5 unique things you need to have documented before you spend money on marketing

Let me tell you a quick story.

Imagine sitting down with your family for a fun night of games. You all decided that coming together was crucial last week; it started to feel like you dont know each other anymore.?

As the room starts to fill up with your loved ones, someone asks a question that is so obvious that the whole room is shocked to silence that no one had considered it.?

In the rush of pulling people together and the excitement of what it means to start a new family tradition, everyone assumed that someone else had the answers to the most crucial question for family game night.?

“What game are we playing?”

Everyone offers suggestions. Cards, monopoly…maybe a dice game?

Nothing seemed quite right. Just then, the smallest member of the family takes a deep breath and, with a lot of courage, yells out…

“HOW ABOUT A PUZZLE?”

The room all agrees that a puzzle is a right choice. But, here is where the night gets interesting. You only have one puzzle, and what's worse, you lost the box.?

The good news is you are positive all the pieces are inside the makeshift container, but you dont have a picture to help guide your family to puzzle completion glory. The room looks at each other with questioning eyes and is uneasy about the lack of direction, but they embrace the challenge.?

After a few hours, only a tiny portion of the puzzle is finished, many of your family members have given up, and many arguments have broken out.?

They look at you, almost in unison, and they shout, “this would have been easy with the picture.”

What does that have to do with business??

Think of your business and the people in it like your family. Then, finally, they agree to join you in building something great. At first, they’re excited but soon after, they learn you lack the image of what they are trying to develop.?

It seems a little out there, but everyday entrepreneurs are starting businesses before they take the time to craft an image of what’s being built. There are five areas you need to consider and document so that your team(family) feels confident working with you(joining family game night).

Five areas to document to create a complete business picture

1. Vision - Your vision is the where without the how. The vision serves as your guide and a waypoint to ensure everyone is heading in the right direction.?
2. Mission - The mission is the marketing orders. The mission serves as a simple goal that supports the vision. The measure is a measurable and actionable reminder of where you are going.?
3. Values - these are the core of the business. The values are the traits people in the company should display and strive to model.?
4. Manifesto - This is a public declaration of what you stand for as a business. The goal is to attract the right people and push the wrong people away.?
5. Culture - You need to design what it's like before hiring your first employee. If you get too far along, then the culture may be something you have no control over.?

These five areas documented serve as a foundation for everything you do in your marketing, including marketing strategy, branding, and public relations. When you miss the above, it's like trying to build a puzzle with a room full of people and no picture.?

It's not impossible, but it's going to cause some problems.?

If you would like help creating the picture for your business, click here for a FREE vision impact review.?