Making a Marketing Plan

Once you have determined who your target audience is based on last months article, it is easier to create a marketing strategy that will reach them. Here are some things to consider when making a marketing plan to connect with new customers.

1) Where Does Your Target Audience Get Their Information
If your ads are on a platform that is unpopular with your target market, chances are that it is not going to be very effective. Consider what your customer’s interests and habits are like. If they do not typically use computers and have a lot of disposable income, try marketing in hobbyist magazines instead. On the other hand, your target audience might spend a good part of their day on social media, and that is where you should advertise. Consider things like geographic and what social media (or not) they use. The more clearly defined your marketing plan, the easier it will be to reach your target customers for less money.
2) Costs vs. Time
Any marketing plan will not have immediate results. It is important to allow your marketing to have time to work. Your marketing plan should be given a chance to succeed. This includes knowing how current events and seasonal changes are gong to affect your customer’s needs and interests. With this, you should also know how to track how effective any marketing plan is. Know your costs vs. the return, that way you can determine if any marketing plan is working and how well.
3) Creating a Relationship
Can you boil down what you are selling and why someone should care into a single sentence? If you can’t, you need to clarify your message. Giving your target market a reason to care is essential to creating a marketing plan that works. One way to do this is by identifying your target audience’s needs and then focus on letting them know how your small business can solve these issues. This should be done in a clear and concise way.
Sometimes marketing effectively also means cultivating a sense of trust that shows you understand your target audience. This is done by showing in your marketing that you can relate to their problems and know how to solve them.