Last week I wrote about the trends I predicted would be big for 2023 and that would bring you the leads you need to take your business and your brand beyond the goals you’re setting. At the end of the article, I mentioned that there was one big thing that deserved its own article – so here I am. Let me introduce you to the concept of intentional marketing.

What is intentional marketing?

In a world filled with blogs, vlogs and podcasts telling you what the next big hack is from a marketing perspective (especially from a social media marketing perspective), we can all be excused for jumping on the next thing and losing focus and finding ourselves committing an act of “spray and pray”, marketing wise!

Intentional marketing is all about ensuring everything we do is with the intention of getting to our end goal, whether that’s the end goal of the campaign we’re running or the end goal being the overarching business goal – and by the way, both of those two things should be aligned!

The word intentional itself is an adjective meaning “done on purpose”, “deliberate”, “planned or intended”, “or purposeful”. So here’s my question for you: on a scale of 1-10, how purposeful were the last few posts you shared on social media? How planned were they? I’ve asked a few people that question, and most of the time, there’s an instant look of discomfort on their faces and in their body language. Is that you right now?

How to implement Intentional marketing in 2023

Everything you do marketing-wise needs to have a purpose. It should all have its place in your marketing funnel, and you should be clear on it. That’s a top-level answer, though – as you break things down and start to look campaign by campaign and post by post, it’s important we take the same view. Be super-clear on the purpose of each piece of content before you create it. If you’re not clear, you probably don’t need it!

Ask yourself, ‘What is it there to do?’ then make sure the content does it and that there’s something measurable you can identify from it.

Ask yourself, ‘what’s the next logical step?’ and make sure the call to action, however obvious or subtle, is included. (Quite often, this call to action will lead to things we can measure.)

Throughout your marketing and sales funnels, there should be some KPIs (Key performance indicators) you can measure; tracking these will allow you to understand where things are working well and where you need to be more efficient – where the opportunities are to tighten things up is where you get to implement some intentional marketing tactics!

What if I ignore this?

This one strategy, if implemented, can save you money and time. Ignore it, and you’ll find yourself doing things because it’s marketing, not because it’s going to bring you a result.

For example, boosting posts so that more new people see your brand is not necessarily intentional marketing, not if what you really need is people buying. This would be a waste of money, but if we ran an ad targeted to people who have engaged with us or who are on our mailing list, it would be intentional.

If you’re flat-out creating content, reel after reel, blog after blog, because you need to get something out there – you’re not being intentional. You’re being a slave to content. Don’t get me wrong – content is important. It’s how we put our message out into the world. However, we have to be clear on the purpose of each item we’re creating so that we’re not wasting time!

Who is intentional marketing for?

You know what? Usually, when I’m writing these articles, I’m writing for the masses, knowing what I’m sharing is going to be more relevant for some than others. When it comes to intentional marketing, it is probably one of the very few strategies that everyone should be deploying. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a product or service-based business, B2B or B2C, whether you’re reading this on behalf of a company brand or reading it as an individual wanting to grow their personal brand. This is wholly relevant to you.

So think – how can you be more intentional with your marketing in 2023? Where are you throwing stuff at a wall right now, hoping it will stick? What can you change to ensure you get the results you deserve? And most importantly… how can I help you make it happen?!