The end of the year is a great time for reflection - and an excellent time to start planning for next year. Take a look at all your marketing, advertising and branding efforts for this year. Did they work for you? Were the results what you had hoped? If your marketing program was successful, you need a plan to continue that success. If your efforts weren't all that you wanted them to be, you need to map out a path toward improvement.
The first step is to see where you are now. Take a look under the hood with a Brand Evaluation. Who are you? What is your mission? Who are your customers? What do they want? How do you stack up to your competition? Think carefully about the impression you want people to have about you. Is that information correctly reflected in your communications? It may be time for a tune-up.
When you find room for improvement, you need a Marketing Strategy: the ignition switch for all our advertising and public relations efforts. What specific aspect of your product or service is your key selling proposition? And what is the most effective way to communicate that message?
What words, pictures and media will best connect with your prospective customers? These elements make up your Creative Strategy: how your product or service is tailored toward your target market. Whether it's flames painted orange on your hood, or a horn that plays "Dixie," your creative strategy is crucial to your brand perception.
Even the most perfect creative concepts mean nothing until someone sees or hears them. Media Strategy gets your message to the people you want to reach. Who is your target demographic? Do they listen to the radio, watch TV, or read newspapers? Which stations or papers? And at what time of year? The answers to these questions will formulate your media strategy.
Add something about interactive services - websites, CDs, DVDs - looking for new methods of connecting with the target market.
Once these strategies are in place, we come full circle back to Evaluation: taking your plans back into the garage and determining what worked well, what surpassed expectations, and what could be further improved upon.
Marketing is a year-round proposition. Going at it piece-meal (a newspaper ad here, a brochure there) is like replacing a single spark plug - you don't get the cumulative benefits of a full tune-up. Give the Marketing Gearheads at Idea Bank a call. We'll help you develop the plan you need for a smooth ride and better fuel efficiency.