Marketing means conveying the right message to the right audience,
through the right methods and the right channels, in an efficient,
effective and profitable way. Behind this definition lie all the
necessary components of a solid marketing plan. In order to build an
effective marketing plan, you need to know what message you want to
convey, which audience to address and how to get that message across to
that audience.
However simple this definition may appear on paper,
in practice, nothing can be taken for granted. It could be said that
these three components act as a support grid, a framework upon which to
build our communication. The analysis allows you to choose the most
suitable means by which to address the target audience. The ultimate aim
of any marketing activity is to lead a potential customer to take the
initiative, firstly to become a customer and then later to evolve into a
loyal customer.
For some businesses, it will be more
effective to stimulate sales with good discounts, for others with a
direct phone call, and for others, through specifically targeted emails,
prepared down to the last detail.
Marketing nowadays is very different from the way it was in the 1990s, when Dan Kennedy published the first edition of The Ultimate Marketing Plan.
The rise of social media, for example, has provided a new tool which
can generate real results. However, it is, after all, just another tool,
whereas the ultimate goal has not changed.
Marketing is about
pushing something, be it a product or a service, so that the public is
aware of its existence. According to Dan Kennedy, the starting point
consists of 5 preliminary questions, whose answers provide a clear
context in which to develop our plan of action.
The first question is: have you built your marketing around the most powerful, intriguing, fascinating message?
The second: have you defined your target well? Can you describe your customer, in detail?
Third: Are you considering the right media to get your message across to your audience?
The fourth: can you be as effective as you are efficient?
The fifth: are you calculating your ROI on investments made, or are you just guessing?
These
questions are used to set up a definitive marketing plan. Once the
message has been identified, the target audience is assessed. Too large
an audience will bring unpredictable results, whereas a select and
specific audience will bring clearer results.
Once the message and
the target have been established, we move on to the research and
analysis of the most effective channel for communicating that precise
message to that specific audience. In fact, each media has its own
specification and finding the right one is part of the right strategy as
are the workings of the right ROI. Each marketing activity must
generate a measurable return on investment, which is based on a series
of mathematical calculations. The transition from theory to practice
breaks the creative spectrum wide open, to now include how to give
proposition form and how to put it into words.
A good marketing plan is the result of a lot of analysis, plenty of experience and of course, creativity.
