Developing A Simple Marketing Plan

If you intend to do any marketing activities to grow your business, starting with a so-called marketing plan is necessary. In this article, I will outline essential steps for creating a highly tactical marketing plan that can produce meaningful results for your business.

Why in this case, length doesn’t matter, and why does simplicity always beat complexity

If you’re considering developing a marketing program, you must begin with a basic marketing plan. Having been in the professional services industry for over a decade, I have seen my share of marketing plans. Some are short and to the point; others are hundreds of pages thick and cost thousands of dollars. Seldom, those expensive and monumental outperform those concise and well-structured. I have found that not the complexity and length matter, but rather simplicity, commitment and implementation that make or break your marketing intentions.

The harsh reality and the painful, to some degree, irony

The irony is that many expensive marketing plans end up on a shelf and rarely get implemented. Business people like simplicity and non-technical jargon. They could not be bothered to commit to something fuzzy and abstract. Therefore, to prove the point, the simpler the plans are, if researched and implemented effectively, the impact and results they produce will be the greatest.

Regardless of the expectations of your marketing plan, you must be clear in mind that it is a continuous improvement process and not something that you are going to do once in a lifetime. Circumstances change, markets shift, preferences, tastes, and technologies vary almost daily.

To be successful and structured, your plan needs to start with thorough research about the environment, competitive position, and everything it will bring to your chosen market and your ideal prospects and customers. State your reasons, intentions, what you are good at, your unique selling/competing proposition, etc.

Remember that if you need to be more precise with yourself, your chances of competing successfully reduce dramatically. If you need to clarify things, it would be better to do it beforehand. Then, determine what you need to know, what additional skills you need to obtain, and where you will find the missing information. Keep it simple, and don’t overload yourself with things you don’t need in this early stage.

Your plan should focus on your most important thing: to get you and your business off the ground and keep your revenue model going so that you have financial resources to fund your subsequent activities. You should always be willing to enhance or redirect your plan based on what proves successful.

Simply saying – KEEP WHAT’S WORKING AND ABANDON (after careful consideration) EVERYTHING ELSE!

Back to basics

Your Current Marketing Reality

Establish where you are NOW. And I mean it literally. Where are you relative to your marketing and business goals? What is working, what is not working? Why is that so? What results would be ideal? What is necessary for you to move forward? What is your next step?

Collect, organise, and write down data about the market currently buying the product(s) or service(s) you will sell. Some important points to consider:

• Market dynamics, patterns including seasonality
• Customers – demographics, market segment, target markets, needs, buying decisions
• What’s the competition offering? Where can you become an ultimate choice? You can build on what someone else did to wipe out years of research and development.
• Current sales in the industry – in other words, is there a current need?
• Benchmarks in the industry – who are the leading players? Why is it so?
• Suppliers – vendors that you will need to rely on. How can you obtain favourable terms and conditions?

Your Ideal Customer

What are their problems, pains, needs, wants, and desires? You need to articulate why YOU are the best solution for their issues. Why only you can do things that your big claim is about? What is your motivation to help them? Find niche or target markets for your services and product and describe them. Assign the benefits of working with you! Keep in mind that people buy emotionally; they also seek help for emotional reasons.

Your Solution

Describe your service, product, and offer. How does your product relate to the market? What do you need, and what do you need? CAN YOU CREATE WOW EFFECT?

You need to discover in your business some hidden assets, potentials, and strengths that, if combined and leveraged, could propel you and your business to the AUTHORITY Position!

I often hear people say: 

“When there is a will, there is a way.”

Why you need to become A TREND SETTER

Competition

Describe your competition. Develop your “unique selling proposition.” What makes you stand apart from your competition? What is your competition doing about branding? What can you learn from your competition? Do I need to point out that you must avoid ‘The Follower’s Trap mentality”?

Setting the Scene with a powerful and engaging Mission Statement

Write a few key points that state:

• Key market – who you’re selling to 
• Contribution – what you’re selling 
• Distinction – your unique selling proposition
• Solution – your intention, service, offer

Marketing Strategies that will keep you going

Write down the marketing and promotion strategies you want to use or at least consider. It is as simple as that. Don’t confuse how to do it with what to do it; Strategies Vs. Tactics. Strategies are broader, while actions are specific. So to help you here, here are strategies to consider:

• Social media (this is vital, not only to be present but rather to provide value in different formats, on different platforms, where ideal prospects spend their time)
• Web presence (this is imperative)
• Networking – go where your market is
• Direct marketing – sales letters, brochures, 
• Advertising – online, print media, directories 
• Training programs – to increase awareness, run workshops (in person or online, paid or free, provide value and ask for a favour) 
• Write articles, give advice, and become known as an expert (if you can, do it in publications that are directly related to your specific niche)
• Direct/personal selling ( you will have to reach out)
• Publicity/press releases 
• Trade shows (show what you are capable of) 

Pricing, Positioning and Branding

From the information you’ve collected, establish strategies for determining the price of your product, where your product will be positioned in the market and how you will achieve brand awareness.

Budget

Budget your dollars. What strategies can you afford? What can you do in-house, and what do you need to outsource? You must keep a tight budget and invest where you get results. Marketing, as we know it, is the term of the past. The Internet is a great example and leverage point for any business type or size. It is wrong to assume in marketing. For example, more resources invested should bring you more leads, customers and clients! Sometimes the more you spend, the more will be washed away!

Marketing Goals Are The Core Of Marketing Planning

Establish quantifiable marketing goals (SMART). This means you can turn goals into specific, rational, precise and time-limited numbers. The other importance in quantifying is the ability of your business to grow without your direct investment in resources, in other words nurturing till it becomes self-sufficient.

Monitoring Results And Deciding What Matters

Determine, with absolute precision, how, what and when results will be measured. So, if you set the standards, you will know what is acceptable, where improvements are necessary, etc.

Testing The Market & Your Assumptions

Test, test, test, analyse and analyse. Identify the successful strategies that are working. Be clear and fearful. Every unsuccessful strategy costs money and should be abandoned.
Surveys are great ways to see how markets, prospects, and clients perceive your marketing efforts. Ask often your best customers and ask for feedback. Know the purpose.
Track your sales figures, number of leads, increase in visitors to your website, percentage of sales to impressions etc.

Know Your Marketing Strengths And Your Competitors

By researching your markets and your competition and determining your unique positioning, you are in a much better position to promote and sell your product or service. By establishing goals for your marketing campaign, you can better understand whether or not your efforts are generating results through ongoing review and evaluation of results.

As mentioned earlier in this article, use your plan as a living document. Successful marketers continually review the status of their campaigns against their set objectives. Marketing Plan ensures ongoing improvements to your marketing initiatives and helps with future planning of everything the organisation wants to become.