Got a marketing pain? Your remedy can be found in the 4 P’s of Marketing.

This blog is brought to you by BrightBlue Marketing team member:

Andrea Lamarsaude.

Got a headache? Aspirin or Tylenol should wipe it out. Tummy ache? You can’t go wrong with Pepto Bismol. But what about your marketing pains? Does strategizing for your social media campaigns have your head in a spin? Are your eyes crossing as you contemplate budget vs. your creative wish list for your next direct mail outreach?

Unfortunately there is no magic pill that will make these marketing aches melt away.

The best thing to remember when contemplating your marketing woes is not to get overwhelmed. Creating and executing a treatment plan (aka marketing plan) can seem daunting but to be successful in your business it's absolutely necessary that you do! Without your own personal marketing prescription it’s going to be hard to know which road will lead you to marketing recovery.

Laura Lake, an independent marketing consultant, social media marketing strategist and blogger at About.com recommends focusing on just 4 tactics for marketing success:

1. Establish a memorable and unmistakable brand identity: The secret to business success is determined by your ability to powerfully communicate your business with laser precision and your ability to deliver a clearly defined and consistent experience. 
In a nutshell... it's called branding, and, when done right, it ensures a thriving business with all the customers and profits you need. The secret is to establish a powerful brand identity that sings distinction. And establish that identity before you launch any marketing activities.

2. Create a deep connection with your core target audience - your potential raving fans! Who wants and needs what you have to offer? The only wrong answer is "everyone." 
In marketing, you get a lot more "bang for your buck" if you focus your spending on a well-defined group of people that you enjoy working with. The better you define this group, the more effective your marketing can be.

3. Design compelling offerings that pull customers in like a magnet. 80% of all purchase decisions are based on emotion. It's your job as a marketer to know how your customers want to feel and to get them to visualize how your services can meet their needs. People want to know, "What's in it for me?" Tap into the emotion and create offerings that touch your customers.

4. Craft A Personal, Workable Marketing Plan - Marketing is everything you do to make your product or service more visible, more desirable and more profitable. Your marketing plan will clearly define the big picture and provide focus and direction based on the 4 'P's of Marketing - product, price, place/distribution and promotion. 
Since 90% of small business owners do not have a plan, you'll have a leg up on your competition by crafting your personal, workable marketing plan to ensure that you reach your business goals.

Do you have a big marketing pain? 
One that makes you cringe and gives you fever? Have we got a contest for you! BrightBlue invites you to post a summary of your marketing migraine as a comment to this blog.

The person with the best answer gets a choice of a year’s supply of Band-Aids or a month’s free access to our Virtual Marketing Outreach Program (www.vmobrightblue.com).

We can take away your pain...

-Andrea Lamarsaude