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[H1028]How To Do Marketing Plan

by Adrian Adams, Adr

Marketing is essential in reaching consumers. There is no other way to alert them to your presence and willingness to serve their needs. Far too many businesses fail because the lack a marketing plan.

The internet is one of the most affordable and easiest ways to advertise for many businesses. The resources are endless with the world at your fingertips.

Use search engine optimization tactics to get prominence for your site on the major search engines.. Write keyword-rich, informative articles on your industry and post them on your site. Not only will it be informative to readers but it will help your website be discovered amid the millions of others on the World Wide Web. Don't forget about link or banner exchanges either. Promoting other businesses that are not in direct competition with you through your website can result in added traffic from their customers when they in turn promote yours.

Along similar lines are the potential benefits possible when you create an affiliation with another business, sometimes called a joint venture. An example of this might be an auto shop that does only mechanical work teaming up with a shop that does body work. This way neither is in competition, rather they share the same customers and so by promoting one another can only stand to gain clientele as well as a great reference. Not only is this great for business but the consumer is happy having another need met at their convenience.

The tried and true methods of marketing and advertising a business still prove successful today. Radio and television ads reach many consumers on a daily basis. Renting roadside billboards is another fantastic way to catch the eye of the right people. This can be quite costly and does need to be budgeted for appropriately. Classic advertising such as flyers, business cards and car decals remain necessary but inexpensive. It's perfect for the self starter or the up and running.

Build a reputation of good service and word of mouth will do the rest as it is still proven to be one of the greatest forms of advertising. Learning to utilize the resources available to you can make all of the difference when it comes to success in business.

Step One: Marketing Goals

The first step is to write down the marketing goals you have for your small business. Whether it be increasing sales by 10%, releasing a new product, or improving online sales, you should write down all of your goals.

Once you've got everything written downs, go over each goal and make sure it is realistic (do you have the staff to service 10 new clients?), if not, revise.

Step Two: Set Your Marketing Budget

Before you can plan how to achieve your goals, you've got to know who much you can invest in the methods you'll use. Be realistic about your budget and don't spend more than you'll make back; there are plenty of low cost ways to market. But, DO invest in marketing, it will pay-off. If you're not willing to spend money on your small business' success, you devalue your products or services. Plus, if customers forget about you, they don't buy from you.

Step Three: Evaluate Marketing Methods

There are many ways to market your small business. In his book, The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Business, Jay Lipe shares a list of what he calls marketing "vehicles." His list includes (Taken from The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Businesses, by Jay Lipe, 2002):

Newspaper Ads
Magazine Ads
Yellow Pages
Television Ads
Cable TV Ads
Radio Advertising
Direct Mail
Billboards
Telemarketing
Internet
Publicity
Trade Shows
Event Marketing
Direct Sales

I'd also like to add a few more methods or "vehicles:"

networking events
public speaking
article marketing
press releases
e-mail
event sponsorship
donating

Another great resource for inexpensive marketing methods is Making Dollars Out of Cents: 101 Tips for the Frugal Marketer," by Heather Jacobson. This ebook offers just what it says, 101 great tips that are inexpensive yet, effective.

Based on your goals and budget, choose the methods that will work best to help your small business achieve the desired outcome. Some of the methods will support multiple goals, others will revolve around one goal. Just choose the methods that best suit your small business.

Step Four: Time-line Out Each Project

Once you've chosen the marketing methods you'll use to achieve your goals. It's time to put them in the calendar. Each goal should have a deadline for achievement and each method should have a target completion date. Work backward from these dates, planning out when each part of the goal/marketing method needs to be done to move to the next step of the process, (For example, if the method is a postcard mailing, the post card needs to be designed by approx. 2 weeks before it is mailed, printed by one week before the mail date and labels need to be pulled the day before, etc...).

As you calendar out each item, be conscious of how busy you'll be and balance out your daily/weekly to-do's and the frequency your methods will 'hit' your customers/audience. Balance out each communication to ensure there's no overload.

Step Five: Execute!

Once you've got your plan and timeline, it's time to get started. Outsource the work you can't or don't want to do, but make sure things keep on track. Review everything for consistency of message and feel--remember, every time you communicate you are reinforcing your small business 'brand' with the public.

Article Source : Example Of A Marketing Plan

About Author

Both Adrian Adams & Kelly Biedny are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Adrian Adams has sinced written about articles on various topics from Diabetes Treatment, Gift Ideas and Personal Desktop. Please visit and