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date added: 2007-07-15 23:10:02 | modified: 2010-03-04 23:40:34

marketing |

Advertising

Planning a campaign for a new business, product, or service involves:

Information

Who is your target market and what do they need and want? Why? How do they want it? Who is your competition and what would it take to get the business?

Thought

Get into your customer's head and really understand their buying process. Don't get in your own way. You may be the expert about your product, but only the customer knows if the product is timely. Listen to them and be willing to change.

Experience

If you don't have experience with the industry, product, or target market you're advertising to, find someone who does and ask their advice. When you hit on something that works, keep doing it. You may get bored, but don't quit till your customer gets bored.

Imagination

Open your mind - there's no sense re-inventing the wheel, but don't miss a new concept that's staring you right in the face. And don't miss the signs of a changing market - DO NOT bury your head in the sand. Understand which elements of your business or product need to be ready to change when your market changes. Your imagination will help you see new opportunities and be prepared for change. Use it!

Implementation

When it comes right down to it many of us don't follow through on a good marketing plan. Why? We weren't realistic in our planning and when it came time to implement we didn't have the resources we needed. Or, somewhere in the process of implementation we forgot our motivation and dropped the project. It seemed like a great idea at the time, but maybe not. If this happens then the plan wasn't on target. Experience will help in developing a plan that is timely, works with a realistic budget, is based on a true understanding of the market, and deserves follow through.

Tracking

Tracking your campaign is AS IMPORTANT as the campaign itself. If the cash register starts to ring, counting the money is a method of tracking, but more than likely you'll need other tools! Collect as much data as possible to find out why they do or don't buy.

marketing

Strategy