In the last year I have written several hundred posts about marketing, with a real emphasis on strategy.  Why?  Because I believe effective marketing is not just a slick campaign, but a well thought out strategy which brings together the 3M’s

• Market
• Message
• Media

For marketing to be effective these three  elements must be in alignment.

Market: No matter how big you are, you can not afford try to sell to everyone.  And even if you did have a large enough budget, the reality is some people are more likely then others to buy your product.   So begin by focusing on a segment of the market. Select a profitable niche, and exceed their expectations.

Message: Now that you have identified your customer, what do you say to get their attention?  Think about what is important to your customer, what keeps them up at night.  Craft a message which addresses their concerns, not what you want to sell.   I once had a finanial planner tell me what his customer wanted choices.  I had a hard time imaging many consumers laying awake at night worrying about not having enough choices. … This was an important element to him, but not his clients.  What keeps them awake? Worries about retirement and college tuition!  My advice to him, stop talking about choices till you have their attention!

Media:  In marketing, it is not just what you say, but where you say it.  Ask yourself, where are your customers going for information?  Select your media, based on the ability to reach a large concentration of your target.  To do this, you have to really understand your target.

So what about your marketing?  Do you have your 3M’s in alignment?