Why too much marketing advice keeps you stuck

If your marketing isn’t working, it’s probably because the thinking behind it isn’t clear. Here I explain why founders get stuck, what’s actually missing, and how a marketing strategy becomes the only action plan you need to get results.

There is such a thing as thinking into results.

It’s a concept long proven by the most successful men and women who have ever lived and continue to succeed. Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Sara Blakely, Michael Phelps, among so many others.

They use visualisation, thinking bigger and taking action to achieve their goals.

We are currently in an era where we confuse mental activity with thinking.

All the information coming at us, people telling us what to do in our business..…it’s just information, not organised knowledge.  

Most of it has become a distraction and overwhelming when what we actually need is clear, deep thinking to create a vision and goals, followed by a customised action plan to achieve them.

Nothing great (or successful) was ever achieved without vision and planning!

Your business is no different.

Without applying deep thinking to what you want to achieve, the impact you want to create in people’s lives, and how you will achieve it, the odds are stacked against you.

Why most founders stay stuck in dreams, not results

Now you might think….but Claire, I have thought this through.

It’s all I think about, what I dream about, and I’m pretty much consumed by it.

But that’s just it.

A dream and a want will stay as that.

Taking action, avoiding decisions made on last-minute cortisol, and using strategy, not vibes, are actually the things that will make this work and create your success.

And you can only get to those with thinking that allows you to identify and hone your vision and put a number on the results that you’re aiming for.

That’s why every marketing strategy starts with vision and goals, ideally with a view to the actual results the strategy should achieve.

Human thinking creates differentiation

You can always tell how successful a business or person is by their results.

Have you ever looked at your results and thought…mmm..I can do better?

The foundations of marketing require thinking that no AI or bot can do for you.

The clue is in the name after all – artificial intelligence.

The bot is artificial, not human.

It can’t create new; it can only replicate from information it has gathered.

Your goal and vision will only come from the burning desire within you to make change, to impact lives, or to create something so revolutionary that it changes how the world works.

When you isolate your thoughts, mull over them and give them form, you give them the power to become vision and goals, and later, impact.

Once they are established, you can implement with an action plan. 

That’s why a marketing strategy in business is the action plan.

It’s what builds businesses because it focuses only on what will create progress and results. All other activities and busyness can be avoided, as it eliminates guesswork.

How does it do this?

At its most basic, it connects you to what you want to achieve by isolating the right target audience.

It’s what creates a brand identity that aligns with both you and the people you want to attract.

It leverages what you know about your target audience to map out a buying journey.

Marketing has always been the tool to create demand.

How we do it has changed because we’re now digital. But the same principles still apply.

We apply human logic and critical analysis to the data we collect on the audience and market BEFORE we start marketing to establish brand positioning, a unique point of view, differentiating factors and meaningful value.

You can be inspired and guided by AI. But ownable positioning, uniqueness and different points of view will only come from the human brain.

The one truth which has been agreed upon by all the visionaries and great thinkers of our world is that when we use our minds to create thoughts and visions, we can go on to achieve them simply by applying an unwavering belief and a consistent action plan.  

When you fully believe in your business and vision, add differentiated positioning and an action plan in the form of a marketing strategy, and you will achieve success and the results you expect, and more. 

Are you a founder who wants to use marketing to build a successful brand and your dream life?

Here’s how I can help..

Hi, I’m Claire,

If you’re an ambitious founder ready to use marketing to build your business and stop second-guessing, you're in the right place.

I help female founders confidently grow their brands so they can build their dream business and life. I've been in marketing for 20 years, growing and launching the world’s biggest brands, built my own start-up and now help founders get clear on their positioning, audience and strategy so their marketing leads to sales from Day 1.

Are you ready to build a strategically positioned brand for competitive advantage?

Get in touch.

Claire.