Marketing

Marketing is a number one priority. When starting a business it is necessary to decide how you are going to promote your products or services . It is not enough to say ‘here I am’. Indeed one of the biggest challenges is to let people know you exist. They’ll not actively look for you.

Let’s not confuse it with selling. Marketing involves the whole of your plan. Included are your strategies and tactics for deciding on your products or services, who your customers will be and how you are going to get them to choose you. The more successful you are in targeting your customer and producing what s/he wants the simpler it will be to sell.

Marketing and selling are both important to your business. If you can get the mix right you will have something to sell that you are proud of.

You will need to look at all the various parts of your marketing mix.

Strategy

Look at the big picture. What is it you are trying to do? Where are you going? What is the vehicle you are going to use to get you there? Is it good enough?

You may begin in a small way but you really do need to understand where it is you are going. If you do not have a plan you can be sidetracked and wander down all kinds of paths you did not intend. This doesn't, of course, mean that you can't change your mind about your big picture. If you do want to change make sure that it is a conscious decision on your part.

Tactics

These are the various steps you will take to reach your objective. These need careful planning in order to plot a logical sequence.

It may well be that the steps will take varying amounts of time. This doesn't matter. What matters is that you know the next stage in your plan. It doesn't mean that you are in the equivalent of a straight jacket! However, if you want to be flexible and change the steps then go back to your overall strategy to rework your tactics.

Define your vision

A clear picture is needed of what you are offering. This is so whether you are presenting one product or a range. You must know where the limits are and confine your activities within these. Be absolutely clear when developing your vision.

Define your customers

Understand who your target customers are. A small business cannot be all things to all people. ipods sell well to teenagers but how many 70 year olds buy them? Don’t try to reach both. Enter the area you understand best.

To identify your vision and your customers undertake research which will find the right ingredients for your marketing mix

Set up

For your new business you will be creating a new product, a new service or a new angle on an existing product or service. You have identified a gap in the market which you can fill.

Once you have created your product or service you will need to look into the various ways to undertake selling

Customer retention

Part of the marketing mix is the way you look after your customers. Customers who return again and again are an essential part of any business. Looking after existing customers is easier and cheaper than finding new customers.

Promotion / Advertising

This will depend on your product, your target customer, your location. How are you going to communicate with your potential and/or existing customers?

Use your advertising to inform about your products/services. Give information on the advantages you are offering. People buy the benefits of a product or service. They want to know what it will do for them.

Decide what on your objectives and your budget. Create your message to suit the medium you will use to reach your intended customers. Depending upon your product and your budget you will need to design adverts suitable for the chosen media.Before choosing the route to take with your advertising make sure which is the most likely to reach your target. It may not appear to be the cheapest but if it reaches your target market it will be the best value for money.

A press release to suitable newspapers and magazines can be a very worthwhile project. Again you will need to research the publications and go for those who will most likely reach your target market.

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