I remember when I first heard people talking about a marketing funnel and filling your pipeline. It all sounded more like oil pipelines and striking it rich with oil that it did about marketing. I now think of the analogy more like striking it rich due to consistently delivering and serving my market.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
― Benjamin Franklin
Too many business owners are walking around without of plan of action. They are taking stabs in the dark by trying out random marketing tactics once or twice and abandoning them if they do not work. Even if your plan is on a napkin, it is still a plan!
“If you don’t know where you are going,
you’ll end up someplace else.”
― Yogi Berra
It is better to have a plan than no plan at all.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
You can always adjust as you go. After all, you are in charge!
There are 3 why you need to have a marketing plan:
FOCUS – A marketing plan captures what your thinking onto paper or in a document on your computer. It creates a vision for your business and growth. The plan offers big picture thinking as well as smaller more detailed planning. There is nothing stopping you from adding an event or workshop along the way to boost your revenue. Ultimately, the market plan helps you focus on what needs to get done to get the results you want.
DECISION MAKING – By writing out the plan, you can make better decisions and save a great deal of time, money, and resources. You will learn where to allocate your resources or delegate tasks to so that you can get the greatest return on your investment.
PROGRESS & ACCOUNTABILITY – One area that is often over looked in planning is the reflection of how far you have come from where you started. When developing your plan, it is important to build in benchmarks or milestones where you can measure your success and celebrate! These benchmarks or milestones can act as an accountability check or reminder of your goals and next steps. Each step along the way build momentum for the next.
Successful marketing NEEDS a plan and you need to consistently work the plan.
There are many ways to market your business! Start with focusing on 2-3 ways and get really great at them and then try something new! You will discover what works for you often through trial and error, however, you will never know if you are on the right track if you never measure the metrics of your efforts. What ways do you market your business?
Marketing planning helps you develop products and services in your business that meet the needs of your target market. Good marketing helps your customers understand why your product or service is better than, or different from, the competition.
A good marketing plan can help you reach your target audience, boost your customer base, and ultimately, increase your bottom line. It’s often required when seeking funding and helps you set clear, realistic and measurable objectives for your business.
Developing a marketing plan requires research, time and commitment, but is a very valuable process that can greatly contribute to your business success.
Great comments! Thank you!