 - Your Message

What is your message. What is the core of what you want to say to your
perfect customer. Your message should identify your customer, address the
problem you solve, and allude to the benefit you provide. Do you have one of
those? Is it conveyed in every marketing effort? Does your customer know
what your message is?

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on how well you know your Message.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Step 6 - Your Mantra

What is your mantra? What is it you say to yourself when a problem arises
that gets you through? States your principles? Or pumps you up? Do you
have a short internal slogan thats easy to remember, and sets you back on the
right track? What would you put on a sign over the door, so you can slap it
when you go to work?

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on how well you know your Mantra.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Your Mark.

Step 7 - Your Name

Does your name set you apart? Is it descriptive? Unique? Easy to spell?
Is your company name shorter than 3 words? What word comes to your
customer’s mind when they hear your name? Dos your name convey your
message?

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on how well your Name sets you apart.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Step 8 - Your Logo

How readable is your logo from a distance, in motion or very small? Do you
have one logo that is used for all materials? How simple is your logo? Is your
logo easy to reproduce at any size? In any medium? Is your logo memorable?
Unique? Does it stand out amongst your competition? Does your logo align
with your message?

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on how memorable your logo is.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Step 9 - Your Visuals

Do your visuals and graphics convey your message? Do you consistently use
the company color palate? Do your customers relate well to your images?
Is your type choice consistent with your logo? With your message? Do your
graphics extend your message to your customer without words?

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself on how consistent your visuals are.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

How to use this guide…

These 9 areas of your brand, when weak, can’t help but sabotage your
marketing. When they are strong and in sync with each other, they fortify
your marketing. Regardless of the tactics you use to market your business,
your brand is your marketing.
Take some time, go over each step again and look for ways you can make
each one better. Strive for each piece to be in line and help the others. Make
sure to acknowledge each one in every marketing effort you do.
Before long, you will find that marketing your business is no longer
frustrating. You will see a much higher return on all your marketing and
your customers will LOVE what you do.

Woannht otowkntoowappmloyre

method to your marketing?

Join me in the 5 Day Marketing Fix Challenge. We dive into each piece of
your brand so you can implement these simple solutions in your marketing.
I’ll show you how to establish a standard for your marketing that works
very time so you can stop the frustration of marketing your business and
instead have confidence in every effort.

TAKE THE CHALLENGE!

What our clients are saying
about The Brand Fix:

“Normally, you have to deal with several companies to accomplish
your marketing goals. Mark is like your general contractor and his
expertise is invaluable. I believe, after working with Mark, that any
company manager or owner will recognize having The Brand Fix as
a part of their team was one of their best decisions.”

– Teresa Morison, Advance Alarms

“Our experience working with The Brand Fix has been outstanding.
Mark goes above and beyond to brainstorm with us on the projects we
ask him to be a part of. More than once, his expertise has enhanced
the development of the marketing component of our programs and
initiatives. We are extremely pleased and will continue using The
Brand Fix for our marketing and graphics needs. I absolutely recom-
mend The Brand Fix.”

– Annie Perkins, Unlock Freedom

“Working with Mark at The Brand Fix is a no-brainer. He delivers
exactly what you need to promote and advertise your company. His
creativity is unparalleled and his attitude and aptitude unrivaled.
He will not disappoint. He’s dedicated, determined and dependable! I
really appreciate how Mark takes the time to understand my desires
regarding creative materials for my business and then proceeds to de-
sign exactly what I am wanting and needing - only much better!! He
is a consummate professional who delivers work in a timely manner
and his designs always garner admiration and consideration for hir-
ing me. He makes the process seamlessly easy and can even direct me
to the right people to assist in the next step, whatever that may be.”

– Richard Hight, VisualMpact