Articles > E-Marketing, Network Marketing or Internet Marketing
by: Bobette Kyle
Imagine your perfect customers -- the ones that will eagerly buy
your products or hire you for premium pay. Imagine being able to
bring those perfect customers to you and having them buy your
products or services not once, but again and again. That's what
an effectively executed marketing plan does. It reaches the
people who want what you are offering, convinces them to take
action, and keeps them coming back.
Sounds nice, right? So why doesn't every business have a
marketing plan? Let's take a look at some of the reasons you may
not:
1. "We had a marketing plan once, but it didn't work. It
isn't worth the time to put one together."
No marketing plan will work if you do not work the plan. The
planning document is there for business managers to use as a
strategic reference throughout the year, as programs in the plan
are executed and as other opportunities come along. Any
marketing plan that is filed away and forgotten as soon as it's
written is useless.
2. "So-and-so had a marketing plan and it didn't help his
business at all !"
Marketing is a process, not a singular event. A marketing plan
is only the first step in that process. It points your business
in the right direction by detailing marketing strategies and
programs that will move you toward business objectives.
You must execute the programs in your plan so that you can
evaluate program success. Rarely does a marketing program work
best on the first try. It is up to you to analyze barriers to
success, then tweak and tinker until you are getting positive
results. If you ignore critical follow-up, most of your
marketing programs -- whether you have a marketing plan or not
-- will fail or fall short of their potential for success.
3. "Marketing planning is too hard."
Writing a marketing plan doesn't have to be complicated. There
are different levels of planning. More intricate marketing
planning processes will result in more refined strategies, with
better potential for success. But, if you have limited
resources, a top-line approach to planning is much better than
none at all.
4. "We don't know how to write a marketing plan."
There are numerous books, software, "toolbox" resources, and
articles that take you step-by-step through the process of
creating a marketing plan. Frankly, not knowing how is an
excuse, not a reason, to avoid marketing planning.
5. "My business is too small for a marketing plan."
Sound marketing strategy is critical to small business success,
especially new businesses. Statistics vary widely depending on
the source, but most reports cite failure rates for small
business at 65% -- 90%. Knowing ahead of time how you will
compete and how you will be successful in your marketplace can
dramatically increase your chances of success.
Your marketing plan is a vital key to small business success. If
you do not have a current plan, start one today. Your company's
success depends on it.
About the author:
Bobette Kyle has been proprietor at
http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/
since 2002. For tips on how to make the marketing plan process
go smoothly, visit
http://www.marketingplanarticles.com/
and read "Tips to Help Calm ‘Marketing Plan Panic.'
