It is not enough to produce goods, deliver them to stores and wait for the moment when consumers themselves begin to buy and talk about the product. In modern conditions, when every area is overflowing with competitors, you need to literally fight for each client. The tools of this war are marketing knowledge and skillful planning.
Goals and marketing plan development
If a business is to be successful, it must move twice as fast as the rest. Something like this says the experience of successful people in the business world. Another rule is to think on paper: in diagrams, numbers, and most importantly, in terms.
Given the fact that the main driving force of all company activities is the process of selling their goods or services, the marketing plan is perhaps the most important strategic document. It will clearly reflect the current position of the company, the goal and the means to achieve it. Once the document has been approved by management, it should be made available to other departments with direct orindirectly related to the strategic activities of the company.
The marketing plan is divided into two types by terms: short-term - from 6 months to 1 year, and long-term - from 3 to 5 years. Depending on external factors, small changes can be made during the implementation of the goal, but without concessions and changes in the planned plan.
How to compose?
The marketing plan should give a detailed description of potential customers, where they can see the product and how they decide to make a purchase. Before you start making a plan, you should answer the following questions and clearly define the boundaries at the current moment, since this information forms the basis of the plan.
- Strategy: what role will the plan play in the context of overall business processes?
- Mission: what is to be done and for what purpose?
- Target Audience: Who are the marketing efforts aimed at?
- Competitor analysis: who are the competitors and who has what advantages?
- Unique Product Proposition: What makes it different from the competition?
- Price Factor: What does the consumer get for their money?
- Promotion plan: how will the target audience find out about the company?
- Budget: how much do you need and how much to eat?
- List of actions: what should be done and in what order?
- Analysis of results: what can be improved, what can be discarded and what can be left as is?
Answering these critical questions will help clarify the way forwardactions. Now we should consider each item separately.
Strategy
The marketing strategy plan should reflect the main vector of the company's movement, and the remaining parts will tell you how to do it. Suppose an entrepreneur is interested in expanding the network of retail stores selling building materials and wants to win the location of customers in new regions. Then the goals of the marketing plan will be to introduce your product to a new market segment. At the next stage, the strategy is divided into short-term and long-term measures.
It is also important to be able to distinguish between two important concepts that often appear as a description of a single action: a marketing plan and a strategy. The difference is that the first term describes a list of actions, while the second describes how to implement them.
Mission
It is generally accepted that the formation of the mission and dissemination of the idea is characteristic of large corporations that have achieved a certain level of fame in their field. That was the case until recently. New trends in the business world encourage business with social components: a company can simultaneously conduct commercial activities and carry an idea from the field of universal values. To this end, companies hold whole events to emphasize their own solidarity with the opinion of the majority: charity exhibitions and other public events.
But successful businessmen are distinguished by the fact that they find non-standard solutions. mission canuse as a marketing tool. It is possible that a marketing plan of this nature will require additional investments in organizing and holding events, but in the end it can serve as a good promotion tool.
Target Audience
At this stage, you will have to answer the question: who are the people who will help the business achieve its goals? The target audience is the segment in society to which advertising should be addressed and which may become real customers in the future.
The company's marketing plan begins with the creation of a psychological and social portrait of the target audience. This is where marketing research comes in handy. They can be found ready-made or ordered from specialized companies. You can also do it yourself. To do this, you need to objectively answer a number of questions:
- Who are the potential customers?
- Where can I find them?
- What is important to them?
- What problems do they have?
- How will this product help them solve their problems?
It is necessary to create a sketch of the "ideal client" and build further stages with an eye on it. This will help personalize your marketing messages as much as possible.
Competitors
When developing a marketing plan, you need to study competitors in detail, their approach and product promotion systems. At the same time, we must not forget that there is a business ethic when rough copying of competitors' materials, open competition andbelittling their product through their promotional materials. In some countries, this aspect is controlled by special laws.
Information obtained during the analysis of competitors is subject to careful analysis, but not used in their campaigns. Looking at other companies' marketing plan examples, at this stage they answer the following questions:
- Strengths of competitors: how do they attract customers?
- What additional services do they provide?
- How does the “ideal client” perceive them?
- What can they improve in their work?
- What does your plan look like compared to their actions?
The purpose of this stage is to compare and objectively evaluate your own capabilities. After the conclusions are made, it is necessary to prepare a plan that allows you to get ahead of them according to certain criteria.
USP - Unique Selling Proposition
USP must be implemented in the form of a specific product or service that is fundamentally different from competitors' offerings. If there is no such proposal, then the marketing plan of the enterprise has the right to propose the creation of such a product.
