Why bother with a marketing strategy and plan?

Why not just jump in and go ahead with that new service or product? Why waste time strategising, thinking, and planning? In this blog, Pinpoint Marketing will show you why it is a good thing to press pause.

Put simply, having a strategy and plan can help you save money, time, and resources in the long run, and these 3 things are scarce and vital for any small business owner to preserve. Without a marketing plan, you may well find as a business, you are wasting time and money, and you will find your lead gen and marketing a lot harder to do.

So, let me explain why, and how.

What is a marketing strategy?

Let’s go back to the beginning.

There are 5 steps or aspects of a strategy, and these are:

1. Objective Setting – setting goals and knowing your why (including competitor analysis, keyword review, market research, website review, social media profiles review, and SMART goal setting)

2. Defining the messaging – the wording used to attract your audience and understand your niche/USP

3. Pinpointing a strategy – this is the blue sky thinking you before the doing/the implementation

4. Refining the target audience – your ideal client avatar, plus your prospects, leads, and then your customers (niching).

5. Developing the tactics – what marketing channels to use to reach your audience with your messaging

What is in a marketing plan?

1.?Implementing the plan – this section is split into 3 phases along with outline budgets.? Phase 1, the foundations. Phase 2, the one-off campaign and 90-day marketing activity. And phase 3, a 30-day mini marketing plan

2.?Measuring and evaluation – knowing the results, then the ROI to achieve consistency and measuring

Why do you need both a strategy and plan?

Marketing strategies lay the foundations and build up the basics of who you want to target, with what message, and how. Marketing plans cover the two main mistakes we see businesses make: a lack of consistency and a lack of measurement.

Together, these provide a winning combination and a great start to your marketing. Why?

Drive business and revenue growth and achieve your marketing objectives with a marketing strategy, tactical plan, and marketing roadmap. Plus, build your brand and credibility too.

In Pinpoint Marketing’s opinion, growth is all down to planning. As a business owner, you need to know your strategy. Then you can start to write and create your marketing plan. Marketing shouldn’t be seen as a tick-box exercise, and it is important to know your business why, and the purpose of your marketing. Pinpoint feels the majority of your successes will be down to careful planning, therefore giving your business time and attention via such a plan is the way forward.

What are the benefits of a marketing strategy and plan?

? Get excited by and invest in your marketing

? Get the desired outcomes and ROI

? Get some help and support

? Stop going from one idea to another – be consistent!

? Start being professional with your marketing

A solid marketing plan can aid lead generation which can also flow into sales by building a pipeline or flow of prospects to nurture, sell to, and convert. Gone are the days when leads came to us, so proactive marketing and proactive selling are key in today’s business market.

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Marketing isn’t a one off activity

Marketing isn’t a one-off thing. It isn’t a tick box, and it isn’t a case of just or simple or easy to do. Nor is it a magic pill, quick or something to be done ad hoc, when you have a minute or when business goes quiet. Marketing does work and will bring you results and an ROI with a well-worked combination of hard work, commitment, time, multi-channels, a plan, expertise, and a method. We know this because this is how we work and how we serve our clients.

Marketing can help you and your business long-term, and it can be done by demonstrating product value, strengthening brand loyalty and increasing sales. Most people assume that marketing is a one-off thing but as you can read above it isn’t a one-off thing it can help you long term and allow your business to grow further.

Nicole Martin

PinPoint Marketing