Marketing is not simple. Marketing requires a great deal of planning. Small businesses often do not have huge marketing budgets and have to handle this aspect of their business themselves. It is not an easy task for many. Unfortunately, since they don’t know what to do, some business owners do not really market their businesses and find themselves struggling.
This is why successful businesses create a marketing plan. A marketing plan is a detailed document that includes the data you need to make marketing decisions and set a course of action that you can implement immediately. Drafting a marketing plan can take a great deal of time and effort, but here are a few questions to get you started.
Who Is Your Target Market/ Ideal Client?
If your business is up and running, take a look at your existing customers. Who are they? What do they like about your company’s products? Try to recall any positive feedback you’ve gotten from them. It follows that if your brand resonates with these individuals, it will resonate with others who are like them.
If you do not have customers yet, defining your ideal clients or target market may take a bit more effort. Check out companies that offer products and services that are similar to yours. Who is buying from them? Who could benefit from your products? Do some market research to determine who your ideal clients are.
Stand out – What Makes Your Products Unique?
Most likely, there are other companies out there selling products and services similar to yours. What makes your products and services different? Why would someone buy from you and not another company?
You need to know what features, benefits and unique qualities your products and services provide. If you do not know them you need to take some time and determine what they are. What are the strengths of your products? If you ultimately determine that your product unfortunately resembles everything else on the market, how can you change it to make it unique?
Goal – What Do You Want Your Marketing to Achieve?
It is common knowledge that every business needs to market, but why? Your ‘why’ is very important. You need to identify exactly what you hope to achieve through your marketing. This will guide all of your efforts and help you choose which tactics are most appropriate to your specific situation.
Once you know who your ideal clients/target market is, what makes your product or service unique, and what you want to achieve through your marketing efforts, you are ready to get started with your marketing plan.