Before you can begin on a marketing plan, you need to know the difference between marketing and advertising. Advertising is a tactic designed to bring in customers. Marketing is about knowing the client and what they want from the business. Advertising is about selling; marketing is about conversation. Advertising is about creating a persuasive message that draws the buyer’s attention. Marketing is about that mix of business activities and communications that bring buyers and sellers together for an exchange that works for both. Marketing is not advertising and it’s definitely not sales.
Marketing affects every part of the business. It goes to the way your people answer the phone. It’s about your relations with customers and suppliers. Even the typesetting and font on invoices can be part of a marketing plan.
Solid marketing plans are built around three foundation stones: goals and objectives, strategic initiatives and tactics. Every marketing plan needs these three sections and ideally, it should run to no more than one page all three. Developing the plan is the hard part of marketing. Executing the plan has its challenges but deciding what to do and how to do it is hard work.
Good marketing plans for printers need to be clear, concise and convincing. Questions need to be raised and answered. Who are my current customers? Who else will buy my product or service? Why will they buy it? How many will they buy? Where do they live? What is the size of the market? Is it growing? Are there segments of users who are not happy with the competition? And do any of these segments present an opportunity?
Needless to say, it is impossible to create a good plan without understanding customers, the competition and the market.The marketing plan also needs goals and objectives that are clear, unambiguous and not waffly. It might talk about innovation, for example. What kind of innovation? It might talk about getting close to the customers but what exactly does the company plan to do with those insights?
Don’t have too many goals and strategic initiatives. That only diverts attention from stuff that is important. The best rule is to keep it to three or four to create focus. As Jim Kilts, former chief executive of Kraft, Gillette and Nabsco, wrote in his book, Doing What Matters: “I want rigorous analysis and thoughtful assessments, but I don’t want complexity. If strategies and plans aren’t easily understood by everyone, they will be acted on by no one.”
To develop initiatives, you need to involve everyone in the organisation. If you don’t involve the sales team, for example, you might not discover that customers are asking for discounts. HR might identify potential skills areas that need developing. You need to refer to the marketing plan at least quarterly. It is even better if you do it monthly. The plan should cover one year. Things change, people leave, customers might disappear and new ones take their place. Leave room for adjustment if conditions change.
Leon Gettler is a senior business journalist who writes for a range of leading newspapers and journals
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter