Siena, Steve, and Mary met me at a quiet coffee shop, not too far from their office. Over cappuccinos and multi-grain muffins, they wanted to discuss marketing their brand of professional women’s backpacks. I listened for at least an hour without saying anything. Finally, when they started sipping their lattes, I asked, what marketing problem are you trying to solve? Can we start by defining the problem?
They stopped and said, I guess we aren’t sure.
Start with The Problem
When you spend time defining a problem clearly, it is easier to begin to construct a marketing strategy that aligns with the business plans.
For businesses that must show revenue quickly, they need immediate action that might require disruptive marketing.
A company that is building its brand slowly, without the pressure of investors breathing down their necks, the pace and strategic imperative are different.
By first defining a problem to be solved, you can focus your attention on a solution that solves that specific question.
I’m a big fan of declarative sentences that succinctly define a marketing problem.
Here is an example.
Marketing Problem Statement:
For our environmentally friendly backpacks brand to grow among our target of professional women age 29-49, we need to gain awareness and trial by a few women. Will they care that we use repurposed fabric as a sustainable brand? We want to see in a microcosm if our product has a chance with the positioning, quality, design, delivery, and price we have in mind.
In summary, the marketing problem at hand is we need to learn if we are on the right path with a test that mimics the real-world experience these consumers would have with our brand.
Can You Ask This in the form of a Question, Alex?
How can Siena, Steve, and Mary create a real-world test of our product positioning with the target audience we have in mind? That’s the marketing problem to be solved.
When you define your immediate challenge first, you can then think about how to execute the strategic challenge. If you start with the tactics, you might solve the wrong problems.
My approach:
- Define the problem as a statement of fact. We need to learn if.
- Outline a strategy that includes the phrase, how might we.
- Find the right tactics to test the proposition. The statement might sound like, what if we.
When you can break down a need, to a well-defined question, that’s when the creative challenge begins. Without the right question, you might as well pack your bag and go home.
Need help defining the marketing challenge at hand? I can help.
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Our initial conversation is free. You talk, I listen. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com or call me. 919 720 0995. Visit my website at www.themarketingsage.com Let’s explore working together today.
Photo by Lina Verovaya on Unsplash
