Marketing Strategy

How to Put Together a Marketing Strategy 1-2-3

If you understand your customers, you can put together a marketing strategy that will enable you reach your ideal customers at the right place and at the right time. This means getting your business in front of people who would be interested in what you offer - but also when they want to hear from you.

Customers are most easily sold to when they WANT to hear from you.

Think about it - you don't want some salesperson calling you in the evening interrupting you from dinner or approaching you while you're shopping. However, if you are reading a magazine or watching a TV show on health and nutrition, it usually won't bother you to see an ad for a new vitamin or diet product.

That's because we expect advertisements, but they are closely related to what we are interested in at that moment. You want to plan your marketing strategy the same way. So how do you do this?

Start by writing down a description of your ideal customer. What activities is he or she involved in? What magazines, TV shows, radio shows or websites are they interested in? Are they more likely to want to see an ad for your product or hear about it from a friend? Would they be interested in discounts or special trial offers?

1. Marketing Mediums

There are lots of advertising mediums you can use to reach your customers - but what's best for your prospects will get you the best results. Using multiple techniques will help you avoid putting all of your eggs in one basket. This also helps you discover which promotion methods work the best for you. Here are some marketing strategies you can use:

Press Releases

Business Cards

Article Marketing

Coupon Advertising

Direct Mail Postcards

Vehicle Signs

Become a "Betterist"

Sponsor a Meetup Group

Host a Webinar

Hold a Workshop

Hand Out Promotional Items

Use Social Media

Classified Ads, Online or in Print

Advertising on Amazon.com

Email Marketing

Ezine Ads

Sending eCards

Pay-per-Click Ads

Mobile Advertising

Facebook Ads

Build a Website

Submit Your Website to Search Engines

Advertise in Local Online Directories

Online Banner Advertising

Use Affiliates to Promote Your Products

TV Spots

Radio Ads

Get information on how to implement these marketing strategies.

2. Marketing Budget

Once you have decided on a few marketing techniques to use, you want to set up a budget. A simple way to do this is, for example, to take your annual budget and divide it by twelve. Allot an equal amount each month to your advertising expenses so you can consistently reach new customers throughout the year. New businesses may want to spend more money during the first few months.

Take a look at this marketing plan budget that you can download for free from Microsoft.

3. Take Action

Now it's time to get started implementing. Planning is great, but action is where all the results happen. With your marketing strategy in place, your job has just become a whole lot easier.