Marketing 101: Do You Have a Plan?

Effective marketing isn’t easy—and there are plenty of ways to waste your time and your resources. This is particularly true for small business owners, as most of us can’t afford to spend hours each day refining our marketing tactics. That said, there is one specific mistake that stands out above all the rest: The failure to have a plan.

Without a marketing plan, you are flying blind. Your initiatives may seem like a great idea, but with no unifying central purpose, you’ll find it impossible to achieve the long-term results that you’re looking for.

The good news, however, is that creating an effective marketing plan is easier than you may think. You may associate the term with a 50 page academic paper that a professor made you create during your undergraduate career—but that’s not what we are talking about here. To create an effective plan, start by answering these key questions:

What makes your business different from the competition? Is it your years of experience? Your use of technology? Your ability to keep costs low?

What is your company brand? How to you want your audience to perceive your business?

What are the benefits your products and services provide? Why should a consumer choose your products or services over those of a competitor? What’s in it for them?

Who is your target market? Are you selling to businesses or consumers? To locals here in Miami, or to an international audience? Men or women? And so on.

What are the most effective channels to reach your market? Now that you’ve defined your audience, how can you best engage them? Internet marketing? Social media? Direct mail? Print advertising?

Answer these questions, and you’ve taken the essential first steps to creating an effective plan. It’s essential that you do this before spending another dime on your marketing—because without a cohesive plan, chances are good that you’ll be wasting resources. If you’d like help taking the next step, get in touch with us today!

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Spotlight Branding

Spotlight Branding is a content marketing and branding firm for lawyers and other professionals. Our goal is to help you create an online presence that positions you as a credible expert in your field, keeps you connected with your network in order to stay top of mind and increase referrals, and to become more visible online so prospects can find you!