For a Marketing Plan and Strategy to be successful, it needs a certain strategic foundation from which to build. This article will identify the the most important strategies and elements of an effective Marketing Plan, and how to get all these elements in balance.

Develop a Good Meme: A meme is a simple way to communicate a main idea or etymon or benefit of your business.  It is an instantly recognisable transmission of what a company is all about.  It is more than a Logo.  A Meme is representation of the Company Identity (i.e. Logo) and its Key Benefit or Advantage.  It can be a Symbol or Words.  Something that not only helps brand a Company’s Identity but helps the audience translate it instantly into the Company’s Chief Benefit or Advantage.  Memes are highly effective when used on Websites, Company letterhead, the back of a Biz Card, brochures, circulars – in other words, it needs to be in all your Marketing materials.

Theme: You need a good Theme to go with a Meme, such as “ABC Business Success Strategies”.  I use “Business Success” as the main theme for ABC Business Consulting because ultimately that is why clients hire us.  I use this theme in other areas of the business as well, such as:  “ABC Business Success Guide” or “ABC Business Success Articles” or “ABC Business Success Books”.  Both the Meme and Theme working together efficaciously identify and brand your business.  They help you standout in a mass of competitors.  Memes and Themes are only effective when they are used prolifically and consistently.

Note: Another reason we chose “ABC” Business Consulting as the company name is the company will be listed close to first in alphabetical listings and directories.  It also describes our Three Step Process to Business Success (Plan + Consult + Implement). Choose your Company Name carefully – think it through.  It should say what you do as a business and be easily remembered.  We also chose this name as it would be a good domain name for the website to effectively contend in one of the most competitory keyword areas.  Think your Company Name, Domain Name, Meme and Theme through carefully – it can be your most effective marketing element!

Branding: An accepted Brand Name = Credibility.  It builds confidence and word of mouth sales.  Credibility and confidence set you apart from the competitive pack.  A good Company Name, Theme and Meme are essential components of successful Branding.  Branding builds familiarity through repetition.  A Brand most importantly builds customer trust.  It keeps the customer and prospect thinking about your company; consistent and incessant awareness of the business and what you stand for.  Consistent Marketing creates and sustains a Brand, especially if done through many layers and platform of media.

Positioning: This is the goal of every Marketing Plan, finding that Niche.  To come up with your Niche, you need a good Marketing Plan Process.  As part of that process, you will analyze your strengths, weaknesses, the competition and the different Market Trends.  The goal is to differentiate yourself enough so your offering is unique to a niche market with little competition.  Your Market Positioning is the process of differentiating yourself through location, price, quality, product offering, services, selection, convenience, advancement and a host of other market positioning (differentiation) factors. Can you achieve a Niche that has little or no competition?  Probably not but you sure can differentiate yourself.  See how important Positioning is?

All of your Marketing Materials and Promotions should highlight your differentiation.  Give your target niche a reason to see you differently compared to the competition.  Your Market Positioning is the major key in your Company’s success.  By success, I mean high profit margins.  Differentiation = profit.

Note:  Before putting a Marketing Plan into Action, it needs to go through the Strategic Planning Process to determine what risks are associated with the Marketing Plan and if those risks have been adequately minimized through the Positioning Strategy.  Strategic Analysis helps you determine if your Marketing Plan can effectively compete in its Positioning Strategy, as well as, the other components of a Marketing Plan.  Moreover, a Strategic Plan maps out the Marketing Plan and puts it into Action with Milestones and checkpoints along the way. 

Quality:  Quality is the second biggest reason why a customer chooses a particular business (confidence being number one). Quality comes from the customer’s experience with the business and its products and services. The quality factor is what helps to separate a company from the competitive pack; it helps to drive viral and word of mouth promotion; and defines a company’s positioning niche. Service and Quality work hand in hand. It is the quality of a company’s service which keeps customers coming back time and time again, along with deriving interest from prospects. Your Marketing efforts should reflect this. Remember is you have poor quality, great service, good prices and a great selections will not make up the difference. Quality is # 1.

Location: Depending on the type of business you have, Location can be a must and be well advertised and marketed.  Physical location is becoming less important with the reliance of the internet.  Either way, whether you have a location dependent business or not, it is important to have a strong presence on the Web.  All your Marketing Materials and Programs should be built around a Web Strategy, and prospects should be able to easily find your business through the internet.  Your website should further instill confidence in the prospect to visit your business. 

Referrals: Ask for them before, during and after the sale, as well as, bi-annually thereafter.  Referrals are your best prospects and are exponential in numbers when a Referral System is effectively merged with your Marketing Strategy.  Have a Referral Program throughout your company so your Employees will be incentivized to provide them.

Testimonials: One Word, Powerful!  Your Marketing Materials should include testimonials with a picture if possible.  Your website should have video and voice testimonials.  Testimonials will close sales for you.  Use them!

Credibility: This should come across all your Marketing Materials.  The reason a prospect buys is because a bond of trust has been built, and credibility goes a long way toward building that trust.  So what makes you credible?  Publicity, Articles, Newsletters, Testimonials, Referrals, Magazine Ads.  Quality, good Service and Consistency go a long way too!  Word of mouth or viral advertising builds lots of Credibility as well.  Being involved in your Community is an excellent means of building a solid, credible reputation.  The preeminent one?  Honesty.  Be honest with your customers and your credibility (and sales) will soar!

Reputation: Very closely linked to Credibility.  A good reputation comes over time through consistent credibility.  One bad experience can add-on twenty fold or more so be sure to have a good Customer Service Program in place to support your reputation building Marketing Plan.  You earn a good reputation by doing the right things over a long period of time.  A good reputation instills Confidence in the prospect – the number one reason a prospect turns into a customer.  Doing everything right earns you a good reputation.  Not that you have to be perfect – mistakes will eternally happen.  It is what you do after a mistake happens that really determines your reputation.  The nice thing about Reputation is it doesn’t cost you a dime – just Effort!  Effort which needs to be built company wide, from the Company President down through all the employees. 

Payment Plans: Payment Plans should be built into your Marketing Strategy as it removes risk, adds credibility and builds confidence.  Use it and advertise it!

Understanding your Competitors: This is a really determinant component of a Good Marketing Strategy.  Knowing what your Competitors offer; who they target; what their customer experience is like; and how they operate are really important in segmenting Your Niche.  Learn what they are doing right and differentiate yourself on where they are failing or lacking.  Marketing Segmentation cannot be well established without knowing your Competitors.  The end result of good Competitive Analysis is establishing Competitive Advantage and carving out a Market Niche through that advantage.  Your profitableness hinges on how well you know your Competitors.

Be a Green Company: Being an environmentally friendly company can buy you earth conscious customers and support a great cause at the same time.  Customers will pay nearly 40% more to patronize an environment friendly company.  However, it is important to practice what you preach – don’t support a cause if you aren’t 100% sold or committed to it. 

About the Author

Frank Goley is a business consultant, business turnaround consultant, and business planner for ABC Business Consulting. Frank is an expert in writing, developing and implementing business plans, business turnaround plans, business funding plans, marketing plans, strategic plans and web marketing plans. Frank offers comprehensive business consulting, business coaching, business turnaround consulting, along with web seo, web development and web marketing consulting, to small and medium size companies.. Frank is author of the business plan book, The Comprehensive Business Plan Workbook – A Step by Step Guide to Effective Business Planning, and he has over 50 published articles on business success strategies. He also writes the Business Success Strategies Blog.