Strategic Marketing Plan

Not all businesses or non-profits start out with a strategic marketing plan, but most wish they had. The ideal time to start a marketing plan is during development of your new business, practice, or endeavor. Going through the exercise forces certain issues to the surface, so that you can avoid costly mistakes.

That said, more than half of my clients have already been in business or practice when they contact me. It’s never too late to have a good marketing plan!

Here is the outline I use:

1) Clearly established goals and objectives.

Your goal is the end result you want to accomplish. Your objectives are a breakdown of how to get the goal accomplished. Here are some simple examples:

Goal: Increase business revenue 25%. Objectives: develop successful marketing strategies; increase the quality of customer service, utilize resources more efficiently.

Goal: Keeping XYZ non-profit sustainable. Objectives: expand donor base by adding 100 prospects; explore potential for creating a social enterprise as a means of income for the agency; attract 10 more solid volunteers; create a new fundraising event.

Ideally, setting goals involves establishing specific and measureable time-targeted objectives. It’s important that goals are realistic, and that everyone understands what to do in order to meet the objectives.

2) Target market clearly identified.

Many clients already know what their market is, because they have either done market research or already have an established business. Others may think they know their market but can overlook important issues because they are so close to the subject.
3) Summary of Market Conditions

Whether you are a new business, or an established one looking for help, researching market conditions is critical before continuing with a marketing plan. What is the present climate for doing business? What are the obstacles and opportunities? Who are the competitors and what are their strengths and weaknesses? Are there politics involved?

4) External Positioning

How will you need to be perceived by the public in order to be successful? What is your message, and how will it impact your image?

5) Internal Positioning

How will you position yourself to achieve confidential, internal goals that have been set? Large businesses and organizations ( e.g. hospitals, colleges) have this issue with employee morale, productivity, etc. How are you perceived by employees and staff? How will it impact reaching your goals?

6) Identity Issues

This is where identity and/or communications issues are addressed in order to market products/services successfully. Do you have a strong, professional logo and tag line that communicates who and what you are? Was it developed as a fundamental strategic element for image building or branding? Will it grow or adapt as the business does? Perhaps a new logo is needed, or an old one needs updating to preserve the identity “equity” it has built over the years.

7) Marketing Communications and Advertising

This is a huge area that is changing by leaps and bounds as we speak. What will be your core media messages? How will they best be communicated given your budget? In today’s new social media world, what are the best vehicles to promote your business?

Is traditional advertising dying out? How can I get the most bang for my buck?

8) Public Relations

What public relations opportunities, if any, do you have? How can you use it to your advantage? Will it impact your image in a positive way? While this area is also changing rapidly, there are some things that will never change:

1. The power of the media;
2. The importance of having a trustworthy reputation;
3. The old adage that “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

Relationship building is still king, but how you build them is changing with the advent of Social Media. It is changing the way we get, use, and deliver information. Your image can change with a click of the mouse, a phone video, or a tweet, as celebrities are finding out every day.