Having a plan helps you clarify your thinking around the following areas.
• What products and services do you currently offer and will you change any of these products or services in the coming year?
• Who are your current clients and customers and what new target markets would you like to reach in the coming year?
• Can you describe your USP (sometimes known as a Customer Value Proposition or CVP) without ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’? In other words, what differentiates you from your competitors?
• Do you have a distinctive brand which runs consistently through your marketing material and all your processes, such as the way your staff answer the phone?
• What are your values and beliefs? Is your business in line with your values or beliefs?
• What marketing tools have been successful for you in the past and what marketing tools will you use this year?
• What’s your budget for your marketing this year?
• What deadlines are you going to set for achieving your business goals?
If you don’t have a business and marketing plan, take time out to write one. There’s a chapter in Promote Your Business on writing a marketing plan and plenty of websites offer templates. If you do have a business and marketing plan, pull it out and re-evaluate it. A lot of your plan may still be relevant each time you look at it, but you’ll have to fine-tune it and re-set your goals and objectives from time to time.
Related posts: