| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
What is a Marketing Plan Anyway?
Building a business that grows steadily in size and profits is like building your dream house. First, you identify what kind of home you want, then you and your architect plan and create blueprints for your house, then you'd build it, move in and enjoy it. Now imagine that you didn't have the time to plan your home but went ahead and hired a builder to get started. How would he know what to build? Without a plan, the result would be unlikely to meet your needs and you'd have wasted a lot of time and money. Everyday I get calls from frustrated owners of small businesses. Their marketing isn't helping them generate a steady stream of new clients or bring in the revenue that they think they should be making. My conversation with Ken, from Toronto, was typical. I asked Ken to describe his business and his business goals. I asked him to tell me about his target market and what he is doing to market his business. He easily described his technological and design expertise, his Web services and the ads and mailings he was using to promote his business. Then I asked the question that stumps almost everyone who calls me for advice: I asked Ken if he had a marketing plan and what it was. He didn't have one. Do you? You know what your goals are and where you want to take your business. You also know that marketing involves activities such as building a web site, mailings, advertising and phone calls to prospects. But without a plan tying these efforts together, these activities by themselves may do little to help you achieve your goals. You need a well thought out blueprint for your marketing, just as you would for your dream home. Here's how to start putting your marketing plan together. 1. Identify Your Marketing Goals What specifically does your marketing need to achieve for your business to grow? You can state this in terms of the number of qualified leads generated each week, the percentage of leads converted to s.ales, total revenue, and profit. What are your marketing goals? 2. Define Your Marketing Strategy This is your overall approach and positioning relative to your goals and your competition. My marketing strategy is an educational one. It is based on giving people ideas and information they can use as a means of getting their attention and demonstrating the value I provide. What is your marketing strategy? 3. Set Up Your Marketing System Develop a plan of action. To increase sales, your marketing activities and the media you use need to reflect your marketing strategy and work together as one. I use articles and pay-per-click ads to get people to my web site, a free marketing guide to generate contacts, forms to generate leads, and follow up with autoresponders, my ezine and phone calls. Each individual activity supports and works in harmony with the others to bring me a lot of business. What is your marketing system? 4. Map Out Your Marketing Activities Now flesh out the details. You've decided what your marketing activities will be; now for each marketing activity you'll need to determine who will create and implement it and when. Who will be responsible for developing, implementing and maintaining your marketing? 5. Sharpen Your Marketing Tools Each marketing activity involves using one or more marketing tools. These include everything from your web site to your phone scripts to your marketing messages. To cut through the information clutter and get your prospect's attention you'll want finely honed tools. Could you sharpen your marketing tools? Plan your marketing like you would your dream home. The time you spend developing a marketing plan - your blueprints - based on your business goals, a clear strategy, and a coordinated system will pay off. Use your marketing plan in conjunction with a set of sharp marketing tools. You'll be building your client base and profits in no time at all. 2005 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals, small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up to receive the Free Marketing Strategy eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business' at http://www.marketingforsuccess.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Brainstorming Techniques as New Product Development Strategies When developing new products and strategies, coming up with unique ideas is often a struggle. It is one of the reasons why, in any industry, there is so much repetition. How Would You Handle This? We have been talking about choosing groups to participate in that meet your needs and goals as a business professional. Once the decision is made on which groups to belong to, then a certain level of participation is required in order to achieve the individual goals set by the business professional. Packaging Trends You Cannot Overlook (Part #2) Part #26) Food safety is becoming paramount.What this means to you: No longer are the words tampering and bio terrorism buzz phrases. Marketing Planning - Preparation and Accountability We all know the saying, "Failing to plan (prepare) is planning (preparing) to fail." I truly believe in this statement and I hope you do as well. The Silver Bullet For Success: Revealed Looking for the magic formula or the whiz-bang approach that will unlock your business success? Are you willing to pay hundreds for it? How about thousands? Guess what, you are not alone. Just as people, for ages, have searched for the fountain of youth, entrepreneurs and small business owners around the world are looking for the silver bullet for success: that one sure-fire way to achieve the success that they want without doing a thing. Educating Your Customers One of the biggest marketing mistakes businesses make today is failing to educate their prospects and customers about the unique advantages that are being offered to them. The cornerstone of any marketing plan should be to educate your