But professional marketers know how to isolate the USP from the most ordinary product. Two points that have already become known at the previous stages are used as an information base: what problems the client has and how and how this product can help in this.
Examples
How to successfully compose a USP? Here it is appropriate to recall an advertisement for M&M`s chocolates. She isattracted attention by the fact that the inscription appeared on the wrappers: “It melts in your mouth, not in your hands!” Obviously, during the process of developing the USP, specialists noted the concern of buyers when chocolates can get their hands dirty, and offered a solution.
Another example is Domino's pizza, whose motto is "Wait 30 minutes or get it free!" Here, the specialists simply put themselves in the place of the customer: what is he currently experiencing? Of course, hunger. Every minute of waiting is very hard for a hungry person. Marketers have shown human understanding, and this has had its effects.
Price Factor
At this stage, competitors' prices and own prices are considered. In the pricing process, the marketing part is taken into account only indirectly, since it is influenced by completely different factors: the cost of raw materials, technology, labor, transportation, and expected profit.
But in the end, the price factor can have a significant impact on sales. It all depends on the type of product. There are goods, the price of which cannot be low under any circumstances. They usually fall into the category of luxury: diamonds, cars, etc. In this area, there is no point in betting on low prices.
You can bet on the price factor when it comes to selling clothes, gadgets, appliances or furniture. Here it is necessary to take into account that the consumer regards the product in terms of value for money.
Events
Events are classified as short-term promotionalcampaigns. Excellent results can be expected if the idea of the event is combined with a socially significant event and the company's own mission. As a rule, you need to prepare for such events well in advance.
Examples: tree planting campaign on Environment Day, flash mobs or entertainment events on Children's Day, etc. Before the event, it would be a good idea to send out a press release to local media and get their attention. If the idea finds a general response, then the company will receive media coverage and advertising in its context.
A marketing research plan will help you identify successful ideas and ways to pitch these events.
Budget
How much money will it cost to implement an extensive marketing campaign that can reach the entire target audience? The budget must be laid down for several months in advance.
When planning a budget, there are two options: a solid budget that allows you to buy the best advertising sites or a small budget that you need to squeeze the most out of.
In the second case, you should review the selected sites and advertising channels. Expensive channels are eliminated and more accessible ones are left. Another option is to reduce the volume of advertising with the same number.
It is also necessary to determine what is profitable: to have your own marketer on staff with the skills of a designer, copywriter and video editor, or to order materials from advertising agencies. In general, the budget of the marketing plan in the business plan should be one of the priorities.
Listaction
At this stage, you need to draw up a plan of action. In particular, on which sites the advertisement will be placed. Lots of options.
- Print advertising: specialized catalogs and magazines.
- TV advertising: commercials or banner ads.
- Websites.
- Contextual advertising.
- Targeted advertising in social networks.
- Holding exhibitions and celebrations.
- Distribution by mail or phone.
- PR materials and distribution.
Not many companies can handle all channels at once. A sample marketing plan should choose the most suitable options from this arsenal and proceed with the placement. At the initial stage, it is enough to identify 3-5 channels and work with them.
Analysis of results
The role of the work done in business development can only be assessed through continuous analysis. If you do not analyze the results, then we can assume that the resources were thrown to the wind.
After each event, the marketing department must compile statistics that will reflect the main information: the number of people involved, their opinion, the impact of the campaign on sales and the company's image.
Not all campaigns will be equally effective: some will have to be discarded, others will need to be adjusted and included in the action plan for the next period. To evaluate the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, their specific tools are used, including research.
In any case, successful campaigns should be emphasized and expandedbudget, ineffective ones are postponed until better times or thrown out of the plan.
Conclusion
Trends in the business world change frequently. Including in Russia. At the stage of formation of the private production and trade sector, the presence of demand was relevant earlier. But today, almost all industries are in a highly competitive environment. The new player will have to make his own way into the hearts and wallets of consumers in order to win his place.
Starting a business, every entrepreneur must clearly understand the conditions in which they will have to work and what paths can lead to the growth of the company. An objectively drawn up business plan, in which marketing strategies are carefully developed, will give a clear idea of \u200b\u200bwhere to go and how to go about it. And already at the planning stage, you can see the prospects: are there any chances in a particular industry, or is there no point in wasting time and money.
Given the fact that marketing is a separate branch of economic sciences and requires special knowledge, it is recommended to involve professional specialists in the process. They will help you see your strengths and weaknesses. If mistakes are made, alternative paths will be suggested.
