Last week I started a series of tips on writing an effective marketing plan. I rather cruelly stopped just after I talked about how to establish your marketing objectives but this week I am going to deliver the goods and continue with tips on planning effective marketing tactics to achieve those SMART marketing objectives.
Work Out How You Will Achieve It
Once you’ve worked out what you want to achieve only then do you start thinking about how you will achieve each marketing objective.
If you’re staring at a blank page don’t panic. Start with these two broad categories of marketing whatnots:
Inbound marketing activities help customers find you.
Thanks to the emergence of online tools that support content marketing you can write blogs, online articles, business videos, and ebooks relatively easily and use social media to share your content. All this content helps to position you as an expert and create links back to your website — drawing customers to you.
The key to success is: to produce content that is relevant and interesting to your target market, and in a range of formats.
Now inbound marketing can often take a long time to yield results so it’s important to mix it up and include some outbound marketing in your marketing plan.
Outbound marketing sends your message direct.
This is probably considered more traditional marketing and includes activities such as email marketing, direct mail (letters, leaflets and postcards), print advertising, PPC (pay per click) advertising, public relations and media exposure amongst others. Be imaginative to reduce your costs.
The key to success is: to know your target market really well and tailor your approach to them. Find out where they are – and be there.
QUICK TIPS ON…
Marketing Resources
Be realistic. Don’t write a marketing plan that needs Coke’s yearly budget to achieve.
Don’t eliminate ideas just because you can’t confidently do them yourself. Find businesses you can trust and outsource!
Timing Your Marketing
Your marketing activities should be spaced out through the year so that you never stray far from the mind of your target market but you also don’t get in their face.
Consider special events that you can market around, like tax time or Mother’s Day.
So there it is. How To Write An Effective Marketing Plan in two parts. How does your marketing plan hold up? Or have your found the inspiration you need to write your first?
Are you still looking for the right tactic for your marketing objectives. Leave your challenge an I’ll do my best to help!
The Copy Detective
