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October 2006 online newsletter “If you fail to plan, then you are planning to fail.” “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else.” Ever heard either of those quotes? They’re so true. In business, and in life, if you just float around aimlessly, it can be hard to find success. But who has the time? You’ve got a business to run…financials to review…clients to serve. Where do you find the time to plan a marketing strategy? It’s true that time is always a concern. But, if you want to find marketing success, you’ve got to take time to plan. We can’t emphasize enough the importance of completing a thorough and comprehensive marketing strategy to really find success for your business. But, in the meantime, there is a simple approach you can take to help get you through the present with some focus—the Three-Step Marketing Map. This is not a replacement for a good plan, but at least it satisfies the basic successful criteria of a) being written down and b) doing something positive towards a goal. Three-Step Marketing Map With just three steps and one sheet of paper to prioritize some pertinent goals and action steps, you’ll have a miniature road map to get you moving in the right direction. The Three-Step Marketing Map is based on three simple questions that will help you cut to the chase:
Just like a three-legged stool, this simple marketing practice will not stand up if you don’t tackle all three areas. Let’s examine each. What are my goals? Out of all the things you want to accomplish for your business, what are the three most important? We suggest focusing on goals that relate to your core customer because they are the lifeblood of your business. For instance, do you want to:
Pick three focus areas and set a benchmark and a timeline to achieve it. As an example, a measurable goal would be, “We want to add 10 new customers in the next two months.” What is the most important task? Now that you know what you want to accomplish, figure out the single most important task you need to do to accomplish it. It may be a one-time action or something that will be completed on an ongoing basis. Using our previous example, if your goal is to add 10 new customers in the next two months, you may decide that the most important task is creating some targeted advertising on a web site that is popular with your target audience. Be sure that in the process of completing this step, you have a good reason for choosing this task. Backing up your choice with some facts will be important as you communicate the need for this task to others within your business. Here are a few scenarios. Let’s say you go into your accounting office to request funds for that web site advertising… Scenario One Scenario Two Scenario two is the obvious choice. Remember, you have to get buy-in from your internal employees to find success. They have to understand and believe in what you’re doing, and it has to make sense for the business. So, when you choose your most important task, be sure you know why, and be able to explain to others why you have chosen it. What resources do I need? The most obvious thing that jumps to your mind with the word resources is money, isn’t it? Although that is definitely a consideration, there are many other resource issues to consider. Staff time, knowledge and abilities. Technology. Maybe even physical space. Let’s go back to our web advertising example. Do you have someone who can write and a designer who can lay out a web-appropriate ad? Do those people have the time to complete the task before the advertising deadline? Do they understand your goal and who it is you want to reach? Decide what resources are needed and where they are coming from. Do you have resources internally? Do you need to outsource? Establish a budget for each resource needed and estimate any associated costs. Remember, something is better than nothing! So think it through, write it down and get started on the road to marketing success. Even these three simple steps are better than no steps at all! corecubed can help! Maybe you’ve gone through the three steps above and realize that you don’t have the time or the expertise to complete one of your tasks. Or, maybe you know that you need to work on that comprehensive strategic plan, and you truly don’t have the time but know that it’s too important to keep putting it off. corecubed’s expert staff of marketing and public relations strategists, writers and designers can work with your team to get it done. We get to know your business and strategize solutions that will work for you. From full-blown plans to quick design projects, we can help you accomplish your marketing goals. For more information on how corecubed can assess your needs and build and implement a strategic marketing and PR plan to help you find marketing success, visit us online at www.corecubed.com, contact us at (800) 370-6580 x 1 or e-mail us at info@corecubed.com.
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