Creating Your Marketing Plan – The Plan of Attack: Part 2
Further to my last post, I’m now posting ‘Part 2′ of “Creating Your Marketing Plan – The Plan of Attack.” After doing research on your industry, target market, business, and competition, you’re now poised to create your Objective!
Just as in my previous post, the items I’ve coloured red & marked with an asterisk is what I (or another marketing consultant/designer) would need to know your answers to, to assist in offering marketing suggestions / promotional plan / or actual design work:
Top 10 Common Impediments to Sales, and Using These to Build Your Objective
- Your target market is not familiar with your offering
Solution: Make ____ % of your target market aware of your offering * - Your target market does not know they need your offering
Solution: Educate ____ % of your target market on their need for your offering and to prove how your offering will fill this need * - Your target market does not understand what your offering does
Solution: Show ____ % of your target market what your offering does and to prove the value of your offering will deliver * - Your target market does not value your offering
Solution: Prove to ____ % of your target market how valuable your offering is * - Your target market does not think of your offering first when they think of fulfilling a need that your offering fulfills
Solution: Build brand equity (position your offering as the best of its type) with ____ % of your target market * - Your target market is unfamiliar with all the components of your offering (such as the range of colors, styles, types, etc.) that you offer
Solution: Educate ____ % of your target market about the components of your offering * - Your target market is unaware of the special attributes of your offering (such as an electrical appliance that can be used in Europe as well as in North America)
Solution: Make ____ % of your target market aware of the special attributes of your offering * - Your target market prefers your competitor’s offering
Solution: Show ____ % of your target market why your offering is better than a competing offering * - Your target market does not purchase your offering again when the previous version of your offering requires a replacement (such as when it is worn out)
Solution: Teach ____ % of your target market the value of buying your offering again and again * - Your target market does not like your company
Solution: Inform ____ % of your target market about the value of your company (such as charitable works) *
(The result of this will define your marketing objective!)
I hope you’ve found this helpful! Stay tuned for more information on how to create your marketing plan!
Read MoreCreating Your Marketing Plan – The Plan of Attack: Part 1
After chatting with a friend recently who wants to begin marketing her small business to retailers, I started to look back into what info I had for a very well-thought-out, comprehensive outline which will ultimately produce a very effective marketing plan for a business, service, or product in the most efficient way possible.
If you can find the book: “Smart Marketing on a Small Budget – Solutions for Canadians” by S.J. Ross, I highly recommend it! I love their ‘worksheets’ in the back of the book too; they’re really helpful for keeping track of everything.
Some of the steps I usually go through (before getting to the fun design stuff) when starting to market or brand a company to the general public, are as follows… You’ve probably done all/much of this already, but it will help to fine-tune what strong points you want to get across to your customers, retailers, and to their audiences/customers.
So here are my own notes, mostly taken from the above-mentioned book… the items I’ve coloured red & marked with an asterisk is what I (or another marketing consultant/designer) would need to know your answers to, to assist in offering marketing suggestions / promotional plan / or actual design work:
The Basic 10-Step Marketing Plan:
- Define your offering
- Know your competition
- Understand your marketplace
- Choose your target market
- Determine your objective
- Select your sales message
- Choose your communication avenues
- Establish your project schedule and budget
- Write and design marketing materials
- Evaluate success and adjust
Getting Started by Doing Your Research:
a) Where to look for your research, and what to look for
- Read newspapers, magazines, websites, television and radio shows
- Look for similar offerings to your own and your industry, target market, and marketplace*
- Look for local offerings/businesses similar to your own and in your industry, their target market, and marketplace*
- Review trade publications – research your competition
- Join internet groups to interact with, target market, and to hear their point of view*
- Examine surveys, polls, and research studies to understand marketplace and industry trends*
b) Research your own company
- Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly sales figures
- Sales trends (which days have higher sales and which months are busier)*
- Averages sales amount of each transaction
- Average number of items purchased at each sale*
- Average number of customers per day, week, month, and year*
c) Know yourself
- What business am I in?*
- What does my business do well?*
- What are my unique strengths?*
- What does my business do poorly?*
- What weaknesses does my business have, and what unexploited opportunities does my business present that my competition can capitalize on?*
- What is my offering?*
- What is my price?*
- What are the benefits of my offering – what does my target audience gain when they purchase my offering?*
- Am I currently successful? Why or why not?*
d) Know your competition
- What is their offering?*
- What is unique about their offering?*
- What are the benefits of their offering?*
- Who is their target audience?*
- What is their marketplace?*
- What is their price?*
- How do they promote themselves?*
- What is their sales message?*
- Are they successful? Why or why not?*
- What are their strengths?*
- What are their weaknesses?*
(Compare C and D)
I hope you’ve found this helpful. If you would like to send a message to me directly, please use the above ‘Contact’ form.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
Read MoreThe Grumpy Girl Adjusts Her Directions…
Hi All!
Over the past few years I’ve built this website to advertise and offer my services as a main course of Virtual Assistant, with a side of Graphic Design. I have really enjoyed helping all of you build your websites, database systems, event planning, and general virtual assistant needs. You all have been wonderful to work with!
After stepping back and having much self reflection, I have decided to put my focus into Art and Design, and less on being a Virtual Assistant. I am very excited about this change in direction, as it will allow me to work in various locations as I travel to different countries and areas where volunteers are greatly needed. I will continue to keep you all updated as to where your support is enabling me to go, and what is happening in those areas! 
This doesn’t mean I won’t still be here to offer you what knowledge or skills I have. However, this change in direction may mean that I am not available to take on an instructional or ‘virtual assistant’ project, based on scheduling.
My ‘About’ page, and the what services I now offer, will be updated to reflect this new change in direction.
Sincerely,
Sarah, aka Elfie
Read More