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3 things you must know before creating your marketing plan

By Jody Gabourie

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 27Apr2009
Word count: 456
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Before you can even begin to put together a plan for marketing your business, you have to know the 3 main building blocks of any and all of your marketing activities:

1. Know who you're marketing to

Who are you marketing to? Who are you trying to sell to?

Who is your message and marketing communications directed to? What is the personality of your potential customers? Who are the ideal clients for your service and products?

Who your target group is dictates everything in your marketing plan from your specific goals and objectives, to what marketing tactics you choose to reach that target audience.

If you don't know who you're trying to reach, then you won't be able to create a marketing plan. How can you incorporate strategies and tactics that specifically target someone if you don't know who that "someone" is?

2. Know what problems you're solving

What is the issue or concern that frustrates your prospects and clients? What's not working for them or could work better? Why does your target market need your services or products?

If you don't know what people need, then how will you figure out what solutions your products and services can provide? If you can't figure that out, then you're not much use to your prospective customers!

When you're clear on what problems you solve, then you can create a marketing plan that includes tactics and strategies that capitalize on these problems. For example, you can identify specific forums, websites, newsletters, magazines that talk all about the same kinds of problems you solve.

If you don't communicate that you know your target group's specific problems, your prospects won't take notice of your marketing communications, which of course means they won't buy.

3. Know what solutions you're offering

What solution can you provide to alleviate your target market's problem? What will your customers experience from working with you or buying your product? What are all the ways that your product or service helps your client? What are the actual results?

Your marketing must answer the question of "What's in it for me?" for your prospects and customers. When you know the exact solution and benefits your business offers, you can clearly communicate and demonstrate the value of your service and products, and what people stand to gain by doing business with you.

Your marketing plan will have tactics that showcase your solutions - such as offering teleseminars that outline your solution-oriented product or service. Or you may add joint ventures to your plan that focus on adding to the solutions you offer by partnering with someone with similar services/products.

Once you are clear on these 3 components, then you've got the foundation that will make doing a marketing plan much easier and quicker.

Jody Gabourie, The Small Business Marketing Coach, teaches small business owners and entrepreneurs how to take action with their marketing in order to get more results and more profits. To learn all about her unique "done-for-you" ebooks called Ready Made Marketing Plans™ and to sign up for her FREE special report, ezine and articles, visit her site at http://www.JodyGabourieMarketingCoach.com

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