Developing A Marketing Plan Can be this simple – 4 Simple Steps...

Phillip Kotler and Kelvin Lane Keller once described marketing planning as “the process consisting of analyzing marketing opportunities; selecting target market; designing marketing strategies; developing marketing programs and managing marketing efforts”.?These call for some quality work being done – understand the key players in the market, interrogate what you know about the market and follow a simple planning process.

?At the centre of it all is your marketing strategy. A good strategy will emerge from answering the questions below. ?Your answers will determine the quality of the marketing plan and winning strategies you will develop:

• Who are our customers?
• How can we serve them better?
• What is our value proposition?

Here are the 4 simple steps to developing a simple, functional, and effective marketing plan.

Stage 1: Understand the Market:

The market consists of:

• Company – your business
• Customer/ Client – those you are called to serve
• Competitors – others offering similar solutions.
• Collaborators – partners and facilitators
• Context / Climate – how business is done in the industry.

Stage 2: The Message:

• Great brands are characterized by their ability to communicate. Your clients want you to engage them, communicate with them, add value to their business, solve their problems and create opportunities for them.

Stage 3: Infrastructure/ Platforms:

• Build communication platforms that will deliver effective and efficient reach. It is about quality management.
• The platforms you choose will depend on your business objectives and this will in turn inform your channel mix.

Stage 4: Measurement/ Control

• Anything you cannot measure is not worth doing. Your marketing activities or programs must be measured and evaluated regularly. Your objectives must be clear and your strategies to achieve them must be focused and properly aligned with the vision of your business.
• Finally, execute excellently and ensure there are adequate controls.

These simple steps work. We have applied the same severally and the results have been great. We have designed and executed co-branding initiatives for Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) and developed/executed business enhancement training programs for several leading brands in Nigeria.

The organizations we have worked with include MTN Communications Nigeria Limited, Coca Cola, Hellenic, Nigeria Bottling Company (NBC), First City Monument Bank, Haier Thermocool – Coolworld, Zaron Cosmetics Group, Healthgarde International Limited, Choice Dental, Extreme Mutual Techniques Limited, and a couple of other growing businesses.

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