Sometimes looking at these long-term business objectives can seem overwhelming, or it could just be that you’re so busy working on the day-to-day that you haven’t thought about the long-term perspective for a while.
A marketing expert can help you work out what your goals are and identify the most suitable marketing tactics to achieve them.
Save time
Putting a marketing strategy in place may take a bit of effort to start with, but saves time in the long run. Having an effective plan in place means you aren’t constantly thinking about what to do next, or trying to put things in place at the last minute.
It also gives you the opportunity to plan for the long-term and decide on your key sales targets, making it easier for you to prepare for the major events in your business calendar.
Putting together your marketing strategy gives you the opportunity to think about how much you want to achieve and when. Having realistic goals makes it more likely you’ll reach them, so you’re not spending your valuable time on marketing which is never going to achieve what you want.
Save money
If your marketing is more reactive and knee-jerk, it’s more likely that it will be less targeted, simply because you haven’t spent the time defining your customer-base and where they are most likely to be.
If, on the other hand, you repeat the same marketing tactics year in, year out, you could be missing out on a customer base who simply don’t get to know about you. This is particularly pertinent now, with a huge shift towards digital which is only set to grow. Your marketing strategy should help you identify new opportunities to increase the number of people who get to know your business.
With a marketing strategy, your customers and their habits, likes and dislikes will be taken into account from the start. Information can come from your existing customer databases, website analytics, social media and more to build a full picture.
This means you can be sure that the marketing you invest in will be targeted at the right people at the right time, making the likelihood of a good return on your investment much higher.
You’ll also be more prepared for the marketing you want to undertake, with the resources in place for activities throughout the year. This reduces the likelihood of spending too much too soon on marketing, and either having ‘feast or famine’ marketing or having to take money from another pot to maintain your marketing presence.
Putting together your marketing strategy gives you the opportunity to think about how much you want to achieve and when. Having realistic goals makes it more likely you’ll reach them, so you’re not spending your valuable time on marketing which is never going to achieve what you want.
Communicate clearly
Putting together a marketing strategy is the first stage of effective marketing, but you also need to implement it. If you decide to outsource any of your marketing, having a strategy will make it much easier for anyone else to see what you’re intending and why.
A marketing strategy will also make it easier for your staff to see what’s happening in the business, when to expect increased traffic and the shared goals you should all be working towards.
Another benefit of a strategy is that it creates a clear link between all the activities you carry out – so whether it’s an advert in the local paper or sponsoring an event, your branding and messaging will be consistent throughout. This brings the advantage of strengthening the recognition of your brand, making customers more likely to have you in mind when they go to make that purchase.
Increase your turnover
A good marketing strategy will help you retain those customers you already have, while identifying groups you may have missed and finding the best ways to target them.
This means you won’t waste your money on ineffective marketing, and the marketing you do invest in will attract more of the people likely to buy your products and services.
The time you save can be spent in your business, which should also give you the capacity to either improve your offering or serve even more of those customers you’re picking up through effective marketing.
Outsource to a marketing specialist
A marketing specialist will:
- Know more about the various marketing channels and what works effectively on each
- Bring an external perspective, helping to highlight customer groups that you may not have otherwise considered
- Advise you as to whether your plans are achievable in the time you’ve specified
- Complete the plan in less time, as they are familiar with creating marketing strategies, saving you even more time
- Help you put your strategy into effect
For more information about how a marketing strategy can improve your businesses marketing activities and increase your turnover, get in touch.