“Marketing is a generous act of helping others, we create honest stories and offer solutions and opportunities to build something that people would miss if we were gone, something that gives meaning, connection, and possibility.” – Seth Godin
INCREASE BRAND AWARENESS
Your marketing plan should speak to your brand and products. In order to get your brand in front of new customers, retain existing customers and to recapture lost customers, they need to know who you are and you can do this by creating brand awareness through websites, social media, videos, print and promotional competitions using the relevant keywords, tags, and images to reach your target audience. You need to be consistent with designs, logos, stationery, colours, and personality across these advertising mediums.
DIFFERENTIATING YOUR BUSINESS
Your marketing and promotional strategies should make your business stand out. Advertising could focus on your products, the excitement around bringing in a new product to the market or enhancing the existing favourites your business has to offer. Your business will need to create a clear succinct message for your brand. Using advertising mediums such as social media, print media and promotions you can attract and enhance your customer base. Ultimately you want to create a brand image for your business, displaying why your business provides a unique and superior customer experience.
ATTRACTING & RETAINING CUSTOMERS
The marketing plan details the strategies and action plans the business will use to find the right customers that fit the purchasing behaviour and needs of its customers. The business should devise customer satisfaction strategies through surveys to find out what they are successful in and areas where they could improve.
INCREASE SALES & TURNOVER
The more the business can do to reach out to its customers, the more successful the business will be. A marketing strategy must determine the media that will be used to advertise the business. Many businesses use co-operative advertising, meaning they leverage off larger, more successful businesses. Smaller companies such as those not affiliated with larger organizations may not be highly skilled at marketing. These businesses will need to come up with innovative strategies in their marketing plan to help the business succeed.
KEEPING EMPLOYEES ENGAGED
Many companies query why they should engage with their employees through a marketing strategy. Employees are the forefront of your business. Through employee training and engagement this will improve productivity and morale amongst staff creating better decision making, improve organisational health, increase staff retention, and have a happier workplace. This is a highly effective “internal” marketing strategy for any business.