Originally published by The Pomerado Newsgroup

What topics are key to my marketing plan?

Khaled Marhaba, Kuwait

I always knew the Pomerado Newspapers have a wide readership!

It’s sobering how many businesses don’t organize their market outreach. Since this is your first marketing plan, we’ll focus on the basics for the moment. Your plan doesn’t need to be fancy or long. It just needs to answer some key questions about your company and service:

• What’s your objective? This is the ball you’ll keep your eye on at all times.
• Who’s your audience? Remember – you can’t sell hairbrushes to bald men.
• What’s your budget? Whatever you’re spending probably isn’t enough.
• What’s your timeframe? Allow 75 uninterrupted hours to develop a proper plan.
• What makes you unique? Offering quality, good prices and good location is everyone’s message. Why I should work with you?

A bit of research does wonders. Develop a written profile of your typical customer (gender, age, job title, etc.) Talk to some current customers to determine what trade publications they read (good places to advertise or target publicity efforts).

Ask customers if they’ll buy what you’re selling. How much will they pay for it? How can you increase your appeal to them and charge more? You may need a strategic partner to offer what the market wants. This partner may also open new markets for you, so examine your fulfillment capabilities.

Review competitors’ messages and how they market. Evaluate their advertising, get copies of their brochures and mailers, analyze their web sites. Photograph their booths at trade shows. Read their annual reports (if available), and interview their employees who are job-hunting. Watch out for future competitors.

Interview small marketing agencies to find one whose personality and capabilities match your needs. They’ll develop your message, create the brochures, take photos, rent mailing lists, work with printers, place ads, etc. They’ll also help you draft a realistic budget.

Or do it yourself (working with creative freelancers) if you have someone in-house dedicated to the marketing process. Don’t assume you can do good marketing just because you know how the rest of your company works.

Assuming you’re doing it yourself, develop a message your customer is comfortable with by considering:

• Competitors’ messages
• Key industry buzzwords
• Customer profile
• Customer desires
• Services you’re selling

Show draft brochures to key customers and ask for feedback. They’ll love your respect in asking for their professional opinion.

Whatever you do, don’t make promises that you won’t be able to keep. Your long-term profits will suffer more from an angry customer than one who never existed.

Add the costs for each ad (creation and placement), brochure, web site, etc. for a realistic budget. Remember to allot money for ad specialties (coffee mugs, pens, etc.). Add 10% more to your budget, because you’ve forgotten something.

With your message in place, draft a schedule of which magazines or web sites will carry your ads, and when. Review publication media kits online and look for special issues focusing on your industry. List trade shows you’ll attend, add in direct mail drop dates. Allow time for developing your marketing materials. Now double the time you’ve allowed, because it always takes longer than anticipated.

Determine which ad vehicle generated each lead (ask “How did you hear about us?”) to help plan next year’s media buys and know what’s really working for you. Put phone extension codes in each ad to track your results.

Develop customer maintenance efforts for after the sale. Include electronic newsletters, postcards, and phone campaigns. Despite the internet, customers and prospects want to feel like individuals, not just numbers. Build relationships. Gather good testimonials and use them on your web site.

Review your plan monthly to ensure your budget and timeline are on track. Remember magazine closing dates and trade show deadlines are cast in concrete.

Always be looking for marketing opportunities, and write them down in next year’s plan. Update your plan annually, and start looking three years down the road.

That’s a lot to cram into one place. But a good marketing plan is key to solid sales growth. And no matter where you are in the world, the fundamentals remain the same. Please stay in touch, and let me know how it works out for you.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

Mr. Marketing now lays claim to readership around the world. And you can say you knew him before he became famous. Write to him at www.askmrmarketing.com.