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4 Steps to Ramp Up Your Marketing

Guest post by: Jenny Stilwell

Article Overview: Always a good strategy in any market, but especially in a slower one, we’re going to focus the sixth article in the ‘Riding the Recession’ series on ramping up your marketing.

4 Steps to Ramp Up Your Marketing

Always a good strategy in any market, but especially in a slower one, we're going to focus the sixth article in the ‘Riding the Recession' series on ramping up your marketing. Here are 4 simple steps to follow so you can put in place a good plan of action for a marketing program for your business:

Step 1: Pull together your marketing collateral

Here's a checklist - choose the items that are relevant to your business and products:

• Brochure

• Stationery

• Product/Service overviews/descriptions

• Website

• A book - use as a marketing tool to promote your expertise

• Testimonials from clients and business partners

• Posters/Photos

• Newsletter/magazine - print and/or email

• Product displays

• Copies of PR/Awards/Magazine layouts & advertising

• Direct Marketing letters/‘pieces'

• Powerpoint/other presentations

• Catalogues/product listings

• Information kits (for prospects & enquiries)

• PR kit

• Packaging/wrapping/delivery or carrying format - branding clear

• Promotional giveaways - eg: mugs, caps, executive desk ‘things' (link with events)

• Signage

Identify what you have, what you don't have but need, and what you have but that could be improved upon. Make a rough estimate of what that would cost, decide on your priorities, write a list of what needs to be done, and either delegate or get onto it!

Step 2: Be clear about what sort of marketing activities are appropriate

Here's a brief checklist of some of the different types of marketing activity that your business could be doing:

• Advertising - print, outdoor, radio, TVC

• Advertising - online (PPC etc)

• Articles - online & offline publications to raise your profile

• Blog - use in a similar way to a website, but more frequent new content

• Events - invite clients and prospects to your own & others' events

• Direct marketing program - print and email

• Networking

• Strategic alliances

• Speaking engagements

• Editorial coverage (the media approaches you for your opinion; about you)

• Submit PR/Press releases to selected publications (you approach the media)

• Sponsorship of events

• Telemarketing (could use to arrange appointments, for client management)

• Run workshops (to train/educate)

• Teleconferences & teleclasses

• Webinars

Some of these activities, such as having articles published in business magazines, will raise your profile. In order to increase awareness of your brand and your company's services, profile raising activities are appropriate.

If you want to build relationships, and ongoing business opportunities, with existing clients, then one on one events are good, such as taking clients out for lunch or dinner, or inviting them to events with others.

If your aim is new business development, activities that connect directly with new prospective clients are most appropriate, such as speaking engagements in front of the right audience, direct mail and phone follow up, and networking events where you meet the right target market for your services.

Step 3: Identify which activities produce results

If you've implemented different marketing initiatives before and some have worked and some haven't, you need to go back and review what worked and what didn't to understand where you are likely to get more returns in the future. Prioritise those sorts of activities.

Make sure to check that when you did get results or responses from your marketing, that you got the right sort of responses. If you do a speaking engagement and get lots of interest from your audience, but it's the wrong target market, then perhaps the speaking part of it worked, but the forum needs to change.

Sometimes it's trial and error to get the formula right, whether it's for speaking engagements, client events, sponsorship, or direct mail. Keep working on it until you get the right activities, and the right mix.

Step 4: Draw up a calendar of marketing activities

Draw up a spreadsheet - months or weeks across the top and activities along the side. Put a tick in the cell for whichever activity you plan to do in which month (or week).

Go through the above lists and work out how many of the items you do or have now, and how many you could be using. If there's a big gap there is a lot of scope to really ramp up your marketing.

Make sure you have a mix of activities to develop new business, build your brand and nurture existing clients.

Stick to what you know and what you're good at, but do try new things. If you need help, outsource. Track and implement on a daily or weekly basis to make sure your new marketing activity is consistent and reinforced.

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Article Tags: marketing, marketing activities, marketing program



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