309: Fail Less and Grow More: Focus on Your Marketing, Discover Your Buyer’s Journey, and Use Both Tactics and Strategies with Growth Partner Chris Deardorff

Chris Deadorff from The Market Compass (contact him at [email protected]) is a marketing professional from Boulder, Colorado. His business model is to become a "growth partner" with startups who need a more strategic approach. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xjugaWMulo Chris noticed that many startups are focused too much on tactics (i.e. a case study or video) and are missing the strategy side. Startups need to know their objectives, find their target audience, and understand the buyer's journey. They can start that process with a simple 2-page marketing plan. Quotes:                                                                                                                                    “Marketing is about truly growing your business by telling a compelling story about why your product or service will make your customers' lives better.” – Chris Deardorff “I can't emphasize enough the importance of being strategic about marketing. It doesn't have to take a lot of time, but it will save you a ton of time and money, and make your marketing more effective.” – Chris Deardorff “If you want to have good marketing, you have to provide some sort of incentive. To really get their attention and to get them to engage, you have to provide some sort of incentive.” – Chris Deardorff Takeaways: 00:30 Startups need to view marketing as a growth engine, not just advertising. 02:59 Strategic marketing matters more than random tactics for startup success. 07:13 Create a simple two-page marketing plan that outlines clear objectives and quarterly goals. 18:23 Pay for quality market research to truly understand your customer base. 23:43 Build marketing systems that can run with minimal manual intervention.