Setting a marketing plan for the new year.
As business owners, marketing takes up a great deal of our time and often becomes a great challenge as we move our businesses forward. Often when I’m consulting with a new client, they find their marketing challenges “hard” and often push them aside because the idea of unraveling the marketing puzzle is daunting.
Unfortunately, no matter how solid your product or service is, without effective marketing no one will ever know about it. It’s January, and along with the abundance of health and fitness resolutions, this is the time of year many business owners begin to set their marketing resolutions. Marketing is like a diet in that it works most effectively when you stick to a plan; it is simplified when you have a strong support system in place; and when you decide to do it, you should do it and not put off until tomorrow what can be done today.
Think of marketing as the umbrella over everything you and your staff do to promote the company and its image. Marketing encompasses all of the tasks of promotion and includes everything from advertisements and press releases to who answers your telephone and the greeting they use.
Public relations can be broken down to all of those things that you don’t pay for: the press releases that you send to area media as well as pseudo events that you develop to increase your customer base. Public relations efforts are particularly effective because of the credibility they provide. Remember, though, that newspapers, magazines and television stations are not in business just give free space or airtime. You have to offer a reason for them to talk about you.
It’s proven that people don’t buy from you because you run the fanciest ad campaign. People buy from you because they know, like and trust you.
And then there’s advertising, which is everything you actually pay for when promoting your company. Advertising is the simplest to define, but can be the hardest to execute effectively. The simplicity of purchasing an ad often overshadows the need for both
creativity and strategy.
“Creative without strategy is called art,” explains Jef I. Richards, an author and recognized advertising strategist. “Creative with strategy is called advertising.”
If we look at all marketing activities as 50 percent creativity and 50 percent strategy, then we get a solid grasp of how simple this marketing concept can be.
When you develop a creative marketing plan and then focus on a strategy to carry out that plan, you’ll be amazed by the success of your efforts. Surprisingly, your only task in marketing is to create knowledge, likeability and trust among current and future customers. It’s proven that people don’t buy from you because you run the fanciest ad campaign. People buy from you because they know, like and trust you. The creativity, branding and professionalism of your company should always be reflected in your promotion. Your advertising will play a key role in creating trust among your consumers. But looking past the campaign to the real goal helps to center your efforts and create more effective promotion.
The question becomes: “What can I do RIGHT NOW to develop a strong base of customers who know, like and trust my company?” It can be as simple as picking up the
phone and making some calls to your customers to wish them a happy new year or as complex as writing a marketing plan for the year.
A successful marketing plan includes some very basic components: an acknowledgment of who your target market is (the more streamlined the better), a budget, a calendar of when you will do your marketing activities and a method for evaluation. While evaluation is listed last, it’s one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. Without proper evaluation, there is no solid way to judge success. Every successful company has a solid method for tracking the effectiveness of each part of its marketing plan.
If you have no idea how much to spend on your marketing campaign, start with 10 percent of your gross income and go from there. This will give you a strong start. When this money is targeted specifically, you will watch your bottom line grow. A strategic integrated marketing campaign will include advertising, public relations and abundant networking with your target market. So, as you begin your year and start planning,
remember that marketing doesn’t have to be hard. Are you likeable and trustworthy? Then the only missing link is to let your customers know who you are.
Do what excites you in your marketing. That’s what works.
The above column was originally published in The Business Times.
Ringing in the New Year always inspires resolutions and a spark to change something about ourselves.
Ringing in the New Year always inspires resolutions and a spark to change something about ourselves.
I can’t say that I’m different than any others, because I have made resolutions. Some of them I’ve successfully accomplished and some of them fall by the wayside half-way through February.
What I have found, is that some of my best resolutions don’t come from January at all.
Recently, I resolved to be a more organized person. Part of my strategy is to do something once a week to help me in my quest to lead a more organized life. Step one is to type up a weekly to do list, and break it down daily in to six tasks that MUST be accomplished that day. Six tasks seem to be reasonable, because there are always other things that come up. I LOVE the feeling of being able to cross something off of my list and watch the list shrink from a full page to a ½ page by the end of the week.
I’ve also taken on one organizational task each week, whether it is organizing a drawer in my office or a folder on my computer. I’ve picked one item to organize in my quest.
Another of my resolutions came in June of last year. That was the month I had a life altering discovery of ways to become a better version of me – both in business and in my personal life. Marcus Straub of Life is Great Coaching and his teachings have been instrumental. In addition, Mike Dooly of the TUT’s Adventurer’s Club sends me free daily messages by e-mail to inspire my day right from the beginning.
Starting my day with inspiration and choosing to fall back to that inspiration in challenging moments helps me to embrace the journey.
As you plan your resolutions for the year, break them down into daily, do-able tasks and watch how step-by-step you excel in your resolve.
I read something this week about dreams being goals without steps
I read something this week about dreams being goals without steps. And goals are dreams – with a plan. I wish I could remember where I saw this – it was a tweet or a blog or Facebook posting. It has stuck with me. I tend to have big dreams, but I make my goals smaller. So, what if I set a BIG goal … suddenly this is feasible if it is truly just a dream with a plan.
Simple and powerful.
The very first step in making any goal is to get really clear about your dream. Think it through, think big and then you can make your goal. You can plan your steps, make the moves and then you can see the powerful results.
And they are powerful.
So, as we head into the most wonderful time of the year, I would encourage each of you to embrace the gifts of challenge in your life. Dream those fabulous dreams and set those fantastic goals.
We always talk about January being a time of renewal for ourselves and for our businesses.
Here’s what I have to say to you, right now, in November of 2010. There is still time to make 2010 a banner year. Don’t look toward the future to plan your success. Do it now. And watch the amazing things happen. Let’s kick this economy back into shape by dreaming big. Right now. In this moment, in this hour, in this day, this week, this month and this quarter.
Embrace the journey.