Ever feel like you’re stuck in your business?⁠

⁠Like you’re not moving forward…⁠

⁠And like you’ve lost all your motivation to keep putting yourself out there day after day?⁠

⁠If you are, well, you’re not alone!⁠

⁠It’s a very common thing, especially for business owners in that first year of business and when it’s challenging to get that consistency and predictability in your results.⁠

Now, you may be wondering how do you get unstuck and start growing your business?⁠

⁠And, how do you find that energy you need to keep going, even on those tough days?⁠

⁠From my experience, it starts with learning the steps that you need to take to build a solid marketing foundation for your service business.⁠

⁠It provides you with the CLARITY and DIRECTION you need to ensure you’re working on the right tasks you need to start moving forwards productively. ⁠

⁠And, when you start moving forwards and getting a few of those quick wins…⁠

⁠Well, it’s incredible how the energy and motivation come flooding back. You begin to remember why you started your business in the first place!⁠

In the blog post below, I outline the five steps you need to take to develop a marketing strategy and build a solid marketing foundation for your business.

I recommend taking these steps in the order I’ve outlined below, and master one step before moving to the next one.

It will help you to beat the overwhelm and take the steps you need to grow and build a sustainable and profitable business over the longer term.

1. Master your marketing strategy

There are three main components that make up your marketing strategy:

• What services you will sell or specialise in (your niche)
• The market that you will promote to (your target market)
• The unique value you will communicate to stand out (your messaging)

When you are clear on these three things, you’ll feel confident in putting yourself out there.

You’ll be able to generate more profitable revenue.

And your messaging will attract and resonate with more of your dream clients.

If you’re not sure where to start, think about the type of clients who you most want to work with.

Then, consider what services they want and that you can provide with your specialist skills and knowledge.

If you can match your skills with the market demand, you’ll be more likely to be profitable.

The last part of your marketing strategy is to figure out how you can provide these services to your ideal clients in a better or different way to your competition.

If you can communicate why someone should buy from you and not your competition, your messaging will be more likely to stand out.

And you’ll attract the type of profitable clients that you really want to be working with.

Not sure where to start when it comes to marketing your service-based small business? That’s where I can help. Get started by downloading my free Ultimate Marketing Checklist by clicking the button below: 

2. Develop a signature service and sales plan

One of the ways to grow a service business and reach your revenue goals sooner is with a signature service offering.

This service is a high-end offer that can deliver results or provide a transformation to your clients over a specific timeframe.

Alternatively, you could also bundle your services together to provide an end-to-end program.

You’ll want to conduct market research and ideally work with some clients first to evolve your signature service offering.

The description of your signature service is critical, and you’ll want to come up with a name and a list of five or so dot points that describe the value included.

In addition to designing your signature service, you’ll also need to develop a sales plan so that you’ll know exactly how many programs or packages you’ll need to sell to hit your revenue goal.

This sales plan can provide insights and guidance on where you should price your services.

You can also factor in things like payment plans to help you with improving your sales conversions.

RELATED: 15 Things you need to create an irresistible service offering

3. Set up your marketing tools, systems, and processes

To grow a service business to the next level, you’ll need to implement the right marketing tools, systems, and processes.

However, it can be challenging to know which ones are worth investing in.

And which marketing tools and systems are the best fit for your stage of business.

I also understand that it can be quite challenging to invest in marketing systems before you have a lot of revenue coming in.

So, firstly I recommend identifying the types of systems you’ll need in the short term.

This could include an email autoresponder, social media scheduling tools, a graphic design tool, and perhaps some website and automation tools to help you grow your email list in the early days of your business.

When choosing the specific systems and tools, you’ll need to consider your budget.

As well as what system functionality you’ll need to operate your business.

Also, how easy the tool or system is to set up and use.

Many of these marketing systems are similar, so sometimes it just comes down to personal preference and choosing a system you feel is the easiest to use.

Finally, when it comes to implementing the marketing processes you need for business growth, consider where you’re spending time on repetitive tasks.

These repetitive tasks are the areas where you’ll want to streamline your activities and develop a process you can follow each time.

Some examples of marketing processes that you can design, include:

• Creating content for social media
• Writing and publishing blog posts
• Sending out a weekly email to your list
• Producing a regular podcast or video series
• Onboarding and welcoming new clients

RELATED: 30 Marketing tools every service-based business should know about

Not sure where to start when it comes to marketing your service-based small business? That’s where I can help. Get started by downloading my free Ultimate Marketing Checklist by clicking the button below: 

4. Follow a structured marketing plan

A marketing plan contains the strategies, activities, and resources you’ll need to promote your service-based small business effectively.

And will provide you with a guide for how to grow a service business in an organised way.

I always start a marketing plan by identifying the marketing objectives.

By that, I mean, what do you want to achieve from the marketing activities you implement?

Are you wanting to grow your client base, or add a new revenue stream with a new service as just a few examples.

The next step is to identify where you are right now and the gap between there and where you want to be.

When you understand what this gap is, you can set some targets for what you’ll need to achieve.

Once you know your targets, you can then plan out the marketing activities or campaigns you’re going to implement to achieve the desired results.

When planning out your marketing campaigns, you’ll want to identify the marketing channels you’re going to use and the timing for when they will start and finish.

Also, in your plan, you’ll include the resources you’ll need to run your campaigns.

When you have a structured marketing plan in place, it makes marketing your business so much easier and more effective.

RELATED: How to write a marketing plan for a service-based business

5. Build a support network around your business

It’s challenging to figure out how to grow a service business on your own.

As such, you must work out how to build a support network around you and your business.

There are three types of people that you’ll want to have in your network.

Firstly, you’ll want to have potential clients, either on your email list or in your social media community.

Your potential clients will provide feedback and help you with defining your niche and developing your services.

Secondly, you’ll want to have people who know your potential clients in your network.

These could be past colleagues or employers you have previously worked with and who know your capabilities.

They could also be other business owners from your local business networking groups.

Finally, you’ll want to have complimentary business owners in your network.

These are the business owners who have the same target market as you but are NOT your competition.

An example of this could be an interior designer who also has builders, homewares suppliers, and painters and decorators in their network.

None of these businesses competes, but they could all refer clients to each other.

They are also the types of businesses who you could collaborate with to help each other grow.

RELATED: How to build a network. The ultimate small business networking guide

Tired of trying to figure out what you’re missing when it comes to finding clients and making sales in your service business?

Break through the barriers that are holding you back with the support of an MBA-qualified Marketing Coach and Business Mentor who will tailor a 1:1 program specifically for you.

BUSINESS BREAKTHROUGH is a 3 or 6-month 1:1 Coaching Program for service-based business owners who want to develop the strategy, systems, and structure they need to find clients and make sales, so they can stop feeling stuck and start gaining massive momentum in their business.

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