Marketing Plan for The New Year

Periodically it is always good to revisit existing assumptions and long standing plans. What better time than the turning of the New Year to look at how your business is doing and how your marketing your business.

So let's say that as a small business owner you can see your current marketing efforts aren't working, what to do?

Start with a new marketing plan that takes into account changes in the marketplace (customers and competition changes) and changes in your business.

But, because you are a small business owner you probably don’t have the time or the money to spend on extensive research or a fancy corporate plan.

Jay Conrad Levinson of Guerrilla Marketing fame (and a small business marketing guru) has developed a great framework for a powerful marketing plan that is only seven sentences, but can be a very powerful tool to focus you on what is important to get results.

Guerilla Marketing Plan
1. The first sentence states the purpose of your marketing.
What physical action do you want your customers to do because of exposure to your marketing message? Of course ultimately you want them to buy your product or service, but here we’re talking about a first step. Go to a web site, visit a store, etc. you get the idea.
2. The second sentence emphasizes the main benefit you offer to motivate people to take action to buy your product or service.
Ideally, that benefit is also a competitive advantage that you offer.
3. The third sentence describes your target audience . . . or audiences.
Provide as much detail as possible. You must know your audience to know how to market to it. If you have more than one target audience it is key to understand the difference than the others you are targeting.
4. The fourth sentence lists the marketing weapons you’ll employ.
If you know your target audience well, they will tell you how they want to be sold to. How you sell determines what marketing tools you should use.
5. The fifth sentence identifies your niche – what you stand for.
What do you stand for, quality, service, selection? You can’t be it all. What does your target audience most prize?
6. The sixth sentence defines your identity.
This is what your company is at its core. So it’s not the image that you would like to project, but what you truly are. Is your company the low cost leader, the service leader or the quality leader? Some honest reflection is needed.
7. The seventh sentence provides your marketing budget, usually stated as a percentage of your projected gross sales.
Most companies spend between 2 to 4% of gross sales to marketing. If you’re a true guerilla marketer you will spend on the low side of that percentage.

So there you have it. A marketing plan that you can actually use. Print your seven sentence plan and have it some place where you will see it every day. Also make sure your employee have a copy and understand it.