At a fundamental level, every business is trying to attract, persuade, convert and retain the right customers. So why do some companies become market leaders while everyone else struggles to make a buck and get ahead?

The answer is simple – most companies just wing it and figure things out as they go. Conversely, the top companies and market leaders dig in to figure out what their customers need and where the biggest opportunities are – and then they execute.

At WaddyFletch, we call ourselves Business Growth Architects because we are more than a marketing agency. We are in the business of helping ambitious companies like yours thrive on four dimensions:

1. Strategic planning
2. Brand positioning
3. Website engagement
4. Lead generation

Take Our Business Assessment Quiz

If you think your business is buttoned up and you have it all figured out, then take this short quiz to see how you stack up. If you have everything figured out, then keep doing what you are doing, but if you see some gaps in your business plan and you want some help raising the bar, then let’s talk.

Do you know where you want to go and how you are going to get there? Do you have a concise, written plan that articulates your strategy? Does everyone on your team know their assignments and responsibilities?

Rate Your Business On a Scale of 1 to 10

BUSINESS FOUNDATION

[  ] Purpose

An explanation of the organization’s reason for existing.

[  ] Mission

Defines the organization’s business, its objectives, and how it will reach these objectives. Mission is a general statement of how to achieve a vision. It can serve as a roadmap for strategic planning to work toward the company’s vision statement.

[  ] Vision

A statement that details where an organization aspires to go.

[  ] Core Values

The principles and priorities that guide an organization’s actions, behavior and decisions. They represent the foundational commitments and deeply held beliefs that allow a company to operate and function.

STRATEGIC PLAN

[  ] Target Market

A target market is a group of potential customers that you identify to sell products or services to. Each group can be divided into smaller segments based on different traits.

[  ] Customer Pain Points

Pain points are the specific problems faced by current or prospective customers in the marketplace. Salespeople often try to figure out a prospect’s pain points so that they can tailor their sales pitch accordingly.

[  ] Total Addressable Market (TAM)

The Total Addressable Market (TAM) is the overall revenue opportunity that is available to a company, product or service if 100% market share was achieved. TAM estimates the size of a particular market and provides guardrails for putting together a go-to-market (GTM) strategy.

[  ] Goals

An observable and measurable end result to be achieved by completing specific objectives within a specific time-frame.

[  ] Go-To-Market Strategy

A plan of action intended to achieve something over a long period. It provides clarity for collective action and decision making of an organization and it defines where you are going and how you will get there.

[  ] Key Initiatives

Initiatives organize people and resources and dictate which activities are required to accomplish a specific goal by a particular date. Initiatives provide the how while goals provide the what. Unlike projects, initiatives directly support an organization’s strategic goals.

[  ] Milestones

A set of specific deadlines or hurdles that signal progress in completing a key initiative.

[  ] Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

KPIs are the metrics most critical to gauging progress toward business objectives. Leading KPIs are the drivers of future performance that create results (such as cold calling, networking, advertising), while lagging KPIs are the outcomes (such as web leads and sales) that are the results of previous actions.

[  ] Budget

A description of the revenue, expenses and proposed actions likely to occur in the next 12 months.

[  ] Marketing / Lead Generation

Marketing is educating your potential customers, raising their desire for transformation, and increasing their ability to make an informed sales decision by differentiating your solutions from all their other options. (Regina Anaejionu)

[  ] Culture

Company culture is the sum of your teams values, beliefs, standards and behaviors, all of which dictate how your employees perform and how your customers feel. Culture is largely driven by who you hire, who you fire, and how you lead your team.

[  ] 2 Page Strategic Plan

A short document that outlines the goals, key initiatives and activities to be undertaken by a company and its people to achieve long term objectives.

Does your business have a unique and compelling brand? Is your message clear and consistent across all customer touch points? Does everything look, feel and sound that same from point to point?

Rate Your Business On a Scale of 1 to 10

POSITIONING

[  ] Ideal Customer Profile

An ICP is a hypothetical description of the type of company that would get the most value from your product and services. The ICP description includes industry, geography, employee headcount, annual revenue, purchase constraints and more.

[  ] Buyer Personas

A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your customers that includes demographics, goals, motivators, and challenges they are facing. A company might have anywhere from two to five personas that focus on the day-to-day challenges these people encounter and the solutions that your products and services can offer to remedy those challenges. (HubSpot)

[  ] Customer Journey

A customer journey refers to the path of interactions an individual has with your brand, product and/or services. It describes both direct interactions, such as calling customer service, as well as indirect interactions, such as hearing about an event.

[  ] Customer Touch Points

Customer touch points are your brand’s points of customer contact, from start to finish. For example, customers may find your business online or in an ad, read ratings and reviews, visit your website, and ultimately, buy your products or services.

