It Works If You Have a Plan: Making Marketing Effective

While marketing may be second-nature in large companies, smaller firms tend to have a tough time implementing, managing and monitoring an effective marketing strategy. The title of “marketing director” is often conferred on the person designated to answer requests for sales literature or, the title is added as something of an afterthought to the role of the sales manager who thinks that marketing is just another way of spelling s-a-l-e-s.

Marketing, as a well-defined function permeating a business, is generally non-existent. There’s no comprehensive plan or program, no road map to guide, direct or measure marketing results. There’s no consistent, purposeful commitment to communicating with customers or cultivating prospects. If marketing is the engine that powers the process of gaining and retaining customers, the force that positions a firm as the company of choice, then marketing deserves to be the focal point of energy and activity.

While management generally acknowledges the role of marketing and recognizes its benefits, the development and implementation of a marketing program are often lost amid daily business activity.

While a successful marketing program is the direct result of the commitment and close attention of any other company operation, the function requires three basic and distinct steps.

Getting with the goals

Establishing goals and objectives for a particular period of time, perhaps 12 months, is the first step. Be realistic. Identify what you want to accomplish in terms of what can be achieved. Is the task to increase the visibility of the company in the marketplace? Is the commitment to differentiate the company, product or service from competitors? Perhaps the task is to improve the sales of a particular product or service. Is it to generate qualified leads or gain a larger market share? Is the company seeking to increase sales with existing customers? Is customer retention the issue? Avoid such phrases as “We want more business” or “We want to increase sales.”

The purpose of asking questions is to help clarify marketing goals and objectives. An initial list may contain six or eight goals, although one or two are preferable in order to keep the marketing effort highly focused. Revise the list until the key objectives emerge and gain the support of management.

Designing the plan

Once the goals are established and everyone knows what is to be accomplished, you are ready to move into the next phase. This involves selecting the specific tactics or activities that are required to meet the objectives.

A marketing plan will include three types of marketing activities: self-promotion, media relations and advertising.

n Self-promotion. Every business has an obligation to tell its own story in a way that best communicates its message. This is called self-promotion and it involves the use of specific techniques. Although the options are endless, here are the basic self-promotion tactics: company newsletters, direct mail, seminars, special events, trade show exhibits, capabilities, brochures, collateral materials and the use of the Internet. If a newsletter is to be developed, the issues of size, design, content, style, frequency and distribution all come into play in creating an effective communications experience for the reader. Serious thought must go into developing a comprehensive database. The same issues are true for brochures and direct mail pieces. The Internet offers unusual opportunities for telling a company’s story and identifying prospective customers. Unfortunately, too many companies have yet to learn that either a web site or web advertising must create an experience to hold the user’s attention. What’s important in using these tools to contribute to reaching the goals and objectives is a highly disciplined, consistent approach so that the focus is always on the customer and the prospect.

Corporate identity, an essential element in self-promotion, deserves careful attention. How satisfied a company is with its logo, letterhead, business cards, product graphics or newsletter design is irrelevant. Customers are the final arbiters when it comes to corporate identity. How a company presents itself influences how it’s perceived in the marketplace. Start by asking, “Does the way we look send the right message?” Managing self-promotion is far from easy. Every marketing plan will call for a series of activities.

n Media Relations. The second marketing activity in a comprehensive, integrated marketing plan is media relations. Many companies fail to grasp the power of the press. “Why would the press be interested in us?” is a common question. They also say, “All they want to do is make us look bad.” This paranoia of press is common in the business community and results in avoiding a powerful force for communicating a company’s message.

The media relations task is to help editors, writers and reporters become interested in a company, what it’s doing and its products or services. The technique is learning editors’ needs rather than telling them what you want published. Determining ways to fit into their plans involves investigating what they are working on in advance and then developing articles and story ideas to fit those editorial needs.

