Is Your Marketing Plan Doing What It’s Supposed to Do? Six Steps to Developing a Simple, Yet Effective Marketing Plan By Chataun Denis
Are you a new entrepreneur? Do you have a marketing plan? If not, how do you plan to sell your product or service if no one knows your product or service exists? Every entrepreneur should have a marketing plan. Your marketing plan should be the guiding and organizing force of your business. It’s how you generate sales. Don’t be scared off by the idea of a long, 10 page document. It could be a chart, or a list. It could be long or short. Whichever is best suited for your learning style. The purpose of the document is to help you stay organized and focused on your goal(s). Here are 6 simple steps to help you create a strategy that takes your business from where you are now to where you want it to be
Step 1 – Open a blank word processing document and give your document a title.
Step 2 – List your goal. Your goal is a description of your vision; what you’re striving for; what you hope to accomplish. This could be increasing sales by 10%, or launching a new product. You may have more than one goal. List each one separately.
Step 3 – List your tasks. Your tasks will be the work that should be done. A few examples are: creating a blog, a newsletter, and a press release. The tasks are the glue that binds together your goals and the outcomes of those goals.
Step 4 - Identify the person responsible for each task. This person will be either you or another member(s) of your team.
Step 5 – Designate the frequency of the activity and/or the deadline. Don’t let tasks linger incomplete. Give yourself a timeframe and stick to it.
Step 6 – Measure your actions. What are the results of your tasks? In the previous example of blogging, your benchmark could be: 1) to explore blog hosts, or to develop blog content. In the case of the newsletter, you may be just starting and you need to buy newsletter design software. Next, you’ll need to create the newsletter design, and lastly, you can email or mail your newsletter. To launch a new product you may need to design the product, manufacture it, and advertise it.
Voila, you have a marketing plan!
I’m not proposing to be a marketing professional. This model works for me. It’s simple, yet very effective. And, if you’re a person who has a difficult time getting started, this is a simple way to make some progress. You’ll be surprised at how efficient you’ll become and how quickly you accomplish your tasks. I don’t mean to make the process appear simple or that you’ll accomplish your goals over night. Be prepared for the process to take some time. For some, this may take days, weeks, months, or even years.
I recently revised my marketing plan. The last revision was about four months ago. As I reviewed my tasks, I was pleasantly surprised that all of my tasks were completed and the benchmarks had been met. When your benchmarks have been met, start over and repeat the steps.
Have more questions, book a Free 20 Minute Phone Consultation with an expert, today!
Grant Source Articles
articles
Check out our new videos!
