Every small business owner knows they need a marketing plan. But if you're not getting the results your like, you probably realize it needs some adjustment. It is time to add a little "zing" to it! Here are some ideas to re-energize your marketing plan to get it back on track.
Begin by discovering the source of the problem. This is so critical. You simply cant solve things without knowing where your marketing problem is going wrong. Take the time to sit down and go over the past 6 months to a year and think about your marketing efforts. You may realize some things have been successful and others have not been so successful. This will help you decide where changes need to be made.
Are you missing reaching a demographic? Sometimes this is a challenge. If you aren't reaching men, women, seniors or teens, you'll want to make the effort now to reach this demographic. How can you create a message that lets them know how helpful your product or service can be to them? Do some research about this target market and what type of products or services they use and why, this can often help you create a message to add to your marketing.
Another thing to consider with your marketing is to research your competition. While you never want to imitate or copy your competition, you can learn from them. Try to look at 5 or so competitors that have products or services like yours in a similar price range. Also look at products or services that are in a luxury or a premium price range, ones that customers would consider a "top shelf" brand, the way a Rolls Royce is considered one of the best cars you can buy, or Godiva is one of the best chocolates you can buy. Researching how they are marketing to consumers will help you with yours too.
Make both short and long term goals. Its easy to get overwhelmed with it all when thinking about making changes, but now is the time to think of making bigger long term goals and also smaller short term goals. Make a list and then create a business plan that includes all of them. Remember to consider your budget with this business plan, while not every marketing decision costs money, you'll want to consider your time as money spent too.
Don't be afraid to try something new. If what you are doing isn't working as successfully as you would like it to, it is probably time to try something new with your marketing. Whether it is buying radio ads or exchanging links with similar web sites, there are many things you can do that can have a positive result.
The key to success is consistency. If there is one thing you do - do one thing a day! That's it! Don't overwhelm yourself, trying to do lots of things in a big burst, hoping they will work. Do one thing about marketing every day. Then the next day do another thing. Work from your marketing plan and bit by bit, you'll see success.
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Lawrence Reaves writes for Galorath, a software company that offers project management software to help companies plan and initiate major projects within the company. For more information on this software and other programs visit http://www.galorath.com/index.php/products/software/C5/
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