Writing an Effective Marketing
Plan
Some tips to improve your
marketing plans.
There is a saying in business that if you don't have a plan you're planning
to fail. So many business owners make the mistake of having the plans for their
business inside their head. They need to be on paper and they need to be a tool
that you use daily to make sure your business is on track. Here's a few tips on
making sure your marketing plan is effective.
Your marketing plan should be simple.
Too often people make their plan
complex, too long or full of unnecessary information. Don't make this mistake.
Make your plan useful for everyone by keeping it as simple as possible. A good
test is that every employee in your business should be able to understand the
majority of the marketing plan.
Your marketing plans should be actionable.
It's no good having a well thought
out plan that isn't actioned. In fact you are better off having no plan if you
want take the actions required to succeed. Make sure your marketing plan has a list of
actions that take you towards your goals. It's a good idea to break these down
into things to do in the next month, next 3 months, next 6 months, etc. Then
review your progress at least once a month.
Your plan should be measurable.
Your plan needs specific goals you
want to achieve. An example of a well written goal might be "acquire 10 new
customers in the next 3 months". You then have specific actions to achieve
this goal. Each month see how many new customers you have. Are you on your way
to the ten? If not you might need to change tactics. At the end of the three
months did you achieve the goal? If you did then great repeat what worked to
get you these new customers. If not that's OK. What didn't work? How can it be
improved? Start afresh and measure your progress with the new marketing
initiatives.
Your plans should be specific.
Good plans are very specific. The
goal above is a good example of this. Many businesses fall into the trap of
writing vaguely worded plans and goals. Don't make this mistake. Specific
goals are easily understood and easily measured. They are often also easier to
remember. Imagine if your goal was a general one like acquire new customers
over the next three months. It sounds good but it's not much of a thing to
rally behind. Instead if your goal was ten customers in the next 3 months you
can really do something with this. For example you might have a scoreboard in
the office that shows how many customers left before you achieve the goal. You
might also want to have a celebration when the goal is achieved.
Your plans should be used and
reviewed regularly.
I've covered this
earlier in the article. However to reinforce an average marketing plan that is actually
will nearly always outperform a brilliant marketing plan that sits in a filing cabinet.
Click here to get help with a marketing plan for
your business
If you don't have a current marketing plan for your business you need one.
There are really two ways to go about this. You can prepare one yourself or you
can hire a marketing professional to prepare one for you. Here are some of the
advantages/disadvantages of each.
|
Issues |
Do it yourself marketing plan |
Hire a marketing professional to write your marketing
plan |
| Cost |
The dollar cost is relatively low. You can buy
software to help for under $200. Click
here for marketing plan software |
Cost will vary between about $5,000 to
$10,000 (US dollars). |
| Time |
Someone who knows what they are doing could
prepare a plan in about ten hours. Typically many people take several
weeks because there is a lot of learning to do along the way. |
Between about two and four weeks. Depends on
the complexity of the business. |
| Follow-up |
No follow-up. |
A good marketing plan includes regular
follow-up from the consultant to ensure the business is on track. |
| Quality |
Varies dramatically. some people have a
natural flair for marketing, many more don't. |
Unless you choose an inexperienced consultant
the quality is usually very good. A good consultant will also stand behind
their plan and work with you until you achieve results. |
The bottom line is that unless you are naturally good at marketing you should
consider a professional. In my business I apply a simple philosophy and that is
to seek out experts in the areas where I don't have the knowledge required. This
allows me time to focus on the things I am good at and concentrate on running my
business and achieving my goals. If you'd like to find out more about getting a
professionally prepared marketing plan for your business then
click here to get help with a marketing plan for
your business.
