Develop a Winning Marketing and Advertising Plan
by Jeff Donnelley
Now that you have identified your marketing targets, you might want to know how you find them so that you can meet their needs better than your competition does. There are many methods of finding and collecting demographic information. Technical options exist, such as software programs that earmark the users of your business Web site, marketing "cookies," as well as information gathered from emailing lists and polls. Gathering information on age, ethnicity and income, as well as things like the number of new homes built or families with children can be culled from public information sites and government offices.
Current customers also can be a valuable source of demographic information. Simply soliciting the input of a satisfied (or dissatisfied) client could result in information more valuable and accurate than any demographic forecasting. Many commercial companies sell detailed and up to date demographic reports. You can access some demographic information and build your own profile by visiting the United States Census Bureau Web site's fact finder portal. www.census.gov, or the California Facts portal at http://www.labor.ca.gov/. Public information sites, such as the City of Rohnert Park, http://www.rpcity.org, can be helpful as well.
So, you are ready to write your big marketing and advertising plan and, of course, you want it to be successful. After all, it is expensive and time consuming to advertise your business, especially in today's active environment. It seems like every type of business, from mom-and-pop shops to the biggest corporations are already out there, actively marketing and promoting their products or services. How could there be room for your business to stand out among all the marketing clutter and noise? They all seem to have their web sites in place, ad campaigns and repetitive marketing mantras. So, where do you start? What is the most effective way to promote your business? And how do you avoid making an expensive mistake? First, do your homework.
Consider that the advertising industry is based on facts and figures. It is simple to find out what similar companies are doing to advertise their businesses by consulting an industry association, visiting local chambers of commerce, asking the reference desk clerk at your local public library and, of course, by using the Internet. There are several industry publications with facts and figures for nearly every type of business. Advertising agencies typically use Nexus Lexus, Nielson and online resources, such as industry associations, or search terms, like "top 20 widgets" or "best widgets" to find out about a new client they are about to promote.
After surveying the competitive field, conduct a short SWOT analysis for your business. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The quick version of this is done by making a list of similar competitors in your market and comparing their products or services to your own. Make a list of your product or service strengths and weaknesses versus theirs. Then, compare each item on your list and decide what areas are opportunities and what business threats your competitors may pose.
Additionally, taking your marketing and advertising plan to potential clients with a short market survey can be effective. In doing this, it is important to listen. Ask your customers what they like about your business and why they buy from you. Also, ask what they think you could improve. Be careful - do not make them think you will change your business model. Let them know that you will take all comments into consideration. Find out what is most important to them about your product and service. Better yet, find out what is important to them that your competition does not offer and use that in your next advertising campaign.
Branding Your Business
Branding your business is deciding who exactly you are and how you want to appear to your potential customers. Your brand is your business' unique identity. Building your brand takes a clear vision, planning, time and focus.
Get out your business plan again (Are you starting to see a theme?). Look carefully at the part where you describe your business. Try to get that description clown to as few words as possible. You are declaring your purpose. Now write down some of the things you would like to get across to your potential client about your product or service: Reliable, accurate, cutting edge, imagi native. Think about how you might work those qualities into your identity. This purpose and these qualities need to be embedded into your brand — your logo, your tagline, your Web presence, your advertising, your business cards, your sales force, even the way you answer your company's phone.
Building your brand is more than just your logo or a T-shirt slogan. It is in the way you do your business and the quality of your product or service. It does not happen overnight. But with consistency and clear purpose it will happen. Don't underestimate the importance of periodically "taking its pulse." Evaluate how your branding efforts are going. How effective is it? Talk to your clients. Compare your competition. Stay involved. I all, it's your image and you control it. There are a lot of business people there who are eager to share their experiences with building their brand. In addition to the professionals at SCORE, www.score.org, investigate some of the date information and advice often http://www.smallbusinessbranding.com%20/ http://www.ducttapemarketing.com%20/. How to sites, such as www.wikihow and www.ehow.com, are good resources, too.
Create an Effective and Meaningful Marketing Campaign
by Jeff Donnelley
OK, so you are ready to produce your first advertising and marketing campaign. Let me give you a typical scenario that I hear from many of my clients.
You have some extra capital, either through your hard work or finally the bank has favored you and offered some working capital. You want to take advantage of this situation, but you need be careful with it too. It's not much capital and you need it to work for you. You've never really needed advertising or marketing because you have grown your business by its own reputation and through word of mouth (by the way, that's called viral marketing).
Now it's 'go' time — the fourth quarter is almost upon us and this is your time to take advantage of your marketing budget. It's time to make a real profit. Your small business is poised to grow. But how do you build a marketing war chest you know will work? What if you miss something? Fear not, there is a proven process that will help you. It's called a creative brief.
First, know your market. Make sure to identify your best target audience, as well as your secondary target audience. You do not want to exclude any potential business if possible. Next, write a short mission statement for the campaign. What do you want it to achieve for you? This might sound silly at first, but if you think of it as a blue print with end goals than it will help you to stay focused as you go through the process. Now, what is your competitive advantage? This is very important to consider and will be exploited in the advertising or marketing message. Ask yourself why you have this advani What features of your product or vice provide the benefits that give an advantage? Take the essential be and write down the reason you be] in it. This is your central message.
Finally, you have your message are ready to create your first advc ing campaign. It is time to decide it should look and feel. Colors shapes are important parts of crea the right image for your campy Consider using elements from 1, logo, a picture or illustration of product itself, or someone using product. If you are selling an "inn or the result of your product or ser you may need to hire a photogral or use a stock photo (many of w can be found online). Visualize campaign and write down how want it to look, feel and sound.
