Pure and Simple Marketing

Planning for the New Year

This post is a little long but I keep getting asked about it when I speak to audiences. I recently posted a new article on www.entrepreneur.com. In that article, I stated that there are two good times to do marketing planning. Yesterday and now. We have no control over yesterday but we do control, “now.” Many people will wait until the end of the year to plan marketing for the following year. Many will put it off until the actual next planning year starts. Regardless of your situation, your time to plan your marketing is right now. Here are the summary points to consider to get you on your way with your planning.

Marketing Planning Questions

1. What marketing worked well in 2008?

2. What marketing worked partially well in 2008?

3. What marketing did not work well or at all in 2008?

4. Are there any standout reasons for #3 above? #1 above?

5. Define current target market (s).

6. Did 2008 customers fit the current target market definition / goal?

7. What new markets will be targeted in 2009?

a. Geography?

b. Product oriented users / targets?

c. Income / demographics?

8. Revise target market definitions based on No. 7 above.

9. What are the current message components for the target markets?

a. Headlines

b. Benefits

c. Offers

d. Calls to action

e. Other

10. What message components need enhanced, concentrated and revised?

11. What new messaging will be used in 2009 marketing?

12. Based on message delivery and the markets targeted, what marketing vehicles will be used in 2009?

a. Repeat of 2008 marketing vehicles?

b. New marketing vehicles for 2009?

13. What would be the desired frequency of each vehicle / campaign?

14. Based on #12 above and frequency, what costs will be budgeted for 2009?

a. Per vehicle?

b. Per Target Market?

c. Per period of time?

15. Budget revision – after analyzing total costs and desired frequency, what will be the adjusted marketing vehicle use (ad size, designs, printing configurations, etc.)?

16. Given all of the above, lay out the marketing initiatives / marketing activity (X) on a timeline (Y) using a simple spread sheet.

I'm Not Promoting This But It Is a Guerrilla Marketing Example

I was going under a highway overpass the other day and up on top were two people holding a big banner that said, "Google Ron Paul". His campaign is using all kinds of Guerrilla Marketing. Googling him provides all kinds of information on him to help you decide your vote.

Just to show you that I am not promoting him by no means I will state here to "google Rudy Guiliani", Google "John McCain" and Google "Mitt Romney". I could list Huckabee, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barak Obama and others but you get the point.  I just like the Guerrilla Marketing example and wanted to share it with you; a true example of low and no cost marketing which is what I like to speak about with associations, franchises, chambers, and any other group that wants to grow a business or organization without spending an arm and a leg on marketing. Happy Marketing !

Bob Dylan is Helping me to Market

I have just partnered with Bob Dylan to help me market my speaking business. Whether it is the Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days presentation, my Super Bowl commercials presentation or a presentation on Direct Marketing, this marketing works. It's short and sweet, creative and for Bob Dylan's sake, very viral. It's pure and simple marketing! Take a look at what we have come up with:

http://tinyurl.com/2dk6um

10 Marketing Tactics Under $10

This article was written for the online site of Entrepreneur Magazine and can be viewed there. I will include the link for the article.

http://tinyurl.com/36tlha

Sometimes it only takes a few dollars to make a marketing idea go a long way. If you're looking for some new ideas, here are a few to consider. If one of these works, do it again. If it works a little, fix it or adjust it, and then do it again. If it doesn't work, just try another one of these low-cost ideas. What do you have to lose when your tactic costs just $10?