Marketing Plan

So you've gotten your business going. You have a customer or two. The phone is ringing a little. For any business to grow and prosper long-term, it needs a solid foundation -- and that includes a marketing plan. So how can a marketing plan help your small business? A marketing plan is a road map detailing the route you'll take to get your business noticed by potential … [Read more...] about How a Marketing Plan Can Help Your Small Business

When developing or updating a marketing plan, knowing where to start is often a challenge. To better develop effective marketing strategies, begin by gathering information about both your business and the larger business environment (competition, trends, statistics, etc.). Internally, the amount of information you gather about your own business will depend on your company … [Read more...] about How to Get Started on Your Marketing Plan

For those new to marketing planning, the thought of completing a marketing plan from start to finish may feel daunting. It need not. The level of detail you choose to include in your marketing plan will depend on your resources and situation. If you have extremely limited manpower or other resources, you may be constrained to a "broad brush" approach. If your plan must support … [Read more...] about What to Include in Your Marketing Plan

"If you don't know where you're going any road will take you there." This old proverb makes a lot of sense. The best way to conserve resources and optimize results in any endeavor is to set a goal and then follow a well-researched and carefully plotted route to get there. This is especially true for small business marketers who have limited budgets to create marketing … [Read more...] about How to Plan Your Marketing Process

… [Read more...] about Four Essential Marketing Plan Components

A home-based entrepreneur is faced with unique challenges to overcome. Foremost of these is the negative stereotype that potential customers may have on home-based businesses. Many people still look at home-based businesses as part-time or temporary employment, makeshift operations run from the garage, or worse, not "real" businesses. In order to overcome these … [Read more...] about How to Create a Marketing Plan

There is one vital tool that stands between success and failure with your business: the marketing plan. Many businesses blindly grope their way to sales while others strategically locate their buyers. It isn't hard to see which will work better. The plan of marketing your business is far more powerful than it seems. It leads you in a definite direction backed with specific … [Read more...] about How to Create an Effective Marketing Plan

Building a business that grows steadily in size and profits is like building your dream house. First, you identify what kind of home you want, then you and your architect plan and create blueprints for your house, then you'd build it, move in and enjoy it. Now imagine that you didn't have the time to plan your home but went ahead and hired a builder to get started. How would … [Read more...] about What is a Marketing Plan?