Marketing Made Easy

• Cutting the marketing budget when times get tough. When sales are down, marketing can play an important role in increasing business.

• Going to market without “seeding” it first. It’s important to let your customers know in advance you’re coming out with a new product or service.

• Not sweating the small stuff. Everything you do represents you, your company and your brand—from business cards and letterhead, to sales
materials and Web sites, to the way you dress. Make sure you’re making the right impression.

• Blowing the marketing budget before you’re internally ready to put the product or service out. There’s nothing worse than getting customers to place an order and not being able to fulfill it.

PM: What are the main components of a successful marketing plan?

BS: A well-defined brand identity with clear, strategic direction. It’s important to not confuse branding with marketing. Marketing is what helps communicate how you want your company to be viewed by the public (its brand identity).

• Know your audience. A winning message to one group might be received poorly by another.

• Set a marketing budget and stick to it.

• Expressions like “Keep it simple, stupid” and “Less is more” should be adhered to whenever possible. This is not a comment on the intelligence of your intended audience. It’s understanding people are bombarded by thousands of messages every day. Simple, logical, yet creative messages are the ones people remember the most.

PM: What should one’s train of thought be when creating a marketing plan?

BS: As a marketing professional, your primary objective is to effectively communicate with your customers and potential customers. When considering what will have the right impression on this target audience, ask yourself, “If I was the customer, would I be interested in what I was saying?” From time to time, clients will ask me to write a press release on a topic that is not newsworthy or relevant to their business. Therefore, I would strongly counsel them to reconsider. I’m a firm believer against doing something just to do it. There has to be rationale and thinking behind everything you do and the money you spend. Again, always think about your audience and how they will most likely respond to your message.