Your Marketing Plan for 2005
February 2005, Vol. 1.1

Click here to for the Project Spotlight

Your Marketing Plan for 2005: Look at all the Options and Possibilities

Now is the perfect time to consider putting together a marketing plan for your business, regardless of whether your business is seasonal or has a business cycle that does not follow the calendar year. If you've never done it before, the task may seem intimidating at first. There are a wealth of books and websites that spell out specific guidelines for developing a marketing plan. But before you engage in that undertaking, take some time out - brainstorm some creative ideas, research, research, and do more research, and consult with professionals who can help you achieve your goals.

Remember that marketing can take many different forms, and the effectiveness of your marketing efforts depends on an integrated approach. In other words, you can use several different marketing vehicles to reinforce your message and go after your prospects. If you have a "brick and mortar" store, consider the possibility of setting up an online store to generate additional revenue. An EBay store or a Yahoo shop are great ways to get started and test the waters before you graduate to your own e-commerce site. If you have an online business, think about ways in which you can take advantage of traditional marketing vehicles to drive traffic to you site-- print advertising, tradeshows, direct mail, and coupons for example. If you have a service to offer, evaluate how well you've done in the past with relationship marketing. Are there networking events that you'd like to target for 2005? The list goes on and on. If you've had moderate success with one approach, imagine how that might be magnified if you were to integrate your marketing campaign and take advantage of the many different vehicles available to you.

Before conceiving your marketing plan for the new year, spend some time considering the following:

1. What are your business goals for the new year? (Include revenue goals, growth projections, personal goals, changes in direction, expansion of your market or of your offerings, etc.)
2. What is your target market? Are there any potential new markets for your products and services?
3. What is your strategy for finding customers who provide you with repeat business? Think about ways in which you can get them to keep coming back.
4. Are there ways in which you can enhance or expand your current products or services?
5. Do you know what your competitors are doing - especially the successful ones?
6. How can you weave in new marketing strategies to reinforce strategies that have brought you success in the past? For example, does your print advertising support your Internet marketing and vice versa?
7. What is your marketing budget for the new year? View every cent spent on marketing as an investment in yourself and your business.
8. Have you identified your marketing resources and alliances? These might include marketing consultants and designers, organizations like your local chamber of commerce, business organizations, websites such as portals, communities, blogs and newsgroups, creative or special interest groups, etc.
9. Have you identified new networking opportunities for your business? It might be worthwhile to take a calculated risk - attend a seminar about search engine optimization, sign up for networking groups on the Internet, contribute your time and services for charitable causes, etc.
10. Is there a better, more effective way to position your business? Does your current messaging and branding put into a very narrow niche, or does it seem too vague and all-encompassing? Take time to refine your identity and your elevator pitch so that it's obvious to everyone what you're all about.
11. Are you open to learning about new ways to market your business or about new technologies that might make your marketing more efficient and effective?

Remember, when it comes to marketing your business, take in all of possibilities. You might surprise yourself!

Take a look at some of the websites and articles below to get the creative juices flowing.

• The 7 Commandments of Marketing
  by Michele Schermerhorn (Courtesy of http://hombyz.com)
• Marketing Sherpa
• How to Write a Marketing Plan
  by Amelia Kassel
• Website Marketing Plan
• Write a Simple Marketing Plan
  by Kim T. Gordon

back to afresh

Project Spotlight: Algalita Marine Research Foundation
URL: www.algalita.org

Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF), a Long Beach, California based non-profit environmental organization, is dedicated to the preservation of the marine environment. AMRF's main activities include research, education and restoration of the marine environment. AMRF has been a long-term client of ours, and we've been privileged to be a close partner that has assisted them in their growth and evolution.

This year, AMRF has several goals in mind, including growing their membership, recruiting more active volunteers, educating the community about their mission, and fundraising. The organization hired us to give their website a more accessible and professional look. Using a palette that shimmers with the colors of the ocean, we reorganized AMRF's site to make it easy to navigate and created a visually appealing image for the non-profit. Site visitors can learn about the organization in depth by reading about the many initiatives AMRF has launched or by purchasing one of their informative, professionally produced videos, or they can download a QuickTime version of the videos for free - either abbreviated versions or, in some cases, the complete film. Visitors can immediately sign up to become a member or volunteer through the online forms that we developed. Newsletters and an online event calendar keep repeat visitors up to date about AMRF's events and recent news. To enable Algalita to keep their own calendar up to date - we built an easy-to-use online publishing tool.

"The professional look of our website has been a tremendous asset to our organization."

- Marieta Francis,
Operations Manager,
Algalita Marine Foundation

back to afresh