It’s so tempting the put the cart before the horse.
You’ve decided to start a business. You have a great product or service that fills a smart niche and you’re ready to get the word out. In fact, you’re under real time constraints to start selling and making money.
Far too often, however, business owners jump right into the tactics of building a website, creating sales and marketing collateral, social media ads, public relations materials, and content without first determining the fundamentals of their brand–messaging and positioning.
All roads lead to brand positioning and strategic messaging. They are the foundational pillars upon which every brand stands. And before effective messaging and positioning can be developed, it is essential to conduct research to inform your strategic brand direction.
We’ve all heard the saying, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”
Making the effort up front to answer strategic questions about your customers, your competitors, and the direction of your brand will save countless hours and dollars down the road.