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An effective marketing plan outlines what you and your people
will do, and what Lawrimore will do as an agency, for effective
teamwork to attract more customers and sales.
The best marketing
plan is totally integrated into the overall strategy of the
company as a whole. This way marketing is viewed as a valuable
way to achieve company goals and objectives, not as an expense
that has to compete with new computers and office equipment.
That's why we recommend a comprehensive Strategic Analysis as the best way to start, but we can also modify that with
a Market Analysis to concentrate entirely on marketing-related
issues.
We also strongly recommend some kind of market research to
determine objectively what customers want from the company,
how they perceive you now, and what types of communication
will actually reach them and get read, seen or heard. Assuming
that is done, here are the main elements of an effective marketing
plan:
(1) Goals and objectives - "Begin with the end in mind," as
the old saying goes. Let's get clear what we're trying to accomplish
with the marketing effort, so we're all
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pulling in the same direction. The best goals are SMART -
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed. Realistically,
we do NOT have much control over what will happen in the marketplace
or what people who are not yet customers will do. So marketing
plans that forecast X% of increased sales are a shot in the
dark. In spite of that, the right goals are very valuable because
they help everyone involved focus on the desired outcome, constantly
seek the best ways to achieve those outcomes, and use their
energies to turn the goals into reality.
(2) Target markets - We need to be clear about the characteristics
of our customers and potential customers. They can be defined
with demographics, psychographics, SIC codes, NAICS codes and
other measurable methods. Preceding this phase with market
research can greatly help define target markets and their needs.
(3) Creative strategies - We need to determine what creative
messages we want to communicate, especially the benefits our
products or services provide, and the reasons why (facts and
features) those benefits are real. We need a Unique Selling
Proposition (USP), branding slogan or other concise
phrase that packs our core creative message into a few memorable
words.
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For example, "GE: We
bring good things to life." The actual creative details
- headlines, text, visuals etc. - will be worked out later.
But core creative strategies should be worked out upfront.
(4) Media - These are all the forms of communication we will
use in our marketing program. Elsewhere on our site, you can
read more about advertising, public relations, publications
and graphic design, Internet websites and videos. The best
marketing plans get down to which newspapers, magazines, TV
channels, direct mail etc. we are going to use. This takes
a lot of work but really makes a marketing plan solid.
(5) Implementation - Key elements here are timing (schedule),
budget, priorities and responsibilities (who's going to do
what, within the company and the agency). Like goals and objectives,
these details can't be ironclad, but writing them down assures
agreement, teamwork, and a higher probability that it will
all be accomplished.
For more information on how marketing planning can help your
business or organization, or to schedule an appointment, please
use our online contact form or call 704-332-4344. |
