From 0 to 100: How to Put Your Marketing Needs Into Words
Congrats! You've hatched a brilliant business idea and you’re ready to unleash it on the world. To blast your brand message out there, you need to run smart marketing campaigns. But if marketing communications isn’t your thing, you should be talking to a marketing agency partner. However, sometimes “talking marketing” is easier said than done.
Talking the Marketing Talk
As with any partnership, you need clear communication. Many marketing agencies, unfortunately, don’t know how to talk to their clients in a shared language, relying on marketing jargon and tossing around unnecessary phrases that only create confusion instead of clarity. You won’t find any of that here. In fact, we do our best to take the ego out of marketing and ensure everyone is on the same page at every step along the client journey.
Step 1: Know Your Own Marketing Language
If you’re ready to dive into marketing, then you must already have a great product or service. Fantastic! But before approaching a marketing agency, take an in-depth look into your own brand. Who are you? What makes you different from the competition? Think of it like attending a high-stakes networking event. You wouldn't walk in mumbling, would you? Prepare a compelling elevator pitch that sums up your trademark's essence.
Here's the fun part of marketing 101: competitor recon! Knowing your current and aspirational competitors is like having a cheat sheet for the marketing game. Who are the bigwigs in your space? What are they doing well (and not so well)? Intel about who you're up against helps agencies tailor strategies that highlight your unique selling points (USP) and address market gaps for maximum impact.
In short, your marketing agency should talk like you, not the other way around. If you don’t even know how to talk like you, then there’s going to be miscommunication.
Step 2: Know the Differences Between Key Terms
Marketing basically has its own dictionary, and every word has its nuance. Conflating marketing, advertising, branding and sales may be normal for those outside of the industry, but they have distinct and important differences. Here's a decoder ring for some of the most common ones:
- Marketing is the umbrella term for everything you do to get your brand noticed, desired and, ultimately, chosen by customers.
- Advertising is the splashy billboard on the marketing highway. It's a specific tactic used to promote your brand through paid means.
- Branding is the heart and soul of your business. Your brand is who you are, from your logo and website to your customer service and social media presence.
- Sales is the one-on-one conversion that happens when—after a customer has gotten to know, like and trust you—they buy your product or service.
- Positioning is your strategic sweet spot in the market. It's about differentiating yourself from the competition and carving out your niche.
Familiarize yourself with fundamental marketing terms to enhance your discussions with agencies.
Step 3: How to Talk to Marketing Agency Experts
Now that you've got a handle on the basics, it's time to translate your newfound knowledge into a language that marketing agencies can comprehend. Here's how to talk marketing for a smooth first conversation:
Do your research: Just like you wouldn't walk into a doctor's appointment without knowing your symptoms or visit another country without knowing a few words, you shouldn’t approach an agency completely clueless. Research their services and see if they align with your needs. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to understand everything, but it is good to know what questions to ask.
Embrace the conversation: Don't be afraid to ask questions and engage in a thorough discovery process to ensure your partnership yields fruitful results. A good agency will want to understand your business and work collaboratively to achieve your goals. Questions like, "What strategies do you use to engage a target audience?" can provide valuable insights into their capabilities and compatibility with your vision.
Be yourself: As cliché as it is, be sure to show your personality! Marketing is all about connecting with people and showing your USPs, which include your voice and brand identity. Let your passion for your brand shine through. Clarify what you want to achieve, whether it's increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or boosting sales. At EMB, we take our work seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. People buy from people, so we need to understand your people (meaning both your team and your audience) in order to really meet your marketing goals.
Start the Discovery Process
Our discovery phase is the foundation of our partnership. It involves understanding your business operations, brand identity and data. If you’re interested in talking to our team and getting the discovery process rolling, complete our entry questionnaire! We’ll help you put your needs into words and ensure we’re all speaking the same language: success.
The best way to put your marketing needs into words is to read more marketing words, right? Check out the other posts in our 0 to 100 series to exercise those marketing brain muscles!