Hidden beneath the surface of every company are great news stories. Every company has distinct knowledge, expertise and information that can be useful to editors. However, it often takes a “trained eye” to discover, develop and market them to the media. Each day we read news articles that quote certain “experts.” This isn’t accidental. Someone has taken the time and effort to acquaint reporters and editors with information about those who are reliable and knowledgeable sources of information.

The by-lined article, a piece that bears the author’s name, offers unlimited opportunities for companies to demonstrate their expertise through the pages of trade, business and consumer publications. By-lined articles increase a company’s credibility and position its key personnel as experienced in a particular field. The Robert Half employment organization crafts the use of surveys and distributes the results to hundreds of publications. Published references are found in a broad cross-section of newspapers and magazines.

A regular flow of basic news releases noting new hires, personnel promotions, new products, achievements, seminar and trade show attendance, charitable efforts, awards and dozens of other less-than-world-shaking occurrences make an impact for the company over time. Yet, most companies fail to take advantage of the opportunities to shape the way they are perceived.

Media relations takes time. There’s no instant pay-off. But a continuing effort reaps unprecedented results in establishing a company in a position of marketplace leadership.

n Advertising. No marketing program is complete without an advertising component. To set the record straight at the outset, those who say “advertising doesn’t work” don’t understand advertising.

The correct ads strategically placed over a proper period of time can make a significant impact. The problem is not with advertising. It’s expecting ads to be the “silver bullet,” producing extraordinary results and solving the marketing problems. The criticisms of advertising are more often than not indications that the overall marketing program is ineffective. Too many businesses rely only on advertising to communicate their message rather than integrating an ad campaign into a total marketing design. The major task in developing effective advertising is to make sure the ads reflect the specific marketing goals and objectives. The degree to which self-promotion, media relations and advertising are emphasized to create 100 percent of the marketing pie relates to the goals. As changes occur and new issues arise, the amount of time and resources devoted to each should be adjusted. An effective marketing program demands that all elements be woven together for maximum impact. Shortcuts don’t work. Eliminating one item or cutting back on another will only cause a program to fail and, more often than not, give someone a reason for saying. “Marketing is a waste of money. Let’s hire more salespeople.”

Implementing the program

The third step is to get moving. The implementation phase involves two questions: “What’s the budget?” And, who is going to do what to whom, or, as a wise man once said, “Who’s going to make the coffee?”

Budget questions take priority. How much should be spent on marketing? There are several possible answers. The traditional approach is a percentage of anticipated annual sales. A more appropriate answer is to measure the budget against what must be accomplished. Does the budget reflect the original goals and objectives? If the object is to increase market share, that will require more money. If the task is to maintain the current presence in the marketplace, then the costs will be lower. What geography is involved: national, regional or local? This factor alone can influence a budget significantly.

Other vital issues in the implementation stage include setting standards, maintaining objectivity and staying on track. There’s no substitute for high quality. But who’s to judge? A company’s receptionist may have a greater sensitivity to quality than the sales manager. Just getting something done and out the door isn’t good enough today. Customers recognize quality (and anything less). It’s essential to make certain you project the proper image.

Throughout the operational phase, all activities need to be monitored. A database should be expanded once it has been created. Unless the marketing effort results in specific, identifiable prospects and customers, the money has been wasted. Not being able to push a button at any given moment and access a carefully and completely documented database indicates a problem with the program.

It may appear that there’s nothing revolutionary about this nuts-and-bolts, basic marketing program. Perhaps. At the same time, if it’s so simple and so elementary, why do so few companies have a well-crafted marketing system for establishing their leadership and staying ahead of the competition?

Successful marketing doesn’t result from running an ad and sending a once-a-year newsletter that looks like an ad or rushing out a piece of junk mail in a crisis. Positive results are the direct result of three qualities in a marketing program:

~ Consistency: There is a schedule that is followed.

~ Coherence: All the activities make sense.

~ Unity: The various elements of the plan fit together to create a single message.

Marketing today isn’t an option. Companies that practice effective marketing grow, thrive and prosper. They spend the money required for a program because they see marketing as an investment in the future.