CRAFT BREWS, GOURMET TEA, AND A ROBOTICS TOY?
These three items are in good company. They’re the business ideas of an inspirational group of entrepreneurs that we met during our Pro Bono Week activities. There were 10 companies that made the short list to receive expert marketing advice from our team, pro bono.
They were: FanFit Gaming Designs, Fitset, House of VR, Igloo, Little Robot Friends, North Brewing Company, Sidekick, Teasetea, Vital House, and Mosquito Man.
It was all part of Futurpreneur Canada’s Growth Accelerator.
Throughout the day we met with each business owner to help them with the next phase of their development. While each enterprise is unique, a common ground quickly emerged. It was the need for a strategy to inform their messaging. It’s not uncommon for some of the emerging clients we talk to be in ‘full-speed-ahead’ mode. This is typical of start-ups and sometimes more well-established organizations who operate with an entrepreneurial spirit.
This is not a bad thing. But what we always caution is to take a moment to make sure that you’re not just reacting to a market pressure or running with an idea because it sounds good. It’s important to ensure that your decisions are part of a strategic move.
Our expert marketing advice?
We shared our framework for building a solid strategy. It’s what we use to inform creative tactics and how we implement messages.
It starts with asking, “why?”
Why are we doing this particular thing? What happened to trigger the need for marketing? At the very least, it will begin to get everyone on the same page, because if you can’t answer why you’re doing something, well, that’s truly a red flag.
Next, we delve into the truths.
Truths about the consumer, the offering or service, and the marketplace in which the ideas will traffic. These collective truths work together to form a creative brief which guides the creative and the content needed.
Strategic framework.
The feedback from our entrepreneurial friends was gratifying. They were enthusiastic about having a strategic framework they could use to help inform their decisions. It’s something they can follow now and moving forward, as their businesses grow.
If you’d like to learn more about our strategic framework let’s chat.
