Planning ahead is key… It’s that time of year again and most companies will be in full swing with planning and strategising for 2016. Even if you launched your business years ago, it’s important to revisit, review and refresh your plan.
One of the most critical elements of any business plan is a solid marketing strategy. Your marketing strategy needs to be adapted to support both the overall business strategy and sales strategy.
A huge part of planning ahead in marketing involves setting realistic goals and objectives for your business, as well as having an intimate understanding of your customers and their challenges. Through careful planning you can often get in first, putting you ahead of your competition. For many businesses, there are specific times of the year that you need to be in touch with your customers. By planning ahead and getting everything ready in advance, you can ensure that you don’t miss out on any vital marketing opportunities.
We asked some of our clients what was important to them when building their marketing strategies and they mentioned things like:
• The clarity of the strategy and plan
• The long term goals and short term wins
• Innovation and latest trends
• Monitoring progress and seeing results
A marketing plan will outline and explain how to put your strategy into action. It will set marketing budgets and deadlines, identify who your current clients are, your potential new opportunities and your competitors. The plan will be broken down by each marketing activity, whether that’s through advertising, networking events, direct marketing, etc.
Essentially the plan will allow you to know when to talk to your customers, raise brand awareness and help you showcase your business as industry leaders.
If you feel you would like to know more please feel free to get in touch below.
