Marketing Strategy & Business Development

Good advertising alone doesn’t sustain a business. A great idea/product/service alone doesn’t get orders coming in through the door. A harmonious blend of the two, along with a coordinated customer service strategy, is what truly makes a business successful.

Setting up the game plan

To effectively market any business, there needs to be direction. A systematic strategy that lays out the goals, strategies and tactics to achieve these goals is crucial to make sure you don’t wonder off the path.

When I step into marketing and business development projects, I can either jump into an existing program, or start from scratch. In any case, we will establish and build from the following topics.

Situation analysis
Knowing where your business sits will serve as the base of all future plans and actions. I can come in and audit your business to understand the current state of the business, including:

• a complete rundown of your products and services
• the typical paths that new and existing customers go through in interacting with your business
• S.W.O.T. (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis
• your past and current marketing efforts

This analysis also includes diving into your industry and direct competition. You will need to know where you stack up against others in your field to see where opportunities can be leveraged.

Objectives & Goals
Once we know what the current situation is, the focus shifts to establishing what we want to accomplish. What are the long term goals? What are the short-term goals that will help us get there? Defining and targeting these objectives are what will guide us to make the right decisions to ensure success.

Budget
Financing a marketing program can be a delicate subject. There is always the tendency to hold back and try to get away with as little as possible, or do the work yourself as opposed to using a professional.

But, knowing how to invest with the right balance, with the focus on achieving the goals of the business, will pay for itself. By determining a budget, we will know how much can be allocated to the overall plan, as well as specific objectives.

Strategy & Tactics
The tools that can be use to achieve the objectives and goals are wide and many. It takes experience to know what to use to get the most benefit from.

My background in advertising, marketing, communications and public relations has given me the insight to choose strategies and tactics for any project. At my disposal are:

• Web development programs with search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM) and social media marketing (SMM) strategies
• Collateral material (brochures, handouts, business cards, stationary, etc.)
• Direct marketing campaigns (via mail and e-mail)
• Publicity and public relations opportunities
• Promotional products (pens, apparel, tools and drink ware)
• Special events and trade shows
• Much more

Execution
Execution of strategies and tactics can make or break a marketing program. So, I work hard to make sure everything runs smoothly.

• developing schedules with sequence of events and managing them as they are carried out to ensure a flawless result
• either producing myself, or coordinating production with other vendors and team members

Evaluation
Develop how to measure results and determine effectiveness before, during and after the project is complete.