The Missing Link: Why Marketing Plans Fail and What To Do Ab by Susan Carter

Use these 5 steps to develop unique 'links' for your marketing plan to capture a specific market niche, and create a reputation you can build on.
We (entrepreneurs and business owners) are fascinated by the concept of marketing. As I glance over to my bookcase, I can see at least a dozen marketing books crowded together on the shelf. The titles range from The Principles of Marketing (a textbook from my college days) to a specialty volume of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books by John Kremer (a must-have, by the way, for any author/publisher). Marketing IS important. And having a marketing plan is even MORE important. So why do so many marketing efforts falter and often fail-even with a detailed plan?

In my consulting practice, the one thing I see as the biggest obstacle for both offline and online marketing efforts is something I like to refer to as "the missing link" between "a" marketing plan and "your" marketing plan. Here's what I'm talking about . . .

The difference between the two books mentioned above is that the textbook is filled with theory and concepts and the Kremer book is filled with action ideas. Knowing what the act of marketing entails is a good thing (textbook), and, having creative, idea-generating advice (Kremer) is even better. However, there's one thing missing: the link between the two that will make YOUR marketing plan unique to YOUR business. That link separates a good marketing plan from a GREAT marketing plan. And, you can't find the link in the pages of a book.

To establish the link for your specific marketing plan, you have to take a step back and re-evaluate information you acquired from the feasibility study you conducted (either formally or informally) prior to starting your business. Who are your customers? Where do they gather? Why would they want your product/service? What related products/services do they buy? Etc. Use this information to start building your personalized marketing links.

I recently received an e-mail from a woman who was interested in opening a massage parlor. Here is an excerpt of the response I sent to her as an example of building personalized links:

1. Create a profile of your potential customers

Most entrepreneurs make the mistake of assuming that "everyone" is a potential customer. After all, in your case, who wouldn't benefit from a relaxing massage? But, in order to effectively market your services, you must identify characteristics of your potential customers so you can devise ways to bring them to your doorstep. For instance, your profile list may include:

Potential customers: business professionals. Characteristics: high stress levels, tension-filled days, minimal available time.

Potential customers: construction workers/factory workers/day laborers. Characteristics: physical stress, aching muscles, long hours and overtime.

Potential customers: stay-at-home moms. Characteristics: house-bound, hectic schedule, hard to find moments to themselves.

Potential customers: students. Characteristics: high demands and pressures for studies, sports, community involvement, etc.

List as many potential customer segments as possible and as many characteristics about each segment as possible. The more detailed your descriptions, the easier it will be to market your services to them.

2. Identify the benefits of your services to address each specific market segment.

You need to be very clear about all of the benefits you offer (or will offer) in order to clarify and communicate them. How does what you do help your customers? What's in it for them to use your services? Start a list and keep adding to it as your business develops and you start honing in on what customers tell you they like best about your service.

3. Research, research, research!

You can't help clients if you don't know what they want. If you aren't willing to conduct the research yourself-which includes surveys, assessing the competition, understanding the buying habits of your target markets, etc.- then hire a research firm to do it. Research is very important to the success of your business. It can literally change how you set up your business practice. For instance, you may assume that business people would be interested in a thirty-minute massage following a hectic work day and a 45-minute workout at the gym. With a little research, you may find out they would prefer a 5-minute tension-releasing, on-site neck massage during their lunch break at work. This discovery would change the whole dynamic of your business, and your marketing strategy.

4. Target one market at a time

Choose one market and go after it. Niche marketing is key in a competitive market. Establish yourself with that market, then gradually add another. Become known as 'the only choice' for a specific service. As in the above example, you may market yourself as the "One Minute Masseuse" who makes house calls. Or you may decide to create a spa-like 'get away' parlor that your customers can 'escape' to. Each of these examples requires very different marketing because they target very different markets. Choose a niche and carve out a plan to "own" it.

5. Develop your marketing plan

Once you've identified who your ideal customers are, what they want, and what services you will offer to give them what they want, then (and only then) you are ready to develop your marketing plan. The plan itself will include all of the ways you can spread the word about your services to a VERY SPECIFIC customer market.

Pick up a few of the creative "1001 Ways to Market . . ." type books and choose only 5-10 ideas to start with. Mold them into very specific action steps for your ONE, targeted customer profile market.

Before ending this article, I want to stress that a marketing plan is not a blanketed media blitz that goes in every which way hoping to snag a few customers (like SPAM e-mail!). A marketing plan is a methodical action plan that you slowly build upon. To iterate the steps outlined above, target one customer niche and link your marketing campaign to that ONE customer profile. Every ad you place, event you plan, direct mail piece you send and press release you write should be targeting the same market niche.

If you pay attention to developing the unique 'links' for your marketing plan, you'll capture a significant portion of a specific market niche, and create a reputation you can build on.

About the Author

Susan Carter helps business owners "do more with less" to operate and market their small and growing businesses. She is the author of How To Make Your Business Run Without You, and SPLASH Marketing for Overworked Small Business Owners. Carter offers FREE book chapters, and distributes free business-building advice in her twice-monthly ezine, SuccessExpress Press, available at http://www.successideas.com