“Most people don’t plan to fail; they fail to plan.” – John L. Beckley
In previous posts earlier this year, we talked about defining your competitive advantage and your unique niche in the marketplace. The next step in your marketing strategy is to put together a plan. And with the new year coming up, it is critical that you take a good look at your marketing objectives and put together a solid plan designed to reach your target market in the new year … which will be here before you know it!
Did you know that statistics show that 1 in 10 small businesses have a strategic plan? And of the other nine, six go out of business in the first year? Give yourself a chance to succeed by looking ahead and making a plan.
There are MILLIONS of marketing channels to choose from these days … from signage to search engine optimization, endless options are available to deliver your brand and message in the marketplace.
Most business people know that there is no such thing as selling without marketing. I am always shocked at companies going through hard times that choose to cut their marketing efforts of all things. But even more shocking are companies that don’t have a detailed plan for their marketing strategies in the first place. Many companies just hang a shingle and wait for the phone to ring. And in this day and age, that’s economic suicide. Or worse, the plan is hap-hazard.
All the time I see people buying advertising by being bullied, making donations to causes they aren’t connected to because they can’t say no, and jumping in on the latest fad because their buddy said they should. Wouldn’t it be better to have a strategic plan?
The first step toward crafting your plan is gathering all of the efforts that are being made, or have been made, to leverage your brand in the marketplace. Start making a list of all the marketing efforts your company engages in from web presence and advertising to chamber memberships and charitable involvements. We will discuss some of these channels in the next post, but for now, start keeping track of where your message is being presented in order to be able to evaluate where the holes are in your strategy.
If you need help setting forth that roadmap for the coming year, I’d be happy to help … that’s what I do! Call Rainmaker to set yourself on a pathway of success for 2013 ~ 330-603-0086. We are standing by to help “make it rain” for you in the new year.
As always, I am wishing you all the very best.
Rainmaker Marketing and Sales 