Marketing Checklist

This checklist covers all the major things you can do to market your professional services. I know this list is too frickin’ long and will probably overwhelm you. Sorry. But if you want to win at marketing, there’s stuff you gotta do.

1. I understand the Game of Marketing

Marketing is a game with goals, rules, and structure. Before you start playing, you need to understand the game if you’re going to win consistently.

___ I Understand how the game works and where my prospects are in the “Marketing Ball Game.”

2. I have Mastered my Marketing Mindset

Your marketing mindset determines how you play the game and your persistence in improving your skills and practice of marketing activities.

___ I have studied and various ideas and methods for developing successful marketing habits

___ I have established positive marketing habits and systems to ensure that I implement my marketing

___ I have studied and practiced various methods for developing a positive and creative marketing mindset

___ I am confident and resourceful with my marketing. I don’t get sidetracked by fear and negativity

___ I am good at coming up with creative ideas for marketing my business

3. I have a complete Marketing Message for my business

Your Essential Marketing Message is the core idea that your business revolves around. It’s being clear about who your clients are, what challenges they face and the outcomes you can help them achieve through your services and programs.

___ Demographics and psychographics of my ideal clients

___ List of primary issues and challenges my clients face

___ List of results or outcomes my clients want to achieve

___ Collection of stories from clients who produced favorable outcomes

4. I have developed the following Communication Skills:

Marketing is 100% communication. So you need to learn and develop various verbal and written communication skills if you’re to successfully attract your ideal clients. In the first section, the focus is on verbal communication skills.

___ The ability to use a short “Audio Logo”

___ The ability to explain my business mostly in terms of  the outcomes my clients realize

___ The ability to share stories about client successes

___ The ability to listen to and understand the needs of my prospective clients

___ The ability to ask a prospect to take action

___ The ability to send an email that gets response

___ The ability to follow up by phone to a prospect

___ The ability to make an appointment with a prospect

___ The ability to conduct a selling conversation

___ The ability to close the sale

5. I have the following written materials for my business

These written/multi-media materials are the minimum you should have in your business. They form the foundation of your marketing and are all an expression of your Essential Marketing Message.

___ A Website with a complete overview of my business

___ A one-page Executive Summary

___ A multi-page Core-Issue Report (Freebie)

___ Other reports and tools (like this one)

___ A LinkedIn Summary and profile

___ A PowerPoint/Keynote presentation

___ A short video overview about my business

___ An autoresponder series for new opt-ins

5a. I have a Well-designed Website with the following content:

___ A “Home” page (like the executive summary)

___ An “About” page (about both clients and my biz)

___ A “Services” page (with sales letters for services)

___ A “Stories/Testimonials” page with client results

___ A “Free stuff” page (offering my Core-Issue Report and other free info and resources)

___ A “Contact page” with contact info + a form

___ An email service set up (AWeber or MailChimp)

___ An ezine template set up on the email service

___ A blog with several informative articles

6. I have developed the following Marketing Action Plans for various Marketing Strategies

You want to learn and develop one marketing strategy at a time and get some progress in implementing it before you learn and attempt to implement another strategy. The most common marketing strategies for independent professionals are:

___ A networking strategy

___ A direct outreach strategy (emails and follow-up)

___ A keep-in-touch strategy (ezine and blog)

___ A speaking strategy

___ A webinar strategy

___ A direct email strategy

___ A social media strategy

It’s all about priorities

All the items in #1 through #4 I think are absolutely essential. To win the game you need to know the game and have the right attitude. Then you gotta know how to communicate about your business effectively. It continually blows my mind how bad people are at that. With #5 you can be selective. You may not need all these marketing materials, but a good website is essential these days.

And with #6 you may only need to understand and apply a few marketing strategies. But you can’t be half-assed about them. You need to master them or you’ll never get the results that are possible.