The Marketing Results Framework

The Marketing Results Framework is about the intersection of communication and execution. We look at the costs and benefits of each quadrant to see how to maximize results. It outlines how to:

• Avoid getting stuck in ideas without execution.
• Avoid the train wrecks of executing without a clear direction.
• Move from the field of possibilities into concrete actions.
• Generate Business Results

Fundamentally, the Marketing Results Framework is based on mastering just two things:

• Communication
• Execution.

It sounds simple, right?

For communication, many businesses are working with too many vague and unstructured ideas. What they really need is powerful, structured stories that make the customer the hero, and you, as the service provider, the guide to get them what they want.

The challenge here is that there are so many possibilities for what you can do with your marketing, that it’s both overwhelming and confusing. That’s bad because the confused mind says “no,” when what you really need is a system of automated marketing campaigns that just work.

This is the automation that lets you focus on providing the goods and services that define your expertise, while your marketing brings customers your way.

So let’s look at the four quadrants of the Marketing Results Framework to see what each has to offer.

The Artist’s World

Let’s start in the lower left, in the world of possibilities and ideas. In this corner, it’s easy to spend endless hours focusing on

• your logo
• Layouts
• Designs
• Your business cards
• Your website.

This is the world of the Artist, and every one of these things is important. But if left unchecked, this world leads to spinning your wheels on things that, on their own, won’t move the needle to results.

From here, we desperately need to move to the right to add some execution.

The Integrator’s World

In the lower right, we start to focus on tools and platforms – things like

• WordPress
• Squarespace
• Wix
• Kajabi
• Kartra
• CRMs
• eCommerce

This is the world of the Integrator or technical engineer. We need these people to run a business, but they live in a world that makes the artist pull their hair out and drives the business crazy unless this technology is focused on producing something that generates revenue.

And if these people don’t have clarity and guidance, they can build an elaborately orchestrated train wreck. So let’s move to the upper left and add some structure.

The Architect’s World

Here, we’re focusing on our communication again. But there are so many choices that we can still get lost. There are different platforms on which we can share our message.
We can focus externally – Facebook, Adwords, and social media,
Or internally, on producing content,
Or in between by focusing on Google’s Search Engine Optimization

This is the world of the marketing Architect, and we need these skills on our team for business to grow and scale. But here, like below with the artist, there are just too many really good choices on the table.

If left unchecked, it’s easy to fall into paralysis by analysis.

The Marketer’s World

In the upper right, we have both communication and execution.

This is where the skills and talents of the other quadrants are pulled together. Here, we focus on project management – taking the Artist’s vision, the Architect’s knowledge, the Integrator’s skill, and channeling all that into the messages that drive revenue.

This is the world of a professional marketer, where everything drives forward to results.

• Artist uses look and feel to make sure your message resonates with who you want it to.
• The Architect helps you determine what strategies to use to reach your audience.
• The integrator is the engine who knows how to make things happen.
• And the marketer determines why the actions need to be taken, and pulls them all together to produce results.

That’s fine conceptually, but how do we actually move toward the upper right?

What does it take to integrate the skills and expertise from the other quadrants?

Communication with the StoryBrand Framework

Moving to greater clarity comes from incorporating the power of the StoryBrand 7-part framework. That starts by asking:

Who is the character in the story?

This is your prospect or customer. Some marketing approaches refer to this as an avatar, but that’s a bit simplistic. What defines your customer is the 2nd point…

What is the problem your character is trying to solve?

For you, that problem is something external, like low sales, not enough lead-flow, poor conversions. And you have to ask what the external problem is for YOUR customers, based on your product or service

You also have to look at how that problem makes your prospects feel. The emotional aspect of the problem is what gets people to care. Lastly, you have to look at what your customer believes about the problem – because your prospect has to believe that you can help them.

But if they are going to turn to you for help, you need to be positioned as a guide to help them get what they want.

In the story in your customer’s mind, using Star Wars as an example, you have to be Yoda, and they get to be Luke Skywalker.

Or for the Hunger Games, your customer gets to be Katniss, and you get to be Haymitch.

The story is always about your customer, not about you

The story is always about your customer, not about you. That’s the nature of the story we need to tell, and StoryBrand provides the structure that helps us do that.

What is your plan for the character?

Next, You need to present a plan for the prospect so that they can see a path forward. Not in full detail, but at a high-level, with just a few steps, so that they can see a positive future by working with you.

Call to Action

Next, you need to make the request:

• Sign up with your name and email
• Download this tool or resource
• Schedule a conversation.

Fundamentally, they have to take ACTION.

Your prospect also needs to see that taking action is the first step for them to get what they want. They need to see that only by taking that step will they avoid failure – even if failure is just the status-quo of living with their current pain points.

So that’s the core of improving your marketing communication.
What about execution? How do we work on that?

Execution with Lifecycle Marketing

Remember that the integrator is all about tools and platforms.
While there are several we could use, I’m going to focus on Infusionsoft, which now goes by the name “Keap”

The reason for choosing Infusionsoft is their systematic approach to the actions you need to take to grow your business. They call it Lifecycle Marketing.

Collecting Leads

The first step is all about how you collect leads. At a high level, this means we define and then automate the process of targeting the types of people we want to reach.

Then we attract the leads by creating content that is both meaningful and relevant to their problems, which we clarified with StoryBrand Finally, we give them a reason to take action so we can capture who they are and then engage with them through email, video, and ultimately conversations.
This is the Call to Action step from StoryBrand

Converting Leads

The second step of execution is about converting prospects into clients (or customers, depending on your business model). They’ve already taken action by giving us their contact info.

Now it’s up to us to engage them by fulfilling on whatever promise we’ve made – that is, delivering the report, tool, or resource they asked for.

Then, with an automated series of messages, videos, or content, we are earning the right to make an offer.

Finally, we close – make the sale. Here too, we use Infusionsoft to make it dirt-simple for the prospect to do business with us.

Create Fans

The last step of lifecycle marketing is about creating fans. Wherever possible, we want to automate the process of delivering on our offer, or at least ensuring that the customer is taken care of and that nothing falls through the cracks.

Next, we need to check-in and see if our customer is actually satisfied with our product or service

Only then will our customers help multiply our business through referrals, and we can streamline that process too.

The Marketing Results Framework is about moving up, and to the right, with powerful, structured stories and automated marketing campaigns.
It’s about marketing for results.

Ultimately, that is my hope for you – that through this framework, you see that your marketing results depend on the integration of a broad set of skills.

Professionals in each quadrant have gifts to share with you, just as you have gifts to share with the world.

When you are ready to have a conversation about elevating your level of business, I invite you to schedule a complimentary conversation.