Creating a Marketing Plan

A well placed and established marketing plan will help your business, big or small, to unite in a common effort and promote teamwork. It clarifies the key marketing elements of a business and maps out direction, objectives and activities for the business and its employees.

1.      CREATE A PICTURE OF YOUR IDEAL CONSUMER

The first step is to identify your target market while keeping in mind that it is important to be precise. Think about your target market in specifics like what they have purchased before, if you enjoy doing business with them, and even reaching new customers outside your customer base.

2.      WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH?

Think about what actions you want your customers to take after they are made aware of your campaign or promotional activity. Some actions you may want them to take include, if you want them to register for an event, take advantage of a special offer, upgrade an existing account, invest in training, or request a quote. These actions will drive your messaging and delivery techniques.

3.      HOW WILL YOU REACH YOUR TARGETS?

After you know who you want to reach and what actions they should take, you need to now identify the best ways to reach them through specific messages by considering:

• Are they active on social media?

• Are they subscribed to your email marketing?

• What associations do they belong to?

• ·What print or online media do they read?

4.       WORK OUT YOUR BUDGET

Always figure out the amount you are able to spend and set a marketing budget. Keep in mind, you can always change your budget amount as you go, so be flexible.

5.      PREPARE YOUR TACTICS

There are actions you need to take in order to reach your target market and accomplish your goals. These actions include, direct mail, email marketing, print/radio/online advertising, blogs, social media, case studies, events, etc. Always track your results as you go along. You may even want to adjust your tactics as you go along so you may want to be flexible here as well.