McBreen Marketing

McBreen Marketing We specialize in helping small businesses develop a distinct, cohesive, and proven marketing strategy

McBreen Marketing helps small to medium sized companies design, develop, and deliver a proven marketing system that works.

01/31/2024

3 steps to write better content for your ideal customer.

1. Start by asking them great questions.

Don't accept boilerplate answers.
Dig for the good stuff.

2. After you talk with them, review all their answers.

Create better answers.
Come up with more answers.

3. Research the questions and answers to see what everyone else is doing.

Scour the internet
Ask questions
Find answers

See what is out there and make your answers better.

– More helpful
– Unique
– More insightful
– Buzzword free

01/30/2024

Mission, Vision, and Values (Part 4)

What are your Brand Values?

Your Values are the beliefs you'll stick to when seeing your vision through.

Guiding principles to lead your business, team, and clients toward a shared cause or goal.

What Values move you?

Think about your core beliefs.
– How you want to conduct business.
– How you will treat people along the way.
– How will you lead your company toward a shared goal?

Make sure it’s something you can practice continually.

As I wrote in previous posts, to lead your team and your customers, and grow your business, you need words of power to guide you: A clear mission, a vision to get there, and good old Values to maintain a slow, steady, committed pace.

So, what are the Values to help you get there?

Customers (and employees) want to belong to something that jibes with their beliefs.

– People are sold on your Why.
– It's the same with Values.
– They'll support your business because your Values align with their ideals.

There's no set format for this. Use a few words, a short phrase, or several paragraphs.

Ask yourself:

1. What are the key characteristics of my business?
2. What do I stand for? What do I want my business to stand for?
3. When looking at my Mission and Vision, what Values will guide us?
4. How will we treat customers, employees, and partners?

What traits are needed to lead your business, team, and clients?

Don’t overcomplicate this.

01/29/2024

Mission, Vision, and Values (Part 3)

What’s a Brand Vision?

How’s it different from a mission statement?

Your mission is where you are going.

Your Brand Vision is you asking:
– What happens if our mission comes to life?

Where you want to go.

Your long-term business Vision and what that future looks like.

What is your backstory?
– Did you start your business with a Vision to attain?
– A contribution wanted to make?
– What problem did you set out to fix for a specific customer?
– What’s the primary long-term goal of your business?

– Use your backstory to fuel your Brand Vision.
– Your short statement describing where you want to go.

A leadership exercise describing where you want to take your business, team, and clients.

So ask: What primary goal do I set to bring Vision and inspire me, my team, and my clients?

IKEA’S Vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people.

LinkedIn wants to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.

A personal trainer might come up with a Vision statement like this:

To become the top online class creator for over-50 men who want to dramatically improve their lives through fitness and nutrition.

To craft your Vision statement ask the following questions:

1. What desired outcome will give you and your team an inspirational Vision?
2. What will spark you to move continually in that direction?
3. What do you want your business to become in the next 2, 5, or 10 years?

Think of it as your big-picture decree of where you want to be in the future.

Your Vision is the picture of what you want.

Your mission is how you get there.

Your Brand Vision should be aspirational and realistic.

Yeah, stretch it a bit but not too far. And have a little fun. (Why not?)

What’s your long-term Vision?

01/25/2024

Mission, Vision, and Values (Part 2)

Should you do what Simon says and Start with Why?

In his book, Start with Why, Simon Sinek writes that most of us live our lives by accident.

We live as it happens.

The cure and what leads to fulfillment is to live life with purpose, on purpose.

Discover your Why, bring it to life, and go in a direction that leads to fulfillment.

Here’s the most common quote from the book:

“People don’t buy what you do; they buy Why you do it.”

Emotion tops reason and we buy based on belonging.

You purchase a product because you're sold on the cause of an idea.

Look at big brands like Apple, Patagonia, and Chick-fil-A.

People are sold on their ideals and support each brand because of it.

According to Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman, the decision to buy is made subconsciously.

– People are driven by unconscious urges (emotion).
– Feelings initiate action, so you must generate emotion.
– Emotion is what drives their decision to buy.

So, seek to connect with them emotionally.

This is why your Why (your Purpose) is important and should be your foundation for a mission built to lead.

So, should you do what Simon says and Start with Why?

I'd say, yes...

Get busy defining your Brand Purpose: WHY does your business exist?

– Why you started your business
– The reason it exists
– The purpose it serves

A Why will ignite your brand.

And it's step one to creating a Brand Mission that helps move the needle in your business.

01/22/2024

Mission, Vision, and Values (Part 1).

Have you created your Mission, Vision, and Values?

If not, I understand.

Things like mission, vision, and the ever-present “Start with Why” get lumped together.

Confusing, right?

So let’s eliminate confusion.

My two cents:

1. To lead your team, your customers, and grow your business, you need words of power to guide you (and them):

– A clear Mission
– A Vision to get there
– And Values to maintain a committed pace

2. Clarifying this fancy stuff is a leadership exercise.

What’s your Mission and vision to lead yourself, your team, and your customers to success?

What are the Values you’ll stick with to get there?

It’s about aligning Values with personalities.

This leadership exercise helps you create a brand your ideal customers (and ideal employees) want to join.

Customers (and employees) want to be a part of a mission and care about your story when it jibes with their beliefs.

And guess what?

This nifty exercise defines where you want to go and attracts others who want to join.

All good, right?

