One of the most important strategies that underpin both initial growths and maintains sustained growth in the future.

Critical to establishing a marketing plan are a number of important questions:-

“What business are we in?”

“What is our target audience?’

“How do we penetrate or access our target market(s)?”

“Is our current product range sustainable in the future?”

“What impact will technology have on our product offerings?”

One of the more interesting questions here is “What business are we in” as often management and staff’s perception tends to be narrowly focused and not looking outside the box.

As an example staff at a brown and white-goods rental company were asked this question and the answer was “We rent to consumers” when in reality they were providing financial solutions to people who could not access finance through traditional means. Subsequent to this the company expanded into commercial rental providing rental solutions to small to medium businesses. The growth was significant.

The point is that in establishing the marketing plan think outside the box.

When you have answered all of the above you can start to develop your plan and in particular what methods you will use to access your desired market. It is equally important to ensure that adequate funds are available to have a successful campaign.

There are many avenues that can be used in your plan such as:-

Social Media

This is an area that currently can’t be ignored. Many successful businesses have been built solely on the back of social media.

It may be a bit challenging and require the use of a social media company as there are many platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter all of which may have different audiences.

Done correctly social media marketing is an extremely powerful platform.

Videos and Tutorials

This is another effective way of getting the word out about your business. Create videos that clearly demonstrate your product in a simple step-by-step format.

Currently, YouTube is the second largest search engine behind Google so whenever someone wants to learn something visually Youtube is the go-to place.

Search Engine Optimisation

This is an important area to understand as when understood and correctly leveraged it can produce significant results.

Once again seek the help of outside experts and make sure that when creating your content it is aimed at humans and can be easily understood.

Unique Selling Proposition

Understand your product(s) and create a unique selling proposition which separates you from your competitors.

By doing this you either open up new markets or create new inquiries that can be converted to new customers.

Traditional Methods

Depending on your industry the old methods such as simply cold calling, in person, on selected prospective customers can be a very effective way of marketing your business.

We know from personal experience in our industry that this has been very successful for us. You can’t beat eye to eye contact.

Strategic Alliances

Developing strategic alliances with people or organisations who are in a position to refer potential clients to you is also a very effective method of marketing and growing your business.

Look for those who are doing business with customers that suit or fit your desired customer profile.

There are many other ways to market your business and these are just a few salient ways to improve your presence and establish your brand.