• Are you concerned about wasting time and money on marketing that doesn’t work?
• Do you know what works and what doesn’t?
• Do you find it difficult to know what to say, and how to say it?
• Are your sales unpredictable?

Your simple 5 step marketing plan is the key to the growth you are looking for.

Step 1: Where is your business now?

Start by asking these 7 questions:

• Why do your customers buy the product or service that you sell?
• Why should they buy it from you?
• Where are your leads currently coming from?
• Do you maximise the value of your current customers?
• Do you have a clear message that connects with customers?
• What are your competitors doing?
• What is happening outside of your business that could affect your success in the short/medium and long term?

PRO TIP:
Don’t be tempted to skip this step. Give it the time it deserves. Thinking about your business in this way will give you valuable insights about how to build your business for the future.

Step 2: Where do you want your business to be?

Now you know where you are in your business, your next step is to decide what success looks like for you. Four key questions that you should ask:

What are your business values?

What do you want your customers to think?
What are the numbers you would like to achieve?
When do you want to achieve these by?

A few relevant and achievable objectives will give you business focus, so that your marketing activity is both targeted and effective.

PRO TIP:
Consider your long-term objectives before deciding on the shorter term ones. This will help you to keep your marketing plan aligned with your business goals.

Step 3: How are you going to get there?

Now decide your strategy by focussing your attention on the big picture:

1. Who are you going to target?
   
2. What’s your message:
   Remember that your customers buy the products and services that they can understand the fastest. Define a clear and consistent message that connects with customers so that you can stand out from the competition.
   

PRO TIP:
A common mistake is trying to target everyone. Decide who is most likely to buy from you and focus your efforts on serving them.

Step 4: How EXACTLY are you going to get there?

Following the strong foundations you laid in steps 1-3, now is the time to get into the detail of what to execute, how and when.

1. Decide which promotional channels your customers use AND suit the needs of your business. Now focus your efforts on these eg: website, email, social media, print or paid for advertising.
2. Chose HOW you are going to use them to best promote your business ie with which messages?
3. Consider (and document) the time, budget and any other resources you need to complete the tasks that you are planning, taking the time to write a promotional calendar to highlight key periods.
   

PRO TIP:
Stop and sense check if your actions directly relate to achieving the objectives you previously set.

Step 5: Measure your results

Finally, how do you know if you are on the road to achieving success? Quite simply, you need to measure it. Consider what you need to know to ensure your business is running effectively. Five key metrics you should consider tracking are:

1. Revenue
2. Customer reach eg: Page views and unique visitors (Google analytics), social media reach
3. Number of leads
4. Number of leads converted to sale
5. Customer lifetime value (ie how much does each customer spend with you).

PRO TIP:
Don’t just measure. Evaluate. Schedule regular reviews to check what the numbers can tell you about what is working and what is not. Decide where you got lucky, what you did well and what you could have done better so that you can adjust your plan accordingly.

That’s it. Your 5 steps to marketing success. A strong marketing plan will give you the clarity and focus that you need to create a clear and consistent marketing plan that will connect customers and propel your business forwards

So, get started today. Why struggle with marketing?

Take your first step to marketing clarity by booking a FREE one hour consultation. Get in touch now belinda@cornishmarketing.co.uk. or phone 07436 884807.