Marketing may be second-nature in large companies, but smaller firms often have a tough time implementing, managing, and monitoring an effective marketing strategy. The 'marketing director' title is often conferred on the person designated to answer requests for sales literature, or given as an afterthought to the sales manager (who thinks that marketing is just another way of spelling s-a-l-e-s).
As a well-defined function permeating a business, marketing is generally nonexistent. No comprehensive plan, program, or road map exists to guide, direct, or measure marketing results. There's no consistent, purposeful commitment to communicating with customers or cultivating prospects. If marketing is the engine that powers the process of gaining and retaining customers-the force that positions a firm as the company of choice-then it deserves to be the focus of energy and activity.
Although management generally acknowledges the role of marketing and recognizes its benefits, the development and implementation of a marketing program are often lost amid daily business activity.
A successful marketing program is the direct result of the commitment and close attention of other company operations. It requires three distinct steps.
1. Getting With The Goals
Establishing goals and objectives for a particular period of time, perhaps 12 months, is the first step. Be realistic. Identify what you want to accomplish in terms of what can be achieved. Is the task to increase the visibility of the company in the marketplace? To differentiate the company, product, or service from that of competitors? To improve the sales of a particular product or service? To generate qualified leads or gain a larger market share? To increase sales with existing customers? To retain customers? Be specific in your goal. Avoid such phrases as 'We want more business' or 'We want to increase sales.'
The purpose of asking questions is to help clarify marketing goals and objectives. An initial list may contain six or eight goals, although one or two are preferable, to keep the marketing effort highly focused. Revise the list until the key objectives emerge and gain the support of management.
2. Designing the Plan
Once the goals are established and everyone knows what is to be accomplished, you're ready to move into the next phase. This involves selecting the specific tactics or activities required to meet the objectives.
A marketing plan will include three types of marketing activities: self-promotion, media relations, and advertising.
- Self-promotion. Every business has an obligation to tell its own story in a way that best communicates its message. This self-promotion involves the use of specific techniques. The options are endless, but here are some basic self-promotion tactics:
- company newsletters
- direct mail
- special events, seminars
- trade show exhibits
- capabilities brochures
- collateral materials
- Internet use
If a newsletter is to be developed, the issues of size, design, content, style, frequency, and distribution all combine to create an effective communications experience for the reader. Serious thought must go into developing a comprehensive database. The same is true for brochures and direct mail pieces.
The Internet offers unusual opportunities for telling a company's story and identifying prospective customers. Unfortunately, too many companies have yet to learn that either a Web site or Web advertising must hold the user's interest. These tools should contribute to reaching the goals and objectives in a highly disciplined, consistent approach so that the focus is always on the customer or prospect.
Corporate identity, an essential element in self-promotion, deserves careful attention. How satisfied a company is with its logo, letterhead, business cards, product graphics, or newsletter design is irrelevant. Customers are the final arbiters when it comes to corporate identity. How a company presents itself influences how it's perceived in the marketplace. Start by asking, 'Does the way we look send the right message?'
Managing self-promotion is far from easy. Every marketing plan will call for a series of activities.
- Media relations. The second marketing activity in a comprehensive, integrated marketing plan is media relations. Many companies fail to grasp the power of the press. 'Why would the press be interested in us?' is a common question. They also say, 'All they want to do is make us look bad.' This paranoia about the press is common in the business community, and the result is that many of us avoid a powerful force for communicating our message.
The media relations task is to help editors, writers, and reporters become interested in a company, what it's doing, and its products or services. One does this by learning the editors' needs rather than telling them what you want published. Determining ways to fit into their plans involves investigating what they're working on in advance and then developing articles and story ideas to fit those subjects.
Hidden beneath the surface of every company are great news stories. Every company has distinct knowledge, expertise, and information that can be useful to editors. However, it often takes a trained eye to discover, develop, and market them to the media.
Every day we read news articles that quote 'experts.' This isn't accidental. Someone has taken the time and effort to acquaint reporters and editors with information about reliable, knowledgeable sources of information.
