The Busy Entrepreneur's Marketing Plan

Marketing is essential to business success and it all begins with a plan. Whether you start with a few pages or an elaborate manual; a good marketing plan will give you a strategic blueprint to attract new customers, while keeping your current customers excited about doing business with you. Busy entrepreneurs need not be concerned about the time it will take to write a marketing plan. Follow these seven simple steps and you'll have the basis for a marketing plan that you put to use right away.



Step 1- Determine Your Target Customer's Needs- Research what makes your target customer take the desired marketing action you want them to take. If you are planning a direct mail campaign, know what message, design or packaging will motivate them to buy, call, click or do to achieve the marketing outcome.



Step 2- Write Down the Purpose of Your Marketing Activity- Ask what the desired marketing outcome is. Avoid implementing a specific marketing activity that seems popular. First determine if the trend fits into your overall business strategy and if it does, how will it give you the greatest return on your investment.


Step 3- Write Down How You Will Reach Your Purpose-What will it take for step one to be accomplished? If you are social networking for selling a product, ask what benefits must I deliver on each post that will make potential buyers take the desired action? (Caution: Avoid sending a link to sell your product on every post. Be creative).


Step 4- Write Down How You Will Stand Out from Your Competitors- Ask questions like: Will you offer more products for the price? Will you have an exclusive product? Will you offer an unusual product guarantee? Will you give tailored service to each customer? Will you deliver faster than your competitors? Make this a clear statement that you can implement through out your business that becomes obvious to every customer.


Step 5-How will You Reach Your Customers? This is important. You must know what marketing mediums your customers are likely to respond to most. If your target customers are retirees or seniors Twitter or Facebook is not the best way to reach your customer. Do a survey or focus group to find out your potential customer's communication preferences.


Step 6- Write Down Your Company Brand Identity-Describe in detail your company identity in terms of how you want your company to be perceived by your customer. Your company brand is similar to a person's personality. Your company identity should be in line with your target customer's preferences. Is your business located in an exclusive neighborhood shopping center? In order to appeal to your target customer, your brand attributes should be in line with the tastes of exclusive shoppers.


Step 7- Determine Your Marketing Budget-The amount of money you allot toward marketing your business can be the difference between success and failure. A new business should spend 10-15% of their overall budget on marketing. When you determine your budget, write out each marketing activity in a time specific schedule. Resist the temptation to use your marketing budget for other expense categories, this could cut your sales by the same amount.


These simple steps can be used as a basis to help you stay on target to generate the sales you desire to keep your business profitable. For a more comprehensive plan, consider hiring a skilled marketing professional or taking a class at a local university.