Strategically building your unmistakable brand, attracting ideal customers, and powering successful marketing fuels growth.

And creating your Mission, Vision, and Values is a great place to start.

01/10/2024

To lead your team and your customers and grow your business, you need words of power to guide you:

– A clear MISSION
– A VISION to get there
– And VALUES to maintain a committed pace

Clarifying this fancy stuff is something I frame as a leadership exercise.

– What is your mission and vision to lead yourself, your team, and your customers to success?

– What are the values you’ll stick with to get there?

# 1. Brand Mission

What is a Mission Statement?

It’s a short, impactful description of your business.

Your mission voices Why you do what you do, the Ideal Customers you do it for, and How you’re going to do it.

• Your business’s job
• Its vocation
• Its mission

#2. Brand Vision

What’s a Brand Vision?

Your Brand Vision is you asking:

What happens if our mission comes to life?

Where you want to go.

Your long-term business vision and what that future looks like.

#3. Brand Values

Your values are the beliefs you will stick to when crafting a plan to see your vision through.

Guiding principles to lead your business, team, and clients toward a shared cause or goal.

What values move you?

01/09/2024

How do you create a unique brand?

Think: Unmistakable

[uhn-mi-stey-kuh-buh l]

adjective

1. not mistakable; clear; obvious.

Synonyms that come to mind:
Distinctive
Unambiguous
Pronounced

Your business brand is what separates you from your competitors.

Questions:
a. Can you become unmistakable?
b. What does it mean to be unmistakable?

Answers:
a. Yes.
b. Finding your secret sauce.

How do you start?

Work to define your uniqueness.

You create a name for yourself by providing something of value and helping people.

Stop everything you’re doing, put pen to paper and ask yourself…

– “How exactly, am I unmistakable?”
– “How is my business unique?”
– “What is it that “only I” can offer to my clients?”

This branding thing isn't that hard.

01/04/2024

“One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.”
— Bruce Lee

Simplify.

Simplify.

Simplify.

Trim the excess and embrace simplicity.

Bruce Lee’s wisdom echoes the essence of my approach:

1. Have a daily routine. Good habits beat motivation's ass daily. 👊 🤛

2. Define Your Mission Clearly: Clarity is your compass. (Yeah, you've heard it before. I know. I know... but have you done it?)

3. And simplify, like Sir Bruce.

A 1-2-3 strategy for maintaining the creative energy needed to run a business and having some fuel left in the tank at the day's end.

01/03/2024

Facing challenges creating content?

Do this:

ID your IDEAL CUSTOMER's needs and interests.

What are they actively searching for?

– Tailor your content to answer their questions.
– Be their source for insights and guidance.

Inform and position youself as an authority in your niche.

Building TRUST is a CRITICAL.

– Consistently deliver content that speaks to them.
– Strengthen the bond with your audience.
– Establish credibility.
– Build trust.

– Ask them.
– Listen to them.
– Study their feedback.
– Adapt your content strategy accordingly.

Effective content creation is a two-way street.

This process ensures your content remains relevant, informative, and resonant.

• Craft content that meets your ideal customer's needs.
• Stay attuned to their interest.
• Answer their questions.
• Build trust.

Consistent, valuable communication is the key.

12/27/2023

=Branding and marketing are different.

As a business owner, you need to know this.

Here's a breakdown:

Clients often scratch their heads when I talk about branding (because they think branding is their logo).

And they're overwhelmed with marketing because it's a hot mess if not done right!

✅ BRANDING FIRST:

Branding is not your logo.

Branding is not design, copy, mission, values, culture, content, personality, reputation, and promise to your ideal customers.

No. It’s all that and more.

It’s your business as your ideal customers see it, and is broadcast in everything you do.

Your brand is the essence of your business which is why it must come before marketing.

Some people think of branding as one piece of marketing.

Nope.

– Your brand is the soul of your business.
– What brings it to life.
– And why your marketing would be aimless without your brand to guide it.

========

✅ NOW MARKETING:

Marketing is the process that organizes the continuous promotion of your brand and offerings through a set of actions delivered via various channels to persuade ideal customers to take action.

Marketing is how you nourish the relationship with ideal customers on their quest to find someone like you.

It’s how you engage, help, and guide them to your doorstep using a mix of tools and tactics, so they can get what they want.

A lather, rinse, repeat system built to make selling easier and grow your business.

– Your Marketing Strategy is not a list of goals.
– It is a laser-focused course of action with detailed steps to attract, engage, and turn ideal clients into paying customers.
– And why your marketing tactics would be a waste of time and money without your marketing strategy to guide them.

========

Why I often repeat:

– Branding before marketing
– Strategy before tactics

This is the way. And it's what we do!

12/27/2023

Think like a writer.

Research shows that emotions often steer decision-making.

Yeah, facts matter.

BUT a compelling story that stirs emotions wields influence.

The lesson?

Don't just draft copy detailing services, missions, or company history.

Work to clearly outline your uniqueness.

Shift your focus to customers.

Craft content that shows how you'll help them.

Spell out the benefits.

People connect with stories.

Your narrative forges that emotional link with your audience.

Mood follows action.You can't simply think your way into the state of mind you aspire to - you must take action. Startin...
12/18/2023

Mood follows action.

You can't simply think your way into the state of mind you aspire to - you must take action.

Starting with behavior is the only way to achieve the mental state you desire, with thoughts following suit.

Address

1202 Crestway Court
Fort Collins, CO
80526

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