customers. Michael Jackson, Classic Marketing Blunders And Your Wallet! You couldn't help but be captivated by the unbelievably cute kid with the amazingly controlled falsetto voice and electric dance moves. He was only 10 years old, when he exploded onto the music scene, along with his brothers as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, but he had the stage presence of a twenty year veteran. How Testimonials Can Put You in the Spotlight If you need evidence that a testimonial or referral can help you, let me tell you a personal story:My friend Dave raved about his boss all the time. "She knows I'm still in school," he said, "so she always asks about my schedule. Consistent Marketing Provides Big Rewards Being inconsistent when it comes to marketing your business can be a recipe for disaster. Nothing is more irritating to a potential customer than inconsistency. Nice Guys Finish First Volunteering your services can be an excellent way to form new business relationships and raise your business's profile while lending a hand to a good cause. However, unless you take care, it can also become all-consuming, with little return (besides creating good karma). Receiving a Brochure Printing Quote Brochures are a great way to get your message across. While having a brochure can be extremely useful, it is sometimes hard to know whether it is affordable. Why You Dont NEED a Marketing Plan If you pick up a copy of the November 2003 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, you'll see my Web site listed on page 10, along with a good amount of promotional copy.How did I get featured in a major, national magazine?Do I have a great PR person? Did I know someone at the magazine? Was this part of my carefully-crafted marketing plan?No, no, and um, no. Starting Small Business Promotional Campaigns So you're starting a small business. You figured out what you wanted to sell or do and went out and got it all set up, had your DBA framed and on the wall and now all you need is for someone to buy your product or use your service. Eleven Reasons Donors Stop Responding To Fundraising Letter Appeals Donors will stop responding to your fundraising letter appeals for many reasons. Some of which you can manage, but many of which you cannot. Massage Marketing Made Easy: A Simple Nine Step Marketing Plan for Therapists and Bodyworkers Marketing is actually very simple. It involves telling people what you do. How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 5 How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth?: Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 5Let's continue to discuss the various marketing principles that are involved in "popcorn marketing":6. ExclusivityDuring the few hours that you're in the theatre, they have the market cornered by being the only ones to sell popcorn. How to Write a Fundraising Thank-you Letter for Example (Includes a Free Sample) Thank-you letters are one of the most important letters that your non-profit mails to donors. They remind donors that they made the right decision in supporting your organization. 3 Simple Selling Tactics The following 3 simple selling tactics produce sales by responding to the way customers normally think and behave. They work for any business - regardless of what you sell, how you sell or where you sell it. Direct Mail Response Rates Low? Eliminate These Mistakes Are your direct mail response rates lower than you expect? Check your sales letter or direct mail package against this checklist to uncover the reasons for your poor response.LIST You are mailing to people who are never likely to buy You are not mailing to others in the same business who influence the buying decision Your list is out of date Your names and addresses are not formatted correctly for proper delivery Your list has job titles only, not namesFORMAT You are using the wrong format for your audience (self-mailers to professionals, for example) Your letter and brochure are not complete sales pitches in themselves Your liftnote or buckslip confuses your offer or main selling promiseENVELOPE Your envelope gives too much away, so your prospects throw it away unopened Your mailing envelope looks like junk mail Your package is addressed to "Occupant" and not to a person by nameMESSAGE Your letter lacks a strong, customer-focussed headline The opening line in your letter is not compelling You spell your prospective customer's name incorrectly Your letter lacks specifics about product size, weight, color and other vital details You discuss product features but not customer benefits You talk too much about your company and not enough about your reader You do not create enough desire Your letter lacks urgency You do not offer a guaranteeOFFER You are offering the same thing that your competitors are offering Your offer is not specific Your offer is not exclusive Your offer is not relevant Your offer is not valuable Your offer is not unique Your offer is not usefulCALL TO ACTION You do not ask for the order You ask for the order, but too late in your letter You conclude by saying, "If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me" You give too many ways to respond-or not enoughREPLY DEVICE Your reply device is too cluttered You do not tell prospects what to do to buy your product or service Your reply device is not postage-paidTIMING You are mailing at the wrong time of the year Your letter is arriving on the wrong day of the week You are mailing too often, so prospects ignore you You are not mailing often enough, so prospects do not remember youAbout the author Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using creative direct mail. Unleash the Power of Post Cards Direct mail marketing is essential for a business to survive.Choosing the correct materials can make the difference between success and failure of your marketing campaign.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
