While some small business owners include their marketing plan as part of their overall business plan, because marketing is crucial to success, having a comprehensive, detailed marketing plan on its own is recommended. If you don't want to make a mini-plan as part of your business plan, you can attach your full marketing plan to the business plan as an appendix to the business plan.
Benefits to a Marketing Plan
The importance of a detailed marketing plan can't be overstated. Marketing is as important as the product or service you provide. Without marketing, consumers and clients can't find out. If you can't be found, you don't make money.
Here's why a marketing plan is essential to your home business' success:
- Gives clarity to who your market is. It's easier to find clients and customers if you know who they are.
- Helps you craft marketing messages that will generate results. Marketing is about knowing what your product or service can do to help a target market. Your messages need to speak directly your market.
- Provides focus and direction. Email, social media, advertising, guest blogging, direct mail, publicity, and on and on. With so many marketing choices, you need a plan for determining the best course of action for your business.
Keep Your Marketing Plan up to Date
Like a business plan, a marketing plan is a living, breathing document. Analyzing your results and tweaking or changing your marketing strategies is an important task in keeping your marketing plan up to date and having it fulfill it's purpose in helping reach your business goals. Many factors can impact your marketing results and choices including market conditions, demand for your product or service, pricing issues, and new marketing methods (i.e. a new social media platform). It's important you keep aware of all of this and adjust your marketing plan accordingly.
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