A Marketing Plan for Today’s Marketplace

When you have 100% ownership in your business, you have 100% of the ability to define success for your business. You also have the clear responsibility of doing what it takes to get there. So how do YOU define success? What do you need to HAVE to get there? What do you need to DO to get there? How much risk will you need to assess to get there? These questions should be answered before engaging a marketing team or a marketing department.

For year’s we’ve heard that Content is King! And the Internet has propagated that fact repeatedly over the last 15 years. Now it’s 2010 and the convergence of different types of marketing is a growing trend – all based around content. But the message you need to get out there isn’t in a neat little tweet of 140 characters, and people don’t refer you if they don’t know you, if there’s no relationship. So let’s say that success to you means 200% growth in the next 5 years. To grow you need to increase customers, equipment, staff and possibly space. You also need to grow your marketing base.

We’ve heard for a couple of years that traditional advertising is a thing of the past. It used to be that you outspent your competitors to gain market share. The companies with the deepest pockets had the best known brand. That trend changes more each day. Today, your reputation is critical more than ever, and no amount of spending will remove a customer’s bad taste (just ask BP!). Today you need to spend more time on relationships, more time on content, and more time than money basically.

For many of us, time is more important than money. Time to do what we want, time with family, time for fun, time for rest, relaxation, exercise, hobbies, time for work, time for play… so what’s the best way to make the best use of your time? In a word… STRATEGIC PLANNING.

In order to create a strategic Marketing Plan for today’s marketplace, you need to start with the basics and those are your brand (reputation) and your website. These are the two most important elements of building a profitable campaign that’s always looking at the end result – your success (and however you’ve measured that).

Step 1: Discovery
Identify the value of your brand, its effectiveness, its consistency, its differentiation, and its general reputation level. What are the goals for your brand? Are you meeting them?
Identify the value of your website. Your website should connect, impel, and generate. Does your website contain accurate, up-to-date content that is consistent with your brand? Are call-to-actions clear, easy to use, and everywhere they need to be? Are you getting leads from your website? If not, contacting a marketing-based, graphic and website design company should be the place you start.

Step 2: Set Objectives
Since we’ve established you control what success is, the only way to get to that result is to set goals and objectives that clearly define the path. The ultimate goal is to build your brand and increase traffic and conversions on your website because, that momentum is what will drive you toward your success goal.

Step 3: Create Campaigns
The campaigns you create will all be designed to reach the objectives set in step 2 with the ultimate goal of enhancing step 1. These campaigns may include search engine optimization and search engine marketing, social media, networking, content building (blogs and articles), event marketing, and publicity. The success of each strategy creates momentum that drives your organization forward.

Step 4: Set Budgets
Budgeting time and money is critical to success. Make sure you leave room for moving either from task to task as you work the campaigns so you spend time and money on the marketing areas that are working the best. In other words, if your Facebook fans are hot on a subject, engaged and interacting, don’t be rigid and say… “time to work on the blog”. Keep your audience engaged where they are, and be flexible.

Step 5: Measure
You have goals, you have budgets, you have campaign ideas. Now you have to set the times you’ll measure, evaluate and update your plan.

Step 6: Devil’s in the Details
Here’s where it gets sticky. Inspired 2 Design recommends creating a full year strategic marketing calendar for businesses. This is a detailed plan, by month or by quarter. It includes all the above, specific details. What event, what keyword, what blog entry, what Tweet, and the task assignments, responsible parties, time allotments etc.

This 6-Step Marketing for 2010 Outline is critical to success (whatever that means to you and your business). For help getting a plan on paper, contact Inspired 2 Design at 770-781-3452.

I2D Announces another iPhone App – Hang a Pic

Inspired 2 Design announces the launch of John Lullie’s third, and newest iPhone, iPad, iTouch App – Hang-a-Pic. It’s a portable resource for anyone who has ever tried to hang something on the wall! Using a friendly walk-through interface, Hang-a-Pic tells you exactly where to put your nails (or wall-plugs, etc.) for each picture, painting, candleholder, decorative plates, mirror, wall art or other decorative ornament. Hang-a-Pic also tells you precisely how and where to place each piece of a wall art grouping!

No more headaches or extra holes in the wall from guessing where the nails should go… All you need is a tape measure and Hang-a-Pic will figure out the rest! It’s so easy that a child could take four pictures, each with two hooks on the back, and hang them precisely and evenly across a wall the first time! No extra holes, no “oops!!” So whether you’re a new homeowner, college student, apartment dweller, or a professional decorator or interior designer, Hang-a-Pic turns NO-how into KNOW-HOW!

Available through the Apple iTunes App Store or on the Hang-a-Pic support site.

Be Productive, B.E. Productive – in marketing as in all things

Don’t you just love the way cheerleaders can make anything sound good!?  Over the summer of 2010 a wise young man said to a fellow teenager: BE Productive. Don’t just stay up late, sleep in, eat junk food and watch TV. He said… BE Productive, B-E Productive… just like a cheerleader!  Being productive in all things is good advice. Being productive in your company branding and business marketing is just… well… good business!

Here are 6 Ways to B-E Productive with your Business Marketing:

1. BE Yourself:
Natural is more profitable than synthetic. Regardless of the economy of organic products, all natural, low fat, 100% etc., additives that aren’t inherent are not good for you and aren’t good for your business in the long run. Watering down your product or service, adding fillers to your customer service, cheapening your employee relations, may look good in the short run, but long term these shortcuts will cost your business. Natural flows and is easy to maintain. When developing your branding, don’t try to be something that you’re not, and don’t bite off more than you can chew.

2. BE Involved:
Be the company that’s buzzed about by getting involved around town: at your local Chamber of Commerce, Business Association, Volunteer and Civic Groups, Churches, Schools… etc. By being active in your community, you make it easy for people to recognize you, talk about you, and become interested in your business, products and services – then when a need arises, you’re the first person on their minds.

3. BE Heard:
Get social and get to sharing the expertise you have gained over the years as an student, employee, entrepreneur, volunteer, etc. By sharing your stories, your experiences and your knowledge on your own website by use of a blog, and on social media websites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. you not only build inbound links to your website, you actively participate in the online community. Ask and answer questions, comment on other blog posts, share insight with readers through your own blog. And lastly, but very important, write and share articles on article websites keeping a short, descriptive, keyword rich bio with a link back to your website intact. Re-purpose content and cross-link your content for the most effective use of your info.

4. BE Prepared:
Create your unique selling proposition (position, or point), your “head & shoulders” above the rest benefit. Think through, write down, edit, rethink, rework, and refine your point of difference, your competitive advantage and put it to words in both a 30 and 60 second introduction so when people ask you what you do, you can be prepared to get their attention. Of course, it’s not all about you, so always be prepared and ready to ask questions of people that you meet. Getting others in business to talk about themselves helps you to realize their pains and provide them with solutions. Be prepared to answer questions about your business in short, cognitive ways that make for good conversation.

5. BE Presentable:
Always be professional. Always check your humor at the door of a business meeting. Always yield the floor when asked. Always use your manners (and if you don’t have any, BORROW SOME). Make your appearances appear in line with your brand.

6. BE Price Aware:
Perception is key – yours about your product or service/your prospects about the value you provide.  Do some market research, compare brands, prices, availability between your brand and others in the same market. Ask questions of your current customers and clients to determine what makes your brand stand out in their minds, and hope their answer is not PRICE alone. Competing solely on price is for commodities only! Make your product and service stand out and you’ll be able to compete on perceived value, not bottom line.

Wondering what that teenager did all summer  now that school is back in session?  After hearing all the ways to B.E. Productive in the real world, what would you have done all summer?