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Marketing Planning - Top 10 tips on how to plan effectively

We are all limited on time but writing a marketing plan isn't as difficult or time consuming as you may think. The most effective plans are not 2 inch thick corporate documents but working documents that can be looked at for quick reference and changed if necessary.

Below you will find our top 10 tips for how to plan effectively. This is not a definitive list but will give you a good idea of where to start.

1. Set time aside to plan. If possible leave the office. Ringing phones and constant interruptions crush creativity and make the whole process lengthy.


2. Know what you want to achieve. This will likely come from your business plan. What are your financial/sales targets, which are your most important products, do you have any community objectives?


3. Be aware of your competitors. What is their product range and pricing structure, what are their strengths and weaknesses?


4. Research your industry. Are there any new products or services around that could help you get a steal on your competitors?


5. What is your Unique Selling Point? What makes you different from the competition, are you the lowest cost provider or a high quality provider, do you have something that no one else does? This will determine the type of marketing activity you undertake.


6. Segment your market. Who are your customers? If you are lucky your products or services will have one very specific type of customer. More likely, you will have several different customer groups - bear this in mind when planning campaigns as different customers will respond to different marketing activities.


7. Set a budget. This will help you to choose which marketing activities to pursue, as it is unlikely you will be able to afford every idea you come up with.


8. Choose a mix of activities you know work for you as well as new ideas - spread your campaigns across the year.


9. Review your progress at regular intervals. It is good to put together a provisional schedule of what to do and when, you can then tick it off as you go, making notes on what worked and what didn't and if necessary make amends to the schedule depending on your findings.


10. Get TwoTrickPony to do it for you! We can research your company, market, industry and competitors and write your marketing plan for you. Even more importantly (as there is no point having a plan that is left in the cupboard until the following year), we can implement the activities to ensure you stay on track to achieve your annual objectives. Ask us how...

If you already have a plan and need some help putting it into action, we can help with Graphic Design, PR, Direct Mail, Websites, Email Marketing, Events and much more. For more information or a quote, give us a call on 01273 208878 or pop us through an email: info@twotrickpony.co.uk.