Do you have things all mapped out?

What direction is your business going in? And do you have a map to direct you or just take to the road and see where it leads you?

“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service sells itself.” - Peter Drucker

This quote perfectly sums up why you need a Marketing Plan for your business. A Marketing Plan gives you a definite route to follow so that you can get to that ideal place where you know your customers so well that you know exactly which communication tools to use. There are many reasons to have a Marketing Plan and we would advise that every business should not only have a plan but review and evaluate it each month and take time once a year to update the plan for the future.

Here are three reasons why it might be the time for your business to look at a Marketing Plan.

1. You want to expand or start a new business.
The banks do now seem to be starting to lend money again and the market is certainly starting to look more favourable. Perhaps you have an idea for a new product or service you could offer? Or you have a great business idea and now is perhaps the time to finally pursue it?

A Feasibility and Marketing Plan is ideal here because it would look at the product and/or service you want to market and see firstly whether there is a business case for it with detailed background research and current and future likely trends for that product or service. Who the potential customers would be and how you could communicate with them. Who your main competitors are and what you can learn from them but also what can you do better as well as learning from best practice across the UK and beyond.

Bright Light Marketing have carried out Feasibility and Marketing Plans for a wide range of clients which have allowed them to see that there is or isn’t a case for their idea and the best way to take this product or service to market. These feasibility plans have allowed businesses even over the period of economic uncertainty to successfully apply for grant funding and/ or bank funding.

2. You know you should be getting more customers and are not sure why you aren’t?
A Marketing Plan is like a spring clean it is a chance to look at your business with critical eyes as Rabbie Burns says to see yourself as others see us. It allows you to look at your current marketing communications, your actual product or service and also the customer service offering and see what works, what doesn’t and what you should be doing that you are not doing and gives you a new route for the future.

When Bright Light Marketing carry out a Marketing Plan we work very closely with the client as you know your business inside out and if you are going to move it forward you need to understand why we have come to the conclusions that we have. We therefore will hold a marketing workshop with you which will take you through a series of exercises that will carry out a marketing audit of your business. We will then carry out our own research before writing a plan that shows you how you can get more customers, with clear recommendations for the future and how you can go about getting these customers.

3. Marketing needs a Map not a Sat Nav!
A sat nav can be useful when trying to go to a new location but sometimes they don’t work and lead you in the wrong direction or take you on a longer route which is why maps are still relevant. It would be great if there was a marketing sat nav that could tell you each month what you should be doing and why. Perhaps we could argue that is what good marketing consultants do and that we provide you with a road map so you can see the way ahead.

Wouldn’t it be great when you start work in 2014 and look at the way ahead that you know exactly what you are going to communicate in January and February. But even better than that you have a communication action plan for the whole year which will not only tell you what communication tools to use but you know what customers you are targeting and why and you have a plan to evaluate and measure it too. That is what a good Marketing Plan will do for you.

As we move towards a new year and hopefully more prosperous economic times do you have a good road map for the way ahead? If you would like to discuss how a Marketing Plan could help your business Fiona Drane would be happy to have a chat on 01750 505053 or fiona.drane@brightlightmarketing.co.uk.

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