Here’s the outline and priority development process we use.

Before reaching out to an agency, it’s best to clarify in your mind what your definition of “looking for help” is. This article will clarify and focus on the first conversation to help find the right partner.

There are four typical definitions of “looking for help” that we typically hear:

• You would like to get the perspective of a how to solve a problem from marketing professional.
• You’re looking to complement your internal resources with an external marketing partner.
• You have a specific project in mind and are looking for a marketing partner to help.
• You’re looking for coaching and training for an existing sales or marketing team.

In many cases, a review of your website will help shape the course of action and build the priorities of a successful partnership.

Your website’s five-second test

What does my website have to do with increasing sales and market share?

Your website is how you sell in scale. It’s how you communicate your value, your experience, your products, services, and people to buyers you haven’t met or talked with. Defining messaging, clarity, and purpose on your website helps to serve as the foundation for all communications, prospecting, and sales efforts.

• The Literal: Can a prospective buyer quickly tell what you do and who you do it for?
• Your Value: Is your value proposition and reason to consider your company clear and obvious?
• The Hero: Is the focus of your homepage language your company or your customer?
• The Menu: Is your main well organized and easy to navigate for the buyer’s needs?

Your primary products or service pages

• Are you identifying the problem you’re solving for the buyer?
• How is the customer’s problem solved by your products or services?
• What are the realities of not solving the problem for your ideal customer?
• What are the benefits of solving the problem?
• How does this solve the problem better than others?

Guiding & educating your ideal buyer

• Does your sales team have materials that answer the most common buyer questions?
• Are you showing pricing and explaining the elements of pricing?
• Can a buyer learn about problems with your product or service?
• Can a buyer see reviews or testimonials – information from sources other than you?
• Can a buyer see objective comparisons of your products or services against options?
• Are the calls-to-actions on your site beyond “call us” or “make an appointment”?

Your people

• Can a buyer see the faces of the people in your company?
• Can a buyer learn anything about people in your company?
• Can a buyer contact specific people in your company?

Your relationship between sales and marketing

• What does the relationship look like between sales folks and marketing folks at your company?
• How often do sales and marketing meet and discuss customer questions?
• How often is marketing developing materials and content to help the sales folks specifically?
• Who is writing content in the organization?
• How frequently is content and supporting materials being drafted, reviewed, edited, and published?
• Is the sales team using video in their sales process?
• Is there any assignment selling happening between sales and prospects?
• What type of system is being used to track the activity on the website?
• What type of system is being used to nurture and manage leads?

Your business referral partners or distributors

• What materials are built specifically to help them help you?
• Is there a section on your website that specifically speaks to partners, referral sources, or distributors?
• (If applicable) Should someone want to become a wholesale partner or distributor, can they see how to do that on your website?

---

Partnering For Your Marketing Plan

The areas outlined above are key elements in developing an effective marketing plan. The marketing plan outlines the goals, strategies, objectives, and tasks of marketing and sales efforts.

Along with the areas outlined above, a marketing plan addresses:

• Target audiences
• Tools, resources, and systems
• Systems and processes for managing leads
• Content creation
• Paid advertising efforts and budgets
• Timelines and metrics to measure progress

If your business is looking for a marketing partner to help create and launch a marketing plan, contacting our agency’s partners is the easiest and most effective first step.