This post is not about New Year's resolutions, it's about transformations.

Over the past 6 months, I've been transitioning from an in-house Director of Marketing for a single company to a Marketing Consultant/Coach with multiple clients. It was a personal choice and something I've always dreamed of - being my own boss and making my own way. Probably the reason I'm attracted to small business owners. There is something special and inspiring about a person who has the drive, courage and determination to put it all on the line in order to make their dreams a reality.

"People sabotage themselves because the alternative is to put themselves into the world as someone who knows what they are doing." - Seth Godin.

The great Mr. Godin perfectly put into words what holds many of us back from reaching our full potential. Fear. I force myself to be acutely aware of this and have been taking steps since the end of last year to rethink how I am shaping my business. For me, this means putting myself out there in situations that I (as an introvert) am very uncomfortable with. I know that this is how I will grow and become the person that I want to be. This is why my word for 2017 is: BRAVE.

When you run your own business, you must be brave. Being brave can mean many things. Maybe it's gathering up all of your inner strength to say yes to a public speaking opportunity or it can also be as simple as taking a hard look at your methods/processes and trying something new.

I encourage and challenge you to throw out that list of New Year's resolutions and instead find your one word for this year. Let it become a part of a personal mantra to help push you towards positive change for yourself and your business. You can do this!

Have you ever been so excited and ready to start selling your product or service, but didn't know how to put all of your ideas into action?

Have you searched online for marketing plan templates and strategy suggestions?

For me it's all about following a formula for all of my marketing efforts. It gets the process moving in a forward direction for me and my client.

My formula to begin crafting a killer marketing strategy begins with these FIVE KEY QUESTIONS:

1. Can you describe the current situation of your business?

The first part if this discussion develops the building blocks for a standard situational analysis. The information will be placed into to a SWOT matrix (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats).

2. What types of marketing are you already doing, if any?

This information will help me to determine what assets are already available and what needs to be created to support the strategy.

3. What type of results are you looking for in your marketing? Grow a social following, drive more customers into a retail storefront, gain new leads for a sales team?

Of course, in most cases the goal is to increase sales, but it's important to lay it all out there to help determine tactics for our strategy.

4. Can you describe your target audience?

This is one of the most important questions. Without understanding who your ideal customer is (a buyer persona), how can you properly determine what type of marketing tactics and messaging to use? A business may have just a few or many personas depending on the type of product or service they offer. I find it helpful to focus on the top three.

5. What are your resources in terms of time and budget?

Understanding how involved a client will be for the implementation of marketing tactics is important to know ahead of time. In some cases, my clients prefer that I carry out most of the efforts. On the flip side, some have an internal team who I consult and support. A clear budget is necessary, but this doesn't mean you need a large one to have a successful marketing strategy. The budget should always aligned with goals to provide the best possible return on investment.

Happy Strategizing!

- Arica

Throw Out Your New Year's Resolutions

This post is not about New Year's resolutions, it's about transformations.

"People sabotage themselves because the alternative is to put themselves into the world as someone who knows what they are doing." - Seth Godin.

5 Questions I Ask to Craft a Winning Marketing Strategy