A Marketing foundation is the most essential part of your business and marketing plan.  Similar to personal foundation, marketing foundation is the key for developing a strong business.  Businesses exist to serve and resolve the problems of their target market. You must identify your target market and their most urgent needs.  Most service professionals cannot clearly define their target market, because they don’t clearly understand its needs.  Subsequently, their services are based on their own desires and needs, instead of what their target market wants.

The following 5 pillars are critical for developing a strong marketing foundation for service professionals:

1. Identifying target market: The most important task for service professionals is to narrowly define the target market they are serving.  They must know and understand everything about their target market.  As a service professional, the more you know about your clients the more effective you are in attracting and working with them.
2. Understanding the compelling needs of their target market: Service professionals are in business to solve their clients’ problems.  You must fully understand your clients, and their needs.  The only way your clients are willing to pay you is when they believe that you have something that they must have.  They buy, only when they trust that you know and understand them, and can solve their problem.
3. Defining Niche: Your niche is the specific service that you offer to address your clients’ needs.  Your niche shows your expertise.  The purpose of a niche is to focus your resources, and to understand the clients’ needs and wants.  You can show your clients that you understand them better and more deeply; that helps you to connect and to establish a deeper relationship with them
4. Defining y a Message: Your message expresses your understanding and your ability to satisfy the clients’ needs, and to explain your differentiation.  Your clients don’t know you, and what you can do for them.  Your ability to communicate your value is the key in connecting with your clients.
5. Marketing Strategies and tactics: You must now create awareness and educate your target market about what you do, and how you can solve their problems.  You want to connect and create a relationship with your potential clients.  People will only buy when they know and trust you.  To market your services, you must define strategies that would help you reach your goal.  Then, you can define a set of tactics to achieve your targeted goal.

Many service professionals struggle to market their business.  They invest more in quick fixes instead of getting involved and learning about marketing and how they can run a successful business.  You can receive additional information about Marketing coaching, or you can sign up for Quick start marketing program to learn more about develop a marketing blue print.