Since you’re reading an article about marketing plans, I’m willing to bet you’re a business owner, a member of your company’s marketing team, working to promote an event or new product, or trying to spread the word about a nonprofit organization.

No matter why you’re here or what kind of organization you’re trying to promote, I hope you walk away with some tangible tips for creating a marketing strategy.

Audience

Your audience should be the first piece of the promotional puzzle you consider. Are you trying to reach people of a specific age, gender or location? Each of those demographic variables behave differently and respond better or worse to certain messaging. Now drill down even more: Are you trying to reach older Kansans who are passionate about baking? Or women in the KC metro who have kids and live an active lifestyle? Try to get as specific as possible, and consider which words your audience might use, behavioral patterns they exhibit, images they may be drawn to and other elements that could be used to catch their attention.

Goals

What are you trying to achieve with this new marketing strategy of yours? This decision goes hand in hand with choosing your audience, of course. Goals can vary based on several factors like the age of your organization, how well known you are by your target audience and whether you’re offering a product or service. For instance, if you’re just starting out, you may want to focus on brand awareness and getting your name out there as much as possible. If you’re launching a new website, you should consider a goal of increased website traffic over a specific period. Your goals need to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound, or SMART, if you will — my marketing professors would be proud I remembered that acronym!

Platform and Medium

You can’t talk about a marketing strategy without thinking about where the marketing will take place. If you’re going after a younger audience, digital platforms like TikTok, Instagram or Twitter might make the most sense. But if you’re hoping to attract older people in a local area, traditional newspaper ads might just do the trick. From streaming ads for viewers watching Hulu, ESPN or other networks, to social media platforms, to billboards, the medium you choose should be influenced by your goals and audience.

Budget

Of course, a great marketing strategy doesn’t appear out of thin air. Luckily, a fantastic plan doesn’t need to break the bank, either. Take a look at your yearly budget and decide how much you can spend per month on your marketing efforts. Keep in mind, especially if you’re just starting out, it’s imperative that you spend enough to make a difference and reach your audience and goals.

Another spending consideration is time: Are you willing to dedicate the necessary time and energy to put together catchy and relevant messages, create engaging images or videos to use as ads, then target your audience on your chosen platforms and schedule the ads to go out into the world? If so, there are lots of resources out there for you to use! If that sounds a little overwhelming, though, we know some folks who would be happy to handle all the above and more to get your marketing strategy started with a bang!

Now, before we wrap up, I hate to get ominous on you, but I do need to give fair warning: Poorly created marketing material will perform, well, poorly. Everything you put out into the world reflects on your business, and you want to show off how incredible, put together and dazzling you are! Materials that aren’t cohesive, well thought out or don’t look well created will have the opposite effect.

Regardless of the kind of organization you’re trying to promote, I hope this article gave you some things to think about before starting a new marketing journey. If you need additional help, would like more information, or just want to chat about marketing, contact us today!