TGC #29: How I turn 4 questions into a 12 months marketing plan

Yes, you read the subject right. It’s not clickbait, but I assume you already know this if you’re a subscriber for a while.

Answering 4 questions with 3 answers each, so a total of 12 answers, can be the foundation of your marketing plan for a year.

It’s not just it could… it should be!

Because if you manage to align 12 months of marketing implementation with 4 questions, the clarity you bring to your potential customers is insane!

And guess what? That’s exactly what most of the B2B companies are missing…

What I’m going to show you now is the first step of a Customer Journey Map I’m building with and for my clients.

And it looks like this:

The “magical” 4 questions are:

[1]

- What are their key goals and needs?

- What are they able to do now?

[2]

- What do they struggle with most?

- What can they finally avoid doing?

Note: These questions have to be answered earlier in the process and you have to go more in depth with key information about your ICP. This is the first step I’m doing before building any marketing and demand creation strategy.

You probably saw in the photo above the example I shared:

1. What are their key goals and needs?

? To build an MVP in 90 days.

2. What are they able to do now?

? To pitch their idea to investors.

3. What do they struggle with most?

? Can’t find a trustworthy partner.

4. What can they finally avoid doing?

? Feel insecure about the company’s future.

Why are these questions so important and how on Earth can you build a 12-month marketing plan?

Well…

What if you build your personal brand on LinkedIn and create content about your work and how you helped others build their MVPs?

What if you create a landing page where you highlight the fact that your company can build an MVP in 90 days so they can pitch to investors?

What if you build a case study area to tackle their struggle related to finding a trustworthy partner to rely on?

What if you open yourself in a podcast and share your story about how you felt insecure about your company’s future because of X?

Should I go on?

Look, those questions can help you decide on the marketing tactics you’ll use, the way you’ll build the sales deck or the way you’ll handle a discovery call.

That’s what great businesses do…

They focus on the needs of their customers.

They focus on the transformation they can create.

They focus on the struggles potential may have and fix them.

They focus on the emotions and how they can improve someone's life.

And then they just communicate these things at scale.

Before talking about budgets, tactics, or anything else, you need to have these things figured out.

Then, it’s about identifying the best ways to communicate those 12 answers at scale.

But pay attention that communicating ≠ advertising.

In a world of about 3% - 5% of active buyers in B2B industries, you better use the answers to create demand for your solution.

Otherwise, you’ll end up in a battle you can’t control. And this battle is an expensive one.

Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help:

1. Work 1:1 with me and my team to help you build a demand creation ecosystem (strategy and implementation, fractional CMO included)

2. Host a LinkedIn Social Selling Workshop for B2B companies to help you and your team start making money from LinkedIn

3. Book a 1-hour consulting call with me to help you fix any issues related to B2B marketing, demand creation, or social selling

→ Book an intro call and let's talk