Minimum Viable Marketing: The Essentials to Growing Your Business
A Guide to Your Marketing Essentials
With an endless influx of marketing options, how do you choose?
I believe marketing doesn’t have to be rocket science, and you don’t need to follow all the latest trends. You can grow your business by consistently executing the essentials.
But here’s the issue. Which ones are the essentials?
Identifying the Marketing Essentials
The question that often comes up is: Which marketing activities are truly essential?
Nobody wants to waste time and effort on marketing strategies that don’t work.
While every business has unique needs, we’ve compiled a list of core elements that form the basis of what we call Minimum Viable Marketing.
These elements will help you focus on what will grow your business:
- A Compelling and Clear Brand Story
- A Focused and Converting Website
- An Optimized System to Deliver and Receive Payment
- A Lead Machine
Now, let’s dive into each of these core elements and explore how you can build them to grow your business confidently.
A Compelling and Clear Brand Story
Your brand story is the backbone of your marketing efforts.
It defines who you are, what you do, and why it matters. A compelling and clear brand story should be authentic and resonate with your target audience.
Here’s how to craft it:
- Identify your ideal customer: Who do you want to help? What are their goals, and what problems can you solve that stand in the way of those goals?
- Be the guide: Why do you care about the problem your customers are facing? Why should they trust you to solve those problems?
- Clarify the process: Make it crystal clear how someone can do business with you. Keep it simple. You only want 3-4 steps. You’re not explaining the details. You’re just orienting your customer to how it will work.
- Communicate consistently: Ensure your brand story is reflected in all your marketing materials, from your website to social media posts.
If you want to dive deeper, check out my guide on How to Write Your Brand Story or consider a Brand Foundation Session, during which we’ll work together to craft the perfect brand story for your business.
Related Guides
A Focused and Converting Website
Your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business. It must be clear and compelling because people don’t buy what they don’t understand.
It needs to be focused, visually appealing, and optimized for conversions. Here are some tips:
- A clear and actionable splash. When your website loads, it should be clear what you offer, how it improves your customers' lives, and how they can buy from you. If you’re missing any of these, you’re losing money.
- A 3-step plan. Your business may seem straightforward to you, but any complexity of confusion will cause customers to hesitate. Break the process down into three simple steps.
- A repeated primary call to action. Don’t tell your customers there are ten things they should do and hope they pick one. Repeat the primary call to action throughout your site. Your customer shouldn’t have to scroll more than one screen at any time to take action.
- A lead generator. This is your secondary call to action if your customer isn’t ready to buy. A lead generator offers timely value in exchange for a lead’s contact information.
- Mobile Optimization: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as a significant portion of web traffic comes from mobile devices.
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An Optimized System to Deliver and Receive Payment
You won’t have a business very long without getting paid.
Every entrepreneur needs an efficient system for delivering products or services and receiving payment. Even nonprofits need a consistent and straightforward system for collecting donations.
You can grow your business by consistently executing the essentials.
These are some of the payment essentials every business should optimize
- Seamless Checkout: Streamline the checkout process to reduce friction and cart abandonment. Aim for a quick and easy transaction experience.
- Invoice Tracking: As a business owner, you need visibility into what’s been sent out, paid, and overdue.
- Integrated Communication: Keep customers informed with order confirmations, tracking updates and clear communication.
A Lead Machine
Generating a steady stream of qualified leads is essential for sustained business growth.
Nobody wants to waste time and effort on marketing strategies that don’t work.
Your Lead Machinehis could involve various marketing strategies such as content marketing, social media, email campaigns, or paid ads.
Here’s how to create a lead machine:
- Content Marketing: Develop valuable content that addresses your audience's needs and positions you as an authority in your industry. Blog posts, videos, and downloadable resources can attract and engage potential leads.
- Social Media: Use social media platforms to connect with your audience, share your content, and answer questions. These practices will help you become known for the problem you solve and drive the right kind of traffic to your website.
- Email Campaigns: Build email automation to nurture your leads with targeted campaigns that provide value and keep your brand top-of-mind.
- Paid Advertising: Invest in paid ads to reach a broader audience and drive targeted traffic to your lead magnets and core offerings.
Related Guides
Action Plan
How to get started building the essentials
We understand how overwhelming it can be to build new marketing collateral, especially when simultaneously growing your businesses.
But don’t worry. We’re here to guide you along the way.
At Better Story Marketing, we specialize in helping businesses like yours develop and execute their Minimum Viable Marketing plans. Our Brand Foundation Sessions provide a clear message and a map to guide you in building out all the essential elements.
We’ve also begun creating BrandPacks so you can get everything you need to market and grow your business. They’re done for you, ready to use and fully customizable. All you need to do is make a few adjustments to personalize the BrandPack to your specific business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Minimum Viable Marketing
What is Minimum Viable Marketing?
Minimum Viable Marketing (MVM) is a simplified approach to marketing that focuses on executing essential marketing activities consistently. It helps businesses grow by concentrating on the most impactful elements without getting overwhelmed by numerous options and trends.
Why should I focus on Minimum Viable Marketing?
By focusing on the essentials, you can ensure that your marketing efforts are efficient and effective. MVM helps you prioritize what truly matters, leading to better resource allocation and clearer outcomes for business growth.
What are the core elements of Minimum Viable Marketing?
The core elements of MVM include a compelling and clear brand story, a focused and converting website, an optimized system to deliver and receive payment and a lead machine.
Brand Story
What elements should be included in a brand story?
A brand story is all about the customer
Why is it important to have a compelling brand story?
It helps your customers understand and remember you.
How can I make my brand story authentic?
Tell why you care about the customer's needs and goals.
How often should I update my brand story?
Your brand story should evolve as your business grows and adapts to changes in the market.
Should I include personal anecdotes in my brand story?
Including personal anecdotes can add a human touch to your brand story.
Lead Generators + Sales Sequences
How can I make my call-to-action (CTA) more compelling?
Focus on clearly articulating the value and benefit the potential customer will receive from booking with you. Use action-oriented language to ensure the CTA stands out visually on your webpage.
What is a lead generator, and why is it important?
A lead generator is a tool or strategy used to attract potential customers and gather their contact information. It's crucial because it starts the process of converting interested parties into paying customers by capturing their attention and encouraging them to engage further with your brand.
What makes a good lead generator offer?
A good lead generator offer provides clear value to your target audience, addresses their specific needs or pain points, and is perceived as desirable enough that they are willing to exchange their contact information for it.
How does a sales sequence work with a lead generator?
A sales sequence is a series of targeted communications (usually emails) designed to nurture leads obtained through a lead generator. It aims to build trust, provide value, and guide leads towards making a purchase decision by progressively addressing their needs and interests.
How long should my sales sequence be?
The length of your sales sequence can vary depending on your industry, product complexity, and sales cycle. However, a sequence typically includes 5-7 emails spread out over a few weeks to nurture leads without overwhelming them.
