Marketing Plans
Photo by nancydowd
Success in business starts with a good marketing plan. Marketing plans are an easy way to set goals and figure out exactly what your company should plan for the year. Listed below are the steps to take to create one.
Step 1
The first step in creating a marketing plan is to take a good look at your product and determine whether it is marketable. What will make people want to buy your product? What is special about it? What is your target audience for your product? What makes your product different from other products like it? What is the angle of the product, how will it meet your customer’s wants and needs? These are all questions that need to be answered before you can go on with step 2.
Step 2
Now that you have evaluated your product, it’s time to figure out a strategy. This is the first planning stage of your marketing plan. You should set up plans for the coming year, including a budget and time allotted for contacting customers. Make certain that everything is clearly outlined and that the contact information for customers is ready for when you will need it.
Step 3
Now is the time to start collecting background data. Do some research to find out what the current sales reports are on products similar to yours. Survey your current customers and research the customers that you still want to reach.
Step 4
Now is the time to let everyone know what your objectives are. Set goals that are measurable and concrete, and if you aren’t the person who is in charge, make certain that you get approval from senior management before you take your goals to your coworkers. Even if this is your company, it never hurts to brainstorm with people you trust.
Step 5
Figure out what your budget will be, and instead of just one number break it down into smaller numbers so that you can see what monies are allotted for different things. One part of the budget should go towards customer relations.
Step 6
Decide what work should be done in house, and what work should be outsourced. With the Internet, a lot of professionals work from home and you can have anything from copywriting to website design done by an outside person.
Step 7
Even though your plans may be in words, some people really enjoy seeing a visual aid. It’s a good idea to create grafts and pie charts to illustrate what you plan to do. This is especially important when you are talking with your superiors or with investors. When you make charts and grafts it shows that you are serious about the work you want to do.
Step 8
This is where all of your hard work comes together. Write up a guideline that clearly shows the timelines you have set forth for reaching goals. You should also highlight the new customers, cost controls achieved and any orders that have been booked. Put emphasis on goals for the year but also make certain that there are short term goals as well. This helps to track the progress.
Step 9
Write up a final overview of your marketing plan. This is really just a summary of everything that you have done, but it’s something that people can look back on and see what was accomplished. Keep it brief, short enough to fit on one page but clearly highlight the most important parts of your marketing plan. Don’t forget to include the numbers. After all, that is what marketing is all about.
