5 Things you should know before spending on marketing

1 Set measurable goals

Are you aiming for brand awareness, lead capture, or growth from existing customers? Don’t try to multitarget too much when it comes to marketing goals. Ambition is all very well, but you’ll go farther sprinting one step at a time! Here are examples of measurable goals:

2 Determine your audience

An easy way to think of your audience is group them into buckets and give each bucket a persona — and even a name. Let’s say you’re a sit-down cafe and pastry shop and you have the following customer personas.

An easy way to think of your audience is group them into buckets and give each bucket a persona — and even a name. Let’s say you’re a sit-down cafe and pastry shop and you have the following customer personas.

3 Establish your brand identity

If your customers have personas, your brand must have one too. What values and ideas do you most stand for? How do you show them in your aesthetics, your messages, and your product? What problems do you solve, and what do you promise your loyal customers?

These days, the best way to present yourself is online, through social media. Let the world know of your brand identity through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or via a WordPress- built website.

4 Know your competition

It’s not spying, it’s just intelligent marketing. But if you’re iffy about

where to start, here are a few ways to find out more about your rivals

5 Understand the metrics

Before diving into the numbers, define your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). They vary from business to business; what defines success for one business may not necessarily reflect the same for you.