January’s word of the month, meaningful, is near and dear to my heart. When it comes to life in general, I think it’s important to do most things with meaning, but it is an imperative when we are talking about the success of our businesses. Meaningful marketing, in this case, does not translate into charitable donations or the support local giving-back efforts. Meaningful marketing has to do with doing things with intention.

Here’s an analogy that is easy to relate to: have you ever received a gift that you knew cost a lot of money but was something you would never use? How did it make you feel about the person who bought it for you? How impressed were you with the person that spent a lot of money buying you golf clubs when everyone knows you have no desire to play golf? On the flip side, when your husband handwrote you a letter and mailed it to you on your birthday (because you like that sort of thing), you might have shed tears of joy after his meaningful yet simple gesture.

Of course, understanding what would move each of our individual customers to tears of joy might be impossible, but ensuring that what we push out to them is meaningful should definitely be a priority.

Why Meaningful Marketing Matters:

• Your brand is delicate. Your brand image is like equity that you’ve built up over time. The value of your brand attracts new customers, retains existing customers and opens partnerships and opportunities for your business. Meaningful marketing initiatives support this image with on-point messaging, professional design and flawless execution.
• A tainted relationship is hard to recover. Space-filler marketing efforts that add no value for your customer may seem innocuous but can have far-reaching negative effects on your relationship with your customers and prospective customers. This tainted relationship can be difficult to reset.
• Your time (and money) is precious. You and your team’s productivity hours and marketing budget are precious and have a direct effect on the success of your business. Be sure to spend your time on meaningful marketing efforts that support your brand image, create new customers and increase revenue.

What Does Meaningful Marketing Look Like?

• It has a strategy behind it. Meaningful marketing is built on a plan. For example, this is our marketing objective, and this effort is proposed to help us accomplish “it.”
• It tells a story. By story, I mean it speaks to your customer’s emotions. Your meaningful marketing initiative will give the customer a reason to believe that you’re the right choice to solve a need.
• It understands its audience. Your meaningful marketing will take into consideration timing, platform, style, tone of voice…all targeted to your unique audience.
• It is done with quality vs. quantity as a priority. It might seem like a great idea to crank out more because “more must be better” when the truth is that “better but less” can yield the highest return.
• It is measurable. Along with strategy, metrics are key to ensuring that your meaningful marketing gets the right results.

Ready to kick off 2018 with meaningful marketing efforts that will move the needle for your company? Want some expert, objective opinion on whether what you’re currently doing fits the bill? Contact me for a consultation and let’s make something meaningful happen today!