Bylined articles (pieces that bear the author's name) offer unlimited opportunities for companies to demonstrate their expertise through the pages of trade, business, and consumer publications. Bylined articles increase a company's credibility and position its key personnel as experienced in a particular field.
The Robert Half employment organization crafts surveys and distributes the results to hundreds of publications. Published references are found in a broad cross-section of newspapers and magazines.
A regular flow of basic news releases noting new hires, personnel promotions, new products, achievements, seminar and trade show attendance, charitable efforts, awards, and dozens of other less-than-world-shaking occurrences make an impact for the company over time. Yet most companies fail to take advantage of the opportunities to shape the way they're perceived.
Media relationships takes time. There's no instant payoff. But a continuing effort reaps unprecedented results in establishing a company in a position of marketplace leadership.
- Advertising. No marketing program is complete without an advertising component. To set the record straight at the outset, those who say 'Advertising doesn't work' don't understand it.
Good ads strategically placed over a proper period of time can make a significant impact. The problem is not with advertising but with expecting ads to be a magic bullet that will produce extraordinary results and solve all marketing problems.
Criticisms of advertising usually indicate that the overall marketing program is ineffective. Too many businesses rely only on advertising to communicate their message rather than integrating an ad campaign into a total marketing design. The major task in developing effective advertising is to make sure the ads reflect the specific marketing goals and objectives.
The degree at which one should emphasize the various components of the whole marketing pie-self-promotion, media relations, and advertising-will depend on your goals. As changes occur and new issues arise, the time and resources devoted to each should be adjusted.
An effective marketing program demands that all elements be woven together for maximum impact. Shortcuts don't work. Eliminating one item or cutting back on another will only cause a program to fail-and usually give someone a reason for saying, 'Marketing is a waste of money. Let's hire more salespeople.'
3. Implementing the Program
The third step is to get moving. The implementation phase involves two questions: 'What's the budget?' and 'Who is going to do what to whom?' (Or, as a wise man once said, 'Who's going to make the coffee?')
Budget questions take priority. How much should be spent on marketing? There are several possible answers. The traditional approach is a percentage of anticipated annual sales. A more appropriate answer is to measure the budget against what must be accomplished. Does the budget reflect the original goals and objectives? If the object is to increase market share, that will require more money. If the task is to maintain your current presence in the marketplace, the costs will be lower. What geography is involved-national, regional, or local? This factor alone can influence a budget significantly. Marketing costs money; you can't reach the moon by using a slingshot!
Other vital issues during implementation include setting standards, maintaining objectivity, and staying on track. There's no substitute for high quality. But who's to judge? A company's receptionist may have a greater sensitivity to quality than the sales manager. Just getting something done and out the door isn't good enough today. Customers recognize quality (and anything less). It's essential to make certain that what's done projects the proper image.
Throughout the operational phase, all activities need to be monitored. Is everything on schedule? Are results being tracked? What adjustments should be made? Are leads being directed to the sales department? What happens to them then?
A database should be expanded once it has been created. Unless the marketing effort results in specific, identifiable prospects and customers, the money has been wasted. Not being able to push a button at any given moment and access a carefully and completely documented database indicates a problem with the program.
It's a Marketing System
It may appear that there's nothing revolutionary about this nuts-and-bolts, basic marketing program. Perhaps. At the same time, if it's so elementary, why do so few companies have a well-crafted marketing system for establishing their leadership and staying ahead of the competition?
Successful marketing doesn't result from running an ad, sending a once-a-year newsletter that looks like an ad, or rushing out a piece of junk mail in a crisis. Positive results in a marketing program are the direct result of three qualities:
- Consistency: A schedule is followed.
- Coherence: All the activities make sense.
- Unity: The plan's various elements fit together to create a single message.
Marketing today isn't an option. Effective companies spend the money required for a program because they see marketing as an investment in the future. They know that effective marketing helps them to grow and prosper.