Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Small Business Marketing Plan Secrets


Small Business Marketing Plan Secrets ~ http://www.lpcmarketing.com

Times are difficult.  Competition is fierce.  Your company requires every advantage a small business marketing and advertising calendar can give it to continue and flourish.

1. Focus and Discipline

A small business marketing plan is the heart of your whole business plan.  A weekly checklist of actions will keep you on track to beat the competition.  Understand that almost all of your competitors are flying by the seat of their pants, as you may be doing at this time.

A comprehensive marketing plan is the central point of all business ventures as it describes how you attract and keep clients, patients, or customers - the most crucial aspect of any business.

By organizing a marketing calendar, you will keep any tasks in house that you do well, and farm out any tasks that take away from your main business strengths.  Delegate.

2. Marketing and Advertising Calendar

Nearly all businesses benefit from a detailed marketing calendar.  And not just a short term advertising plan.  A high-quality marketing plan will stretch out for at least a year with details on what needs to be done each week to market the business, brand online and offline, and gain customers.

Many business owners blur the lines between branding, promotion, advertising, and public relations. Those are the mainstream media channels of a message or campaign, not the marketing itself.

Determine the category and price of marketing communications and compare with set precise sales forecasts.

3. Comprehending Your Market

A comprehensive marketing plan forces you to take a deep look at your niche and industry, check out what the competition is doing, and work out a plan to dominate your market.

4. Test

Even experienced marketers have difficulty tracking which media, advertising, and promotional buys result in profits.  Tracking is a pain, but necessary.  You will want to shed those activities that don't contribute to the bottom line.

"Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." John Wanamaker ~ http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/1992.html

5. Benchmarks

A set calendar holds you responsible.  When using any marketing and advertising plan outline, there are customary questions that compel you to form a long-term mental picture for your business. If you don't hold yourself responsible, your competition won't either.  Yet your customers may

Setting up benchmarks along the way can help you verify your marketing, make any needed tweaks, and keep your spirits high in difficult times.  Marketing is a conduit more than a destination.  When the goals are big, it helps to recognize that you are making real, quantifiable progress.

A good quality advertising and marketing calendar is more than a easy step-by-step of online and offline promotion.  Advertising and marketing is part art, and part science.

Come to LPC Marketing to learn more about a small business marketing plan, as well as using reputation marketing to boost your SERPs and prevent having to deal with reputation management.

http://lpcmarketing.com/

Tags:  small business marketing plan,marketing plan for small business,small business marketing plan template

7 Reasons Why Every Small Business Needs a Marketing Plan

7 Reasons Why Every Small Business Needs a Marketing Plan