https://www.flickr.com/photos/goldberg/3618005867
By Brian McKay
Working to get your business heard in the vast amount of other businesses requires a lot of sheer will and determination. It also requires a really, really good marketing strategy. To have a marketing strategy that is like swiss cheese (full of holes, if the analogy is lost on the lactose intolerant) then you can kiss goodbye any chance of total domination you had planned. The marketing process is a strange beast. You try and deviate from the original plan you compromise your company, yet you need to be original and think outside the box. So where do you begin? The task that is marketing is one big, scary term for some. But it comes with much other smaller, more manageable chunks. The five main ones are:
Creating or implementing the tools/resources.
Increasing the visual element of the business or generating more successful leads.
Choosing the right platforms for marketing on social media.
Delivering or producing the appropriate content.
Keeping up to date with the most current trends or updates in equipment and technology. A reputable SEO company can help in this way.
Once the tasks are broken down, you can see where your business is lacking in certain areas. If you are a small business, like an SME or a startup, it is harder to maintain all these spinning plates. So, using a marketing strategy will help to keep everyone on the same page. It essentially does the following:
It acts as your manifesto for business.
It will keep your attention to the business ethos and the overall intentions.
The goals are there, laid out.
It will help in reducing the temptation to copy, or even steal, other models being used by businesses.
It is a money saver and a time saver. Money saver in the way that you have a manifesto to work from so there is no need to throw money at other plans you think that may or may not work. And that precious time is not wasted in trying out a plan that will not come to fruition.
The marketing plan will help the company, and it will help to define your scope. From there, you can use the marketing plan to do the following:
Determine the marketing goals that you have. Doing this will increase the visibility of your brand and will help to generate better leads.
Pinpoint marketing strategies. For example, a more prominent social media presence. Or email marketing.
Outline each activity to use with each different strategy. In essence, linking the right action for the target market. Doing this will help you curb your resources.
Once these steps are completed, you can then go on to create:
The action plan. This is just a simple schedule or a few bullet points to highlight what each step is in clear terms.
The calendar. Working to a deadline will help keep the focus.
The trick to good marketing is a solid foundation in the first place. Having the right foundation will serve you well.
