A Written Annual Marketing Plan..Committing To

LOTS OF HARD EARNED MONEY goes out the window every year because otherwise intelligent people spend good money on bad marketing ideas. Why? Most often because he/she doesn't commit to a written plan designed to achieve his/her expressed business goals. Small business owners, in particular, often spend their days reacting to the crisis or opportunity of the moment. While that's sometimes necessary, having a solid marketing plan can increase the odds of making profitable decisions, whether under pressure or not.

An easy way to make the daunting task of writing a marketing plan more manageable is to work toward answering one key question. How will you communicate a meaningful difference about your product or service to those who might be most interested in buying it?

This question can be answered by breaking it down into five smaller questions.

1. Who is your target customer?
2. Who are your competitors?
3. What is your unique selling proposition (USP)?
4. What methods will you use to communicate your USP to your target market?
5. How will you track the results these methods produce?