Your marketing plan should be a fluid, flexible, and dynamic guide to bringing attention to your company and products, while enticing customers to buy. It should help you take advantage of shifting markets and selling opportunities. Brad Sugars of Entrepreneaur.com lists five ways you can mess up a great marketing plan.
The first pitfall is “fluff.” Fluff is saying your product is the best in the world. Fluff is saying that everyone will like it. Odds are neither of these statements would be true with your products… or anyone’s for that matter. Stick to good, but accurate statements. You’re customers will appreciate the honesty, and the actual target market will pay more attention.
Know the true cost. You know your costs in manufacturing and shipping your products to your customers, but what are the additional costs when marketing is figured in? How many units will you need to sell to breakeven on your marketing campaign? Run all of the numbers and then decide how big or small your marketing plan should be.
Creativity isn’t everything, but it can get you nothing. The right amount of creativity mixed with generous amounts of planning and tactics is far better in the long run. For example, a very creative, yet niche marketing campaign designed for a small target market will not be near as profitable as a mediocre advertisement for a national customer pool.
Advertising is only one part of marketing. Ads are what people see and hear, but marketing is what they experience. How do your ads complement answering the phone in the office, or the color scheme of your storefronts? Does your packaging fit your marketing message? You want to grow your brand and ads help, but are not all.
Finally, in looking to reach new customers don’t forget your existing ones. Your current customers are already “sold” on your company and products. They are far more likely to buy from you, than anyone else. Here’s a common example: How many times have you seen a great deal that you can’t have because it’s for new customers only? Makes you want to leave that company and see what’s for new customers somewhere else, doesn’t it? Create campaigns that attract new buyers, but also encourages the ones you have to buy again.
