Mel Kettle is a communications and social media consultant, speaker, blogger, educator, coach, bookworm, obsessive foodie and eatie, and a budding photographer. She blogs on marketing and social media at www.melkettle.com.au. Mel is passionate about working with organisations to show them how to communicate effectively so they can develop communities, share their stories and raise awareness. She particularly enjoys working with people who want to make a difference to other people’s lives. In her spare time Mel writes a food blog, The cook’s notebook.
Marketing can seem overwhelming to many business owners, but it’s actually not that hard.
Only undertaking marketing activities when business is slow catches out many small business owners. It is crucial that your marketing is regular and consistent through the good times and the bad – this way you won’t be caught out during slower times.
The main things you need to remember when you are developing a marketing plan for your business are:
- Keep it simple – especially if you are a sole trader or a micro business. Will you really read reams and reams of pages again?
- Know what your goals are – how much money do you want to make? How many clients do you want?
- Make sure your goals are realistic – if you want to have 50 clients, do you have the time to properly meet all their needs?
- Know your target market – who will benefit from your product or service? DO NOT say everyone! Who are they? Where are they?
- What do you want your customers to know about you? What are the key selling points of your product or service? Where will they find YOU?
- What marketing tactics are appropriate for your target market (such as brochures, website, social media, PR, speaking at events, hosting demonstrations, etc.)?
- How much can you afford to spend? This is why it’s important to know your target market – few brands can afford the budget to reach everyone! Marketing doesn’t need to be expensive – think about how you can use social media and other networking tools to generate word of mouth.
- Evaluation – what has worked, what hasn’t? Why?
Once you have done all this, you will need to write an action plan. There is no point to your marketing plan if you don’t actually work out what you will physically do and when.
Chunk your action plan into realistic amounts of time and tasks. Diarise time each week so you do your marketing regularly – make it a priority.
If you are not sure what this should look like, download my free simple marketing plan.
