How to create a dead-on marketing plan.

Why bother creating a marketing plan at all?

After all, you're doing pretty good running a radio spot once or twice a year, and a newspaper ad here and there.

The answer to that question is another question: How successful do you want to be?

Because in today's competitive market, having a solid, well-rounded marketing plan isn't an option...it's a given. I would even go so far as to say that the stronger you want your company to grow, the stronger your plan needs to be.

That's because it's the glue that holds everything together. It's the road map that shows you how to get to your destination. It's the spokes on your wheel. It' the...oh well, you get the picture...it's important.

Your plan, and how you choose to execute it, will help determine the sales of your product or service. Thus affecting both your short and long-term growth.

As a small business owner, you are probably going to have a limited budget. Don't despair! You can still create a high-impact marketing plan...you just need to use a little creativity.

All that being said, it's time to get down to it.

Start at the beginning.

Plan on taking awhile to develop your marketing plan, even if it your plan is a short one. There's a lot of groundwork you need to do before you start strategizing.

Also, realize that your plan should cover a 12-month period. Most companies use their fiscal year calendar to begin and end their marketing plans for budgeting purposes. This is because as you are growing (hopefully at a breakneck speed!), things will change rather quickly. You need to have a plan that is substantial enough to show a return on your investment, yet fluid enough that you can evolve it as time warrants.

One of the first things you'll need to do is decide who you want involved in the creation of your marketing plan. If you have a good base of people to pick from, choose a variety of personality types. A visionary or two, a financial mind, a good strategist, and maybe one or two "out there" types to keep it interesting. People you definitely need to include are any key players in your company and anyone whose "buy-in" you need or want. If you are a small organization (or a one-man band), you may want to consider hiring a consultant to help, or enlisting a few professional and trustworthy friends or mentors.

Getting down to brass tacks.

Create a vision statement. If you don't have a vision statement, a mission statement, or a brand statement, now's the time to create one. If you'd like help doing this, click here to go to another section of the site.

Who's your customer? The marketing phrase for this is finding your "target market". Because in order for your marketing plan to work, it's going to be critical that you know who your customer so you can formulate the best way to reach them. To learn out more about this subject, click here to go to the "Finding your target" section of the site.

How does it all fit together? How will your business plan, your mission statement(vision statement or brand statement), and your marketing plan all work together? Obviously, your business plan is different than your marketing plan. Your business plan is about your company's goals and objectives on a broad scale. If your marketing plan is a "roadmap", then your business plan is the entire globe. It's the big picture of your company. Your mission statement is how you describe your company in a sentence or two. It positions you to the world, and sets the tone for your company.

Describe your services. Why this? After all, you know what you do. Why put it on a marketing plan? Well, this exercise should help clarify and crystallize what you sell and why customers should buy from you.

Who's your competition? Find out how your competition position themselves. Understanding who and what you're up against will help you find your own unique selling proposition (what makes you different and how that benefits your consumer).

Determine your marketing goals. How much do you want to generate in profit this year? How many new customers do you want to generate? What percentage do you want to grow? Be realistic as to what is achievable. Start by taking a look at the resources you have at hand. Do you have enough sales people? Are their skill levels equal to what you will need to achieve your goals? Only you can determine what those questions are that you will need to ask yourself. But I will tell you that if you are ready to grow, you will need to have your all your resources lined up. Nothing is worse than over-promising and under-delivering. Better to have goals that are achievable than grandiose plans that look good on paper, but will be impossible to meet.

What's your budget? How much do you have to spend on your advertising, promotions, and public relations? Are you going to hire an agency to handle it for you, or do it yourself in-house? Depending on your budget you may have to adjust your goals, or how you achieve your goals.

Develop your advertising, promotional, and pr strategies. As you develop your plan, try to take an integrated approach. Studies show that your target needs to hear your message at least seven (and as much as 11) times in order for it to influence his/her buying decision. So if you blow your wad on a short-term tv buy, chances are really good that you won't get the frequency you need for a sale. What you'll want to create is a marketing plan that integrates several different advertising media, as well as promotions, and public relations. One thing to remember, some media is more cost-effective than others, depending on your target. For instance, if your customers are avid radio listeners, it might be smarter for you to put a good chunk of your money into radio since it's cheaper and you can get very specific on your demographics. If, however, your target is broader, tv and its mass market may be smarter.

You need to know your target and what media they best respond to. I have found that most small businesses have a good handle on who their customer is, but if you feel you need help with this, click here and it will take you to the Market Research section of this site. You may have to go back and forth with this until you get your strategies honed to razor sharpness.

Some advertising media to consider in the mix include: television, radio, newspaper, magazine, outdoor, direct mail, and an internet website (a must in today's world). To learn more about these media, click on the links above.

Track your results. Ask your new customers how they heard about you. Ask your regular customers what would work best for them. Ask for input and feedback from employees. Put codes on your ads or direct mail pieces and ask customers to give you the codes for trackng. There are all kinds of ways to track what works and what doesn't.

Evaluate your results. Give your plan time to work. Remember, it takes time to build momentum; don't eject something without giving it enough time to work. On the flip side, however, don't keep something if it obviously isn't working after three to six months. Realize that since you're a small business, you can remain flexible and fluid. That's part of the beauty of small business.

Tips & Techniques for Newbies.

* While it's important to use a good marketing mix, don't stretch your efforts so thin that you won't get enough frequency to generate a sale.

* Think about creating a customer profile so you and your employees can better understand who your customer is to help you attract more of them.

* Don't worry about the masses...keep your efforts focused on your target.

* If something doesn't seem to be working after a few months, switch to something that may work better. So much of marketing, unfortunately, is trial and error, especially at first.