Top tips for creating a marketing plan to grow your business in 2015

Presentation by Emma Pearce

www.pearcemarketing.co.uk

Who are we?

   

Marketing Consultants – Flexible outsourced marketing service

Focus on targeted, cost-effective and measurable marketing

Marketing Foundations

A business that uses marketing properly is customer focused

   

Marketing Foundations

Customer focused means:

•knowing who your customers are

•researching their needs and preferences (what they want)

•communicating how these needs are better met by the benefits of your products and services, compared to your competitors, so that they are motivated to buy from you

   

Wasted spend…

• It’s easy to waste your marketing budget

• Many businesses have “done marketing” in the past, thought it didn’t work and become cynical… have you?

• Are you certain that the marketing was done well? Did you measure results?

 

Why have a marketing plan?

• It’s such a relief!

• Be in control of marketing

• Feel confident

• Actions are based on informed decisions – not adhoc

   

A marketing plan will enable you to have a structured, measurable and

profitable approach

 

Are you ready?

• Let’s assume that you are clear in your business strategy regarding the products/services you are offering…

• What elements should your marketing plan include?

 

 

Customer / Prospect Research

 

• When did you last ask for customers/prospects for feedback? (Focus Groups, Interviews, Telephone Calls, Surveys)

• Third party undertake research – more frank feedback

• Invaluable step for business and marketing planning

Customer / Prospect Research

 

• How did you find out about us?• Who else did you approach?• Why did you choose us ahead of anyone else?• What do you value most about the products/services we

provide?

• Do we provide anything unique?

• How could we improve?• Are there additional products/services that you would find

useful?• What is the best way to promote our services to companies like

yours?• What exhibitions do you go to? Etc.• Get new testimonials!

 GO

8 Steps

1. Confirm objectives and target audience

2. Brand check

3. Sales and marketing messages (USP’s)

4. Customer and prospect data

5. Marketing tactics – what are the most appropriate?

6. Measurement

7. Sales process and staff buy-in

8. Budget

1.Objectives & Target Audience

2. Brand Check

• Do you know what your brand is? • What do you stand for?

• Is your visual identity consistent – everywhere?

• Do you have your logo information/guidelines?

BrAnd

3. Sales & Marketing Messages

• Succinct?

• Benefit-led?

• Clearly demonstrate that you recognise problems and offer a solution to overcome them?

• Use ‘you’ and ‘your’ language?

• Unique?

4. Customer & Prospect Data

• What information do you have?

• How is it stored?

• Is it in a format that you can upload for personalised email or text marketing?

• Is the data entered consistently?

5. Marketing Tactics

What will be the most targeted and cost-effective tactics to reach your customers, prospects and referral sources?

When? Who? What message? CREATE AN ACTION PLAN

What’s your best marketing tactic?

5. Marketing Tactics

SEO

Website

Social Media

Exhibitions Networking

Telemarketing

Video

SMS

Email

Livery/ Signage

PR

Checkatrade

Ads Blogs / Content

Website

Mobile Friendly?

https://www.google.co.uk/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

Photo credit: http://www.gotechark.com/

SEO

SEO starting point

• Find out what search phrases people use to find products and services like yours and use them

• On Page Optimisation:• Page titles• Meta descriptions• H1 tags• Image alt tags (text descriptions of photos/images)• Copy

• Google Plus page – free to set up (get reviews)

• Link building/back links to your site from other web pages… one way, reputable sites

Social Media

Social Media Round-Up

• What are your objectives?

• Fully populate profiles and learn what functionality is available to you (get unique URL’s)

• Increase your audience – continuously

• Post great content – on your page and in groups• use the right tone of voice for your brand• photos, video, links to blog – ask for shares• content calendar – mix it up

• Social media advertising and analytics

Email Marketing

Email Marketing

• Do it yourself – but do it well

• Piggy-back email marketing:

• Via trade associations• Via trade magazines

 

Email Marketing

7 Steps to Success

1.Database(s) – ongoing collection/clean-up2.Plan – how, when, level of automation etc.3.Subject Line – very important4.Content – design, link to landing pages5.Test – subject lines, links, look on iphone etc.6.Deliver – 90% plus is good7.Measure – reporting, warm sales leads, act!

Back to our 8 steps

6. Measurement

1. Ask how people found you2. Use analytics – web, social media, email3. Promotional codes4. Separate phone lines5. Customer feedback

See what works… refine… repeat or stop!

Add new ideas…

Ongoing measurement…

7. Sales Process & Staff Buy-In

• Are your sales people and sales processes in fine form?

• Do you do a great job once you get an inbound lead from your marketing?

8. Budget

Exceptional Customer Service

Referrals cost nothing and are the most powerful message of all

Thanks for listening… any questions?

www.pearcemarketing.co.uk