The key to successful marketing starts with a plan.

By Sandy Barragan, One Step Services Senior Marketing Consultant

Not just anyone is capable of owning a business, it takes desire, persistence and a passion for what you do to be successful.  You have to believe in the product or service you offer and you have to take the right steps to make believers out of others.  Ask any business person how they started out and most, if not all, will tell you that they began with an idea and evolved it into a plan that made it viable.  That is precisely the same course that has to be taken when determining how to increase your sales and attract more customers to your doorstep.

A good marketing plan has several components, the most important of which should be the objective.  What is it that you are trying to achieve?  Are you interested in promoting a special sale, do you need to establish credibility in a particular service market or are you trying to entice repeat business from past clients?  You’ve got to know your destination before you embark on this journey.  No matter what your objective, make sure that you communicate it effectively to the people you hire to help you develop your marketing strategy, it will make all the difference in the end results.

The second critical factor is your budget.  If you are a small business that needs to get more advertising materials out into the marketplace for the least amount of money, the pieces you choose to send will be different than a company with an unlimited budget to pull from.  There is nothing wrong with starting small and growing your marketing list over time so long as you are doing effective advertising that is resulting in new customers.  Setting a limit on the type and amount of marketing that you can afford, and afford to sustain, will ensure a greater return on your investment than taking a lump sum of money and spending it all before the impact can be truly felt. 

Another key to success is your message.  If you plan on competing against other established businesses in your field, then you need to decide what the single most important factor is that sets you apart from them.  Do you offer more customer service to your clients?  Do you have more attractive pricing?  Can you be flexible in your office hours or scheduling to accommodate customers in need of that?  Do you appeal to a different class of clientele than your competitor?  Whatever the answer is, that is the message you need to repeat in every area of your marketing efforts.  Customers respond to words that speak to them, and they respond more often when those same words are repeated over and over again.

The final step is deciding the image you want for your business.  No matter what you sell, your marketing has to come across as genuine and reflective of who you are.  If upscale and classy matches the product and service you offer, then the pieces you put out need to embody that image.  If your business caters to specific service industries, then tailor the marketing to an image they can relate to easily.   We once had a client come in that sold medical equipment to elderly people. Although he knew who his target audience was, he came to us with some advertising he had done that portrayed a sterile, unemotional list of photos and descriptions of the available products.  We quickly learned that his efforts had been fruitless and he wanted our advice on how to change his approach.  Within two weeks, we revamped his image, created brochures, handouts and direct mail pieces that showcased lively, happy seniors able to live better lives with the use of his products and, not surprisingly, his company’s sales skyrocketed.  Image, message and emotion are what create interest...no matter what your business offers.

Every invention was

born from the

same thing: an idea.

But an idea alone

will not be successful

without a plan

to make it shine bright.

Before you begin

to market yourself,

invest the time in

formulating a strategy

that will overcome

your competition.