The 6 Musts For Your Small Business Marketing Plan

Your Marketing Plan Outline, in 6 necessary steps.

Must 1: Break your audience into segments

Start with just 3 segments. Here are a few questions you must ask yourself to help determine your segments.

• What percentage of your customers are referrals?
• What are the primary demographics of your customers?
• Where do they live?
• How often do they buy?

Must 2: Know how each segment of your customers feels about your business

Your Message should understand how your market feels. It should also identify their problem, give them result of working with you, and provide a free gift or promotion. For example: 

Feeling: Tired of renovations taking to long.

Problem: Can't find good GCs to manage projects the right way the first time

Result of working with you: Our project deadlines are ahead of schedule and stay on track.

Message: "Tired of renovations taking too long? We have professional, experienced teams of contractors to get your renovation completed on time or even ahead of schedule." 

Must 3. Know how this fits into your business goals

Identify clear goals for your business. Start with 1 year goals, then 6 month, then quarter, than 1 month goals. If your marketing strategy isn't based on one of these goals, it's a poor strategy. Make sure what you're doing to grow your business lines up with the actual goals of your business. 

Must 4: Provide promotions for each segment of your market

Each segment of your market will respond to promotions differently. Your high-end buyer may be turned off by a discount, but an entry-level customer might need some sort of discount as a reason to get in the door. Consider what promotions you blast to everyone, and what parts of your audience might benefit from a value added deliverable, instead of just a price discount. 

Must 5. Define how frequent your segments need to hear from you.

A new lead might want to hear from you more often than an existing customer, and vice versa. The information you send to each segment should be coordinated and delivered at the right time. Consider how often per month each segment should be marketed to or followed up with. The medium in which you make the connection maters too.

Must 6. The mediums you use to communicate with your market will determine your marketing plan's effectiveness

Your mother might be more like to be on Facebook and not Snapchat. Your dad might read emails but would never touch social media. 

What segment are you trying to market to and communicate with? The medium in which you use to reach new customers is crucial - or else you're wasting money and talking to someone who isn't actually there.