Marketing your business doesn't have to be hard af.
Especially if you have a small (or no!) marketing team.
Most founders and CEOs think they must be everywhere to generate clients...or they rely solely on Google Ads to generate leads.
Neither is the right move.
Being everywhere is impossible β you'll never do any of it well enough to make a dent.
Relying on Google Ads, or really any kind of ads, will give you diminishing returns.
So, what's the play to raise brand awareness, generate leads, and become the ONLY choice?
Here's a foundational marketing strategy we start with for every client.
Feel free to steal it π
Pull + Push
The best marketing strategy pulls and pushes.
- Pulls = attracts people to your business through content
- Pushes = pushes your message out through ads and outreach
You need both to build a sustainable marketing play that consistently generates leads.
When you only pull, leads will be sporadic and take time to generate.
When you only push, you'll have to invest more to get the same results, and you'll never be seen as the authority people choose.
The magic is in the combo.
The Master 2 Marketing Play
The simplest way to build a marketing play for your business?
Pick one channel that pulls and one channel that pushes and master them.
Pull Channels
Think of pull channels (also called inbound marketing) as content.
It's about educating your ideal customers on your expertise and unique point-of-view.
These channels include:
- Social Media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Facebook, X, Reddit, and the like)
- Podcasts
- Blog Posts
- Email Newsletter or Course
Put your expertise out in the world so people see you as an expert.
The trick is to choose a channel your ideal customers use.
Push Channels
Push channels (also called outbound marketing) place you in front of your ideal customers while they are doing something else.
Ads are a perfect example.
No one looks for ads β they show up while we consume other content.
These channels include:
- Search Ads (Google, Bing, Yahoo)
- Social Ads (LinkedIn and the like)
- Cold Outreach (Emails, calling, DMs)
Place your message in front of your ideal customers.
Again, the trick is to choose a channel they use to find solutions.
Add-On Channels
Okay, so these technically fall into either a Pull or Push category.
But, to make your marketing simple, I put them in this add-on category.
Many of these channels are industry-specific β meaning they might not work for you.
If your ideal customers say they use these channels, choose one and invest in it.
- Tradeshows
- Events/In-Person Courses
- Direct Mail
- Print Ads
Start with Two
The goal here is to choose one pull channel and one push channel and master them.
- Invest in resources to do them well.
- Hire an expert to advise you on what to do.
- Test and iterate and give it enough time to see what actually works (meaning more than a month).
Once you've mastered one pull and one push channel, then (and only then!) should you look at jumping into a new channel.
One caveat:
If you have the budget and the manpower, consider mastering two pull and two push channels to start.
For instance, there's power in creating content on LinkedIn and pushing an email newsletter to grab their contact information and showing up in their inbox.
Just like there's power in running Google ads and retargeting website visitors with ads on LinkedIn.
But, if you don't master Google ads first, your LinkedIn ads aren't going to work well.
Build a Simple Marketing Play
Keep your marketing plan simple, and you'll stick to it.
Remember, you don't need to be everywhere.
You just need to be on one pull channel and one push channel where your ideal customers are.
Master those, and you'll generate more leads than you can handle.
Until next week,
#SassyJason out.
βπΌ