What is Process-Focused Marketing?

I was fortunate to have been able to speak to the contractors at the Land Improvement Contractors of Ontario Convention in January, about Process-Focused Marketing in their companies. It was a great opportunity for me to talk about one of my favorite subjects! Our niche as a marketing agency is 'Process-Focused Marketing', and I am always asked what this means. A company is made up of many roles and departments, and what we have learned over the years is that if you look at marketing just from the marketing department's perspective, you may increase leads but you won't have an efficient way to deal with those leads from first contact through to satisfied customer. This ends up in chaos, disgruntled employees, and a reactive way of managing our business. For your company to flourish, you need to look at it as a whole, like an entire body made up of parts that contribute to the wellness of the whole. Process -Focused Marketing looks at the entire sales and marketing process in three steps.

The first step is to Build a Framework. Write down what happens from the first marketing effort to project completion. Write down every action, every form filled out, every email sent, every document signed. You would be surprised to see not only how much waste is in the process, but also how much of this can be organized, delegated and automated. 

Next you need to assess your current software. When I go into a company to begin their assessment, I am always surprised by how many have not embraced technology. Not only is out of date software wasting time, but most modern integrators are not compatible with obsolete software. Out of date software is costing businesses unnecessary amounts of time and money. Also, most business owners don’t realize how affordable automation and integrations have become. The utilization of cookies is imperative to a successful company. I’m sure you’ve noticed that most websites now have a popup that asks you to allow cookies. A cookie is a beautiful little tiny text file created by a website that is stored in the user's computer either temporarily for that session only or permanently on the hard disk. Cookies provide a way for the website to recognize you and keep track of your preferences, they can let a company know the products that you’ve been looking at on their websites. Companies that use cookies can have their sales people automatically notified when a potential customer appears interested in their products, based on the lead's behavior on their website. Now the sales person doesn’t have to guess who needs attention! 

The next thing you need to do to build your framework is to create a written plan and set clear goals. This doesn't have to be complicated, just write down a point form plan on a sheet of paper to start. Set out your goals and share them with your team.

Once you've created your framework, you can move onto the second step - Find Your Voice, & Project It. You’ll need to refine your message. What makes your company special, what sets you apart. What do you want to do more of? Next, define our target audience and plan where to find it. Who is your ideal customer? Where are they? What are their interests? What is their price sensitivity? Once you know who they are, you can research where to find them. You'll then need to set a marketing budget and plan your spend. You need to allocate where every penny is going.

Stop reacting, don’t purchase ad space just because there’s a promotion, don’t purchase ad space because you don’t want to say no to the rep who’s selling it to you. When you have a set budget to can take comfort in the fact that you are doing the right thing, and you’re in the right places because you have a well thought out plan.

The third step is to Measure the Results. The framework that you created from the first step will support the structure of HOW you measure the results. It’s important to discern what data is important for your particular company. Data like web traffic, click through rates, closing ratio, ROI on marketing dollars, length of time from estimate to sale, length of time between sale and project completion are all important types of data to consider measuring. Without a way to measure what’s working and what’s not, you’re just spinning your wheels.

You need to be agile in business, you need to be able to make decisions that will move your company forward. You need this data to adjust the structure of your system, and you need this data to show you what of your marketing efforts is making a return. There are many software options that can help here, many of which can collect data automatically and send reports monthly or quarterly. The whole aim is to reduce workload and increase efficiency, so using automation and reliable tracking software is invaluable here. 

The overall goal is to systematize the sales & marketing process to make it scalable and repeatable. The more scalable and repeatable your process is the more successful and profitable your company will become! This all sounds overwhelming. It does take time and effort, but at its core it’s simple, and once completed you will have a reliable framework, a clear relevant message that is broadcast direct to your target audience, and the data necessary to steer your ship and make adjustments in real time. Once your sales and marketing process is fully implemented you can expect to gain the productivity of one to three full time employees, without adding a cent to your payroll. This strategy will be a big part of your company’s success.

Take a look at the video below to hear the LICO Convention presentation. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have!