You Need a Marketing Plan
Marketing is most effective when it is done as part of a coordinated strategy. Placing an ad here, networking there, and other scattershot marketing activities can get results, but those results will multiply when your efforts are coordinated to work together and build on each other.
Creating a marketing plan does not have to be a complicated process. Your plan can be as simple as you want it to be. Keeping it simple means that you are more likely to make the plan and put it into action. When you answer these questions you will have a marketing plan for your business.
Who are your customers? Be specific. You can not market to “everyone,” so define which people or businesses are your best market, or markets. You may have more than one. What want or need do you fill for them?
What makes your product or service unique? If there are 100 other companies offering a similar product or service, what is it that makes yours better?
What is your 10-Second Brag? Your Brag is a statement of who you are, what benefits you provide, and who you customers are. You might think of it as your marketing mission statement. For more on crafting your Brag, see the article at http//www.IdeaLady.com/article/brag.
What are your goals? What results do you hope to achieve? Be specific about your revenue and profit objectives.
How can you reach your target market? Are they online? What sites do they visit? What search terms do they use? Is your market local? Can you distribute coupons or flyers to them? Where might you advertise? Can you get a mailing list of people in your target market?
What is your budget? Having a lot of money to spend on marketing is not a necessity. Using your budget wisely is.
What resources other than money do you have? Do you have a platform that enables you to reach a large number of people? Are there people you know who can help you reach decision makers at companies in your target market? Can you barter with another business to get what you need?
What marketing tools will you use? The best marketing plans involve using a variety of methods to get your message in front of your target market many times in different ways. Your plan may include publicity, advertising, direct mail, pay-per-click search marketing, public speaking, and many other techniques.
What is your time frame? Over what period will you implement the plan? In what sequence? How will the pieces of the plan work together to reinforce each other?
How will you monitor results? What numbers (e.g., revenue, profits, new customers) will tell you that you have reached your goals? How will you track responses to determine which marketing methods were most successful?
Once you have your plan, begin implementing it, step-by-step. Re-evaluate your plan from time to time to determine how it can be more effective. Drop things that do not work, and watch for new opportunities.
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