subject: Small Business Consultant: Why You Need A Marketing Plan Layout #2 [print this page] In the first part of why you should have a marketing plan for your small business, we answered the why. I will continue in this section with some steps for the layout of your plan as if I was your consultant.
As a business owner you should be aware of the four Ps of marketing:
1)Place: Being in a place where your target clients can easily find you
2)Price: Making your clients feel like they are happy to pay your fee
because you delivered what you promised (over delivering can go a
long way in customer retention)
3)Product: Determining if there is a need for your product or service
4)Promotion: Marketing your business using as many methods as you
can afford to
Being aware of and keeping these four points in mind all the time, you can then proceed to the basic layout of your small business marketing plan.
The following steps should be a part of your plan:
A)Brainstorm with trustworthy people like friends, family and other
business owners about:
1)Your product or service what sets it apart from your competition?
2)Who will your clients be?
3)What exactly do these potential clients need and can you deliver?
4)What marketing tools will you utilize?
5)What is your goal for your business a year from now?
6)Who is your competition and how can you beat them?
B)Get your product or service in the right position. Marketing is about
generating a real interest in your product or service which will lead to
sales which will generate profit which is the ultimate goal of your
business.
You have to create messages that appeal to your potential market and just make promises that you can actually keep.
C)Draft the plan. You now have a lot of information about your product,
potential market and competition. Use this to define:
1)Your short, medium and long term goals
2)All possible niches or target markets
3)Which marketing methods you will use
4)Possible expenses and how you plan to finance it
Then when you have your business going, you can extend the marketing plan layout to include the following:
D)Survey your customers to determine what they like and do not like
and how you can improve your products or services.
E)Track results from as many marketing methods as you possibly can.
This is the only way to determine whether the money you spend on
certain marketing tools are worth it and if you should adjust your
strategy.
This should be enough to get you going with a marketing plan layout for your small business. You can also get some solutions from a marketing consultant who will most likely have some great ideas as part of his/her services.