MESSAGING

[  ] Elevator Pitch

A quick way of introducing yourself as you ride up in an elevator (30 seconds) to explain what you do and make a connection with someone. Ideally, you should create a short elevator pitch that is a couple of sentences and a longer elevator pitch that is a couple paragraphs.

[  ] Positioning Statement

A written description of the position that a company wishes itself, its product or its brand to occupy in the minds of its target audience.

[  ] Sales Offer

Any undertaking by an organization designed to increase sales or create interest in a product or service. Sales offers take many different forms, such as short-term discounts or product add ons, but they all focus on persuading a target audience to become customers of a business.

[  ] Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

A USP is the one thing that makes your business unique, different and better than the competition. It’s a specific benefit that makes your business stand out.

[  ] Brand Promise

A value or experience a company’s customers can expect to receive every single time they interact with that company. The customer experience is about delivering on a brand promise.

[  ] Website Cornerstone Content

Key web pages, including who we are, what we do, how we work, why we are better…

[  ] Lead Magnets

A sales tool that generates leads by offering valuable content, such as an industry research study, an ebook or a playbook, in exchange for a prospect’s contact information.

[  ] Brand Personality

The attribution of human personality traits (such as sincerity, competence, excitement, sophistication and ruggedness) that differentiate your business from the competition and drive customer connection.

[  ] Visual Brand Assets

The elements that form the outward-facing brand or visual look and feel, such as the fonts, colors, icons, and images that form the distinctive appearance of a brand.

[  ] Brand Story

A brand story recounts the series of events that sparked your company’s inception and expresses how that narrative still drives your mission today. Just like your favorite books and movies’ characters, if you can craft a compelling brand story, your audience will remember who you are, develop empathy for you, and, ultimately, care about you. (HubSpot).

[  ] Brand Guide

A comprehensive document or guidebook that defines the rules of a brand, both visually and verbally. It provides guidance for understanding a company’s vision, mission, personality and other attributes. Brand standards inform employees, external agencies and vendors of the the brand standards that must be followed.

What percent of revenue do you invest in sales and marketing? Where do your leads and sales come from? What does it cost you to acquire a new customer? What is your return on investment from marketing?

Rate Your Business On a Scale of 1 to 10

[  ] Digital Advertising

Marketing to a target audience through digital platforms, including social media, email, search engines, mobile apps and websites. Google Ads is still the most powerful channel for most companies to drive qualified visitors to their website, but Facebook ads, LinkedIn ads and YouTube ads can also drive valuable website traffic.

[  ] Content Marketing

The creation and sharing of high quality content (such as blogs, videos, social media posts and lead magnets) that does not explicitly sell a product or service but is intended to stimulate interest in a company or brand. Creating valuable and educational content can be an effective way to create relationships with potential buyers.

[  ] Search Engine Marketing

A digital marketing strategy used to increase the visibility of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs) through paid search ads and SEO.

[  ] Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The process of optimizing the content, design and structure of a website to rank well in Google and other search engines. The three components of SEO are onsite SEO (content, keyword density, internal keyword links) off-site SEO (quality inbound links) and technical SEO (site usability, structure and speed).

[  ] Social Media Marketing

The use of social media platforms, such as LinkedIn and Instagram, to interact with customers and potential customers to build brand awareness, increase sales and drive website traffic.

[  ] Online Networking

Using tools, such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator or ZoomInfo, to identify potential sales prospects and connect with them by phone, email or in person.

[  ] Email Marketing

The process of creating and sending an electronic company newsletter to current customers or potential customers who have opted-in. Newsletters are often used to announce new company products, services and events. Cold email marketing is the practice of sending emails to a wide audience without their opt-in.

In today’s world, buyers have all the power. When they have a problem, they do their own research by browsing websites, reading reviews, and asking for referrals on social media  – all before they reach out to your company for information. If you don’t have a modern, content rich, visually appealing website, then you will not make the short list of your prospective buyers and your business will struggle to grow.

Here are some of the things we do to ensure your website can attract, persuade, convert and retain the right customers:

[  ] Audience Segmentation

A marketing strategy based on identifying subgroups within the target audience in order to deliver more tailored messaging and build stronger connections.

[  ] Persuasive Content

Well written, relevant content that will persuade your website visitors to connect with your brand or take some kind of action.

[  ] Brand Continuity

The idea that all customer touch points between your brand and your customers, such as your website, social media pages and printed brochures, should have a consistent look and feel.

[  ] Calls to Action

A visual and verbal design element, such as a button on a website, that prompts an immediate response, such as filling out a form or dialing a phone number.

[  ] Search Engine Optimization

The process of optimizing a website to rank high in Google and other search engines for specific keyword phrases.

[  ] Conversion Rate Optimization

Using tools like Google Analytics or Unbounce to analyze the behavior and engagement of website visitors. The goal is to discover  insights that will drive changes in web design, landing pages, sales offers, and ad copy to maximize conversion. This often involves testing different versions of web pages and/or sales copy to see what performs best.