Don’t worry about quantity. Opt for quality instead. You’re better off with a lower number of followers and likes if the audience that you do have is highly engaged with your posts. We can provide you with the tools to measure what matters. Ask yourself: are your posts worth your followers’ time and attention? Do you have a great story to share? In today’s saturated media world, your best chance to break through the clutter is with a great brand story. Check out all the resources in the Five Step System that can help.

Our advice: use all three as part of an integrated marketing communication plan. You can use direct marketing to make each customer feel like the most important customer in the world. You can use social media marketing to give your customers something to talk about and share with their online communities. And you can use mass marketing to establish your brand in the marketplace. If you need help planning all three, we have the tools waiting for you.

It’s far more efficient to grow your business with the customers you already have than to grow by trying to get new customers. Loyalty programs reward your current customers and help them to make the next purchase. Customer journeys don’t end with the sale. It’s what comes after that counts. So check in with your customers. Show your gratitude. Ask how they’re doing. Find out what you can do to earn that next purchase. In turn, they will reward you with what is referred to as Customer Lifetime Value. Do you have a marketing strategy for each phase of the customer journey? If you don’t, we can help.

Every business can build what is referred to as “owned media” such as their website, and their pages on various social media channels. And while they are technically “free” they still require time, talent and resources to create and maintain. Are your owned media channels enough? Likely not. Paid media is still the right way to go to engage with your customers at the right time and place with the right message. Just how much money you need to spend on paid media is tied to your specific business goals, and we have the tools to help you figure that out.

There are many different ways that you can buy advertising time and space. You can buy digital display ads, keywords for search engines and sponsored posts in social media using self-service advertising platforms. And you can still buy advertising time and space the old-fashioned way by meeting with a sales representative and negotiating all the details. The choice is yours. We have a tool waiting for you that outlines the different questions you need to ask in order to select the approach that’s right for you.

In order to determine the media channels that are right for you, you need to go straight to the source: ask your customers. Different media are more influential than others for each product category. You can’t make generalizations. What’s influential in one business category may hold little weight in another. And if your customers are part of a certain media generation, they will prefer certain channels while other customers who are outside that generation won’t use them at all. We have a tool that you can use to gather and organize this important information.

No one wants to pay attention to ads. They would rather pay attention to great stories. Most ads that hold our attention are really stories that have five key ingredients. They make the customer the star of the story, and they weave their products and services into that story. Once you learn the five ingredients, you will better understand the ads that you love and you will be able to apply the ingredients to your own brand story.

You can’t avoid your competition, especially in today’s digital age. And we strongly discourage you from getting into a shouting match with them. Instead, you can outsmart them. While you may offer similar products and services, no one can duplicate your brand. We encourage you to build your brand and focus your marketing communication on celebrating your brand promise to your customers. It’s your best defense against the competition. We have devoted an entire step in the Five Step System to providing you the lessons and tools to build your brand.

Sales promotions should grow your business and reinforce your brand at the same time. Simple price promotions won’t do the job. Especially if you run too many sales, you will train your customers to buy only when there’s a deal to be had. We offer a tool to help you think about your promotions in an entirely new way. You can still offer price incentives and seasonal offers. We will show you how to infuse your own personal brand into these promotions to make them work harder for you.

When looking beyond your current customers our advice is to go find more who look exactly like the ones you already have. In fancy segmentation terms, this is known as “lookalikes.” If you can’t find an exact match, look for common ground—some defining characteristics that make these new customers similar to the ones you have. Don’t try to be all things to all people. We have tools waiting for you to help you organize your customer segments and create strategies for growth.

You may think about your business 24/7/365 but your customers only think of you when they have an unmet want or need that you can fulfill. Your first step is to understand a Day in the Life of your customers and see where you fit—both in terms of when they will be receptive to hearing from you, and when they are actually using your products and services. We have lessons and tools to help you figure this out.

Brands are promises made between you and your customers. They are based upon your customers’ unmet wants and needs in your product category and the solutions that you can offer better than your competitors. With the right framework it’s easy to transform your name and logo into a powerful brand. We have an entire step in the Five Step System that can help you to build your brand.

The best marketing climbs a ladder from “you”, to your products and services, to your customers and ultimately to your brand promise. This technique is called “Brand Laddering” and we’re going to show you how to climb the brand ladder for your business. Once you learn the technique, it’s easy to do.

Like people, brands have personalities that guide their behavior. Along with those personalities come expectations on what brands should always do, and what they would never do! A brand whose personality is a wise sage will likely not crack a joke while a brand who is a light-hearted jester certainly will. Check out the Brand Personality Identifier to find the personality and the behaviors that are right for you.

Our advice, ask your customers and they will be more than willing to tell you! We have a tool waiting for you called BrandSpy. It’s been used around the world by several large companies to see where, when, and how brands actually show up in the marketplace. Some places are expected, some places are pure surprises and delights, sometimes brands are missing from where they should be, and unfortunately there are times where they appear in the wrong place!

There is no easy answer to this question. It depends upon what your website and your social media are trying to do. Some content can stay for a long time, and other content should be continuously refreshed. We have a tool to help you figure out the role of these important owned media assets in your marketing toolkit. Then, you can design a content strategy that’s right for you. Regardless of the approach, you never have a second chance to make a first impression. Make it count.

Marketing communication is a craft that takes both talent and skill. We encourage businesses of all sizes to find the creative resources to bring your vision to light. It’s your business and your brand. You still own the strategy even if others are brought onboard to create the story. Creativity flourishes when there are tight parameters and a clearly defined goal. We have a briefing tool that you can use to communicate your vision and the goals of the campaign.

In today’s digital media world, you no longer have to repeat the same message in every media channel. Different channels can be used to tell different parts of your story. This is called “transmedia storytelling” and we have tools in Step Four of the Five Step System to help you figure out the best channels to use to share different pieces of your story.

You need both! You need a game plan to establish a vision and set goals for the coming year. Your marketing plan should help you to achieve those goals. And, you need to keep an eye on your performance throughout the year and make adjustments. Yes, it takes time and upfront commitment, but it’s well worth it. We have a tool that will show you three different ways that you can organize your annual marketing plan. Pick the approach that best suits you.

You’re not alone! We broke down marketing into five easy steps. Our advice: take a look at the lessons in each step of The Marketing Democracy’s Five Step System and determine what you already do well and where you need the most help. And, it’s okay if you don’t fix everything right away. Aim for progress. You will see real results!