The Marketing Plan.

You were born to win. But to be a winner you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.
- Zig Ziglar

Before you spend another dime on advertising, make sure you have a set plan.

It is easy to get trapped into an advertising hole without a set marketing plan. Often times, what happens is that you throw a little bit of money into this and a little bit into that without a clear plan. Inevitably as you are looking at your P & L statements, it appears that your advertising dollars were a waste. Well, to a certain degree it was because there was no plan.

I love outdoor advertising. So much so, that it is what I do for a living! Prior to entering the outdoor advertising field, I worked in several media industries including: Newspapers, direct mail, online media, and yellow pages. Through this experience, I have seen a number of advertising programs either be a tremendous success story or a huge failure...in just about every advertising industry I have been involved in.

So what's the secret ingredients to creating an advertising success story? In my experience, it comes down to 2 elements:

1. Planning: Creating the marketing plan.
2. Relevant Message: What is your message going to say that speaks to your audience? As you develop your marketing plan, you will soon discover what your relevant message or messages is.

Creating your marketing plan sounds more daunting than it really is. It can be as simple as answering the following questions:

• Who are my potential customers, and who is my competition?
• Where are these customers and where is the competition?
• What product or service do I need to focus on to gain more market share?
• When is the best time to market to my desired target audience?
• How do I reach my target audience? 

What about your marketing budget? Naturally, this needs to be established. Just like personal household budget, establishing and sticking to a marketing budget will help keep you focused and on track.

The bottom line is this: If you were building a house, the marketing plan would be considered the foundation. Without a solid foundation, the house would certainly fall. Don't let your business fall. Start your plan today!

If you would like to discuss more on the topic of marketing plans, feel free to contact us.
My next segment will focus on the second step in an effective marketing campaign: Branding.