199. Marketing: Are Your Efforts Adding Up to a Bigger Picture? (4 of 9)

Do you feel like all of your marketing efforts are adding up to something bigger, or more like a collection of tactics?

Your marketing should support your business goals and bring your strategy to life in a cohesive, consistent way that makes your brand easier to choose.

In this episode, we (Katie Mleziva & Clint Matthews) talk about why effective marketing starts before you decide what to post, where to advertise, or which tactic to tackle next. Using analogies from the art technique of pointillism to a snowball fight, we explore what happens when each of your marketing efforts contributes to one clear picture of your brand.

We also dig into the role marketing plays in influencing consumer behavior, why food and farm business owners have an opportunity to use that influence for good, and how consistency across your customer touchpoints can build clarity and trust over time.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why your marketing should start with strategy and business goals—not tactics
• How each customer touchpoint can help people understand the value of your brand
• Why cohesive, consistent marketing can build recognition and trust
• How marketing can influence consumer decisions without manipulating or adding to the confusion
• Where to start: a simple "One Room Test" to see what all of your marketing efforts are adding up to today

Whether you're thinking about social media, packaging, email, your website, sales materials, trade shows, or what happens at the shelf, the goal isn't simply to do MORE marketing. It's to make sure what you're already doing is working together to reinforce what you want your brand to be known for.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The CMO Podcast with Jim Stengel and guest Todd Kaplan, CMO of Kraft Heinz
• A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat (example of pointillism)

Up next...EPISODE 200! We've got a special episode for you that will help highlight our top value-packed past episodes you will want to go back to if you missed or haven't listened to in a while.