Muhamed Muneer
CEO and Chief Consultant, Innovative Media
Adding Muscle to Your Marketing

• It has been my experience that many executives find it very difficult to commit any marketing activities and plans on paper - especially at junior levels and in small and medium companies. This is partly because they think they do not need elaborate plans like big companies and all their plans are in their minds. This is typically the case with most owner- managers. There is another reason as well: They find it very difficult to put ideas clearly in a structured manner in writing. In this piece, I intend to address issues related to this key area.
  By answering the following seven questions one can go far in creating a preliminary marketing plan:
  *What is your objective for doing marketing?
  * How will you meet your goals? (Tip: Stress your benefits)
  * Who are your customers and what is your target market?
  * How will you reach your target customers?
  * How are you different from your competitors?
  * Who are you to your customers? (What’s your identity?)
  * How are you going to implement your plans?
  Once these questions are answered, put it on paper and make a document. Keep it where you can see it. It will help you stay on track.
  Planning is critical to the success of any marketing campaign. Write down your vision of where you are going, when you want to get there, and how you will do it. Keep this vision statement posted in a visible place that both you and your employees will see every day. Every day, repeat your vision out loud. Those clients of mine who start with a written plan see faster and stronger growth than those who just start marketing because business is slow for them. For example, a training company I associate with has been growing steadily since they implemented a written marketing plan. Their planned, constant promotions have helped to keep a steady stream of customers coming through their doors.
  A plan should include a good look at your company, what services you offer, your goals, and explicit activities that will accomplish your marketing goals. You should look at whom you are going after: choose two or three categories of clients (target markets) - be specific. If it is system integrators you are look at, then what size company? What is their location? What is their area of expertise? - Again, be specific. Why should your prospects choose your company and buy from you? There is probably stiff competition in your area. What makes you different? What sets you apart; makes you unique?
  How will you reach your prospects? Would they read written marketing messages? Would they like to receive information by fax? Or will you have to plan a telemarketing programme? Examine all these issues; it never hurts to ask a prospect how they would like you to contact them. Maybe you will find that none of them will work. Then keep digging, find what will work. They are buying now...figure out what will get them to buy from you.
  Once you have any type of plan ready, you need to test what you have accomplished through a limited direct mail or telemarketing campaign (or both), examine the results, and then adjust your marketing as necessary so you can more effectively reach a wider audience. In order to test your market, you will need to gather the “right” prospect list compiled from your best assumptions about your particular market. Next, you will need to compose an effective letter or postcard for direct mail, or an effective telemarketing script if you test by telephone (now that lots of housewives are trained to do such things).
  Also, determine what the normal success ratio for your direct mail or telemarketing approach is, and then choose a sample size that will give you accurate results. Whether you reach your sampling by mail or phone, make sure you or your staff records where the new customers come from. Make a log of exactly how the programme was implemented. Without this kind of tracking, you will not be able to determine the effectiveness of your marketing campaign or where to make changes.
  Once you are ready with the test campaign send out that direct mail or dial up those sample prospects. Then… Wait. Wait. Wait. And wait some more. Normally, a typical and logical time period to test a marketing campaign is between three to four months. That gives your marketers enough time to contact your sample prospects several times. That way, your message gets the exposure it needs to have an impact on your prospects and you can accurately measure the response. Just be sure not to change your test programme in midstream. Changing the limited campaign could skew the results and make it difficult for you to accurately track the changes you implemented or measure its effectiveness. You are only working on a partial assumption. Once you launch your overall campaign, you could find yourself devoting too much of your marketing budget to a less productive part of your marketing campaign. It is more cost effective to see the test-marketing programme through to its planned end. With an accurate track record of the test campaign before you, you can scrutinise your marketing with a critical eye and make whatever changes are necessary. The full-scale programme you launch after that will have more impact, will be more effective, and make all your preparation and testing time worth the effort.
  Over the last few weeks, I have been asking some of the best marketing heads in India and Middle East to name the ten best tips for marketing. What I find is that one cannot pinpoint the best methods since these differ depending on personal style, industry, and budget. Interestingly, despite the increasing impact of technology on marketing, most of the key things you can do are still aimed at standing out in your market and building relationships. If I had to pick the top ten approaches they would be the following: I am sure this would give you the muscle for your marketing efforts as promised at the beginning.
  * Make your advantages easy to understand. For instance, a software firm I know originally sold CRM consulting, for which they used proprietary software. Only when they started selling the software first, and then customisation and consulting as extras, did their business take off. Buying software was easier to understand than the more intangible consulting. Many businesses focus on speed in every aspect of their business. They make fun of the slower industry standards and provide a simple advantage clients understand. Other ways to set yourself apart are through great service or association with worthy causes.
  * Do not try to be everything to everyone. Just as customers screen you, you should decide who you want to serve. I have discussed this point before in one of the columns earlier. This is true for brands as well as companies. For example, can you tell me what Indya.com or Satyam stand for? A creative design studio in Bangalore used to take any business that walked in the door. When they realised which kinds of customers they worked with best, they were able to cut down their costs and make more money. Some software firms only work with one customer per industry so they will have no conflicts of interest. You can bet they select customers carefully, and that customers are flattered by the partnership approach. Consider creating a checklist of who shouldn’t hire you! It will help you focus, and may impress the right customers if you share it with them.
  Cont...