Develop A Marketing And Marketing Communications Strategy And Plan For Small Or Midsized Companies

Planning for the year ahead is never an easy task. Lack of resources (people, time, budget), keeping up to date on what’s going on in your market, obtaining quality leads and improving brand awareness and reputation have become increasingly difficult for all organizations – for profit companies as well as nonprofits. This has become especially true among US CEO’s who are concerned with not just domestic but also international uncertainties.Developing A Marketing And Marketing Communications Strategy Is CriticalThis should be your priority. Without a strategy for a plan there are way too many opportunities to get off track and chew up your investment. Your ROI will suffer. Consider the following to focus your efforts when developing your strategy and plan:1. Determining, understanding and verifying your target customers and prospects should be at the top of your agenda. To improve profitability and ROI you must know what your audience wants and needs, how they perceive your brand and how it stands up to competition.Be sure to avoid industry and company “myths” and internal “opinions”. Employ primary and secondary research to understand your audience. With so much information available about companies and brands, it is truly the Age Of The Consumer and will be for a very long time.2. Additionally, as part of your knowledge of your audience, determine the size and scope of various sub-segments that exist today and will tomorrow. For example, does your audience include women, or Asians, or Hispanics? If so, look at the dramatic growth of these segments of the populations and determine if your brand needs to pay particular attention to them.Also, recognize that millennials (23% of the US population) are not a homogenous group. At the younger end (20 – 28 years), 40 percent t are currently living rent free with family, while at the older end (29 – 35 years), 43 percent have already purchased a home. With that in mind, how should your strategy differ if you’re targeting adults 55 years and older (21% of US population)?3. Once you clearly understand your audience, develop your unique brand position. To do this, create a brand positioning statement. The statement is a succinct description of the core target audience to whom the brand is directed and a compelling picture of how you want your audience to view the brand. Sound simple? Take a few minutes and try to answer the four components of your positioning:· The target audience, in very specific detail· The category in which you complete and its relevance to customers· The brand’s benefit and point of difference· A reason for the customer to believe – the most compelling proofAll marketing and marketing communications should flow from this positioning, and it should be fully understood and embraced by all employees, sales reps, partners and management.4. Improving brand awareness is very important but only the first step. You also need to create great customer experiences with each touch point of your brand. And that means creating brand advocacy at all levels of contact. Develop brand champions at every level of purchase and repurchase to improve ROI.Be sure these influencers completely understand, believe and can articulate your brand premise. And provide them with the training and tools to convey their trust-worthiness in a believable manner.Developing A Focused Marketing And Marketing Communications Plan And BudgetAfter the hard work of developing a meaningful strategy, recognize it’s equally important to develop a specific plan and budget. The following should be taken into consideration:1. You must be media neutral and open minded in developing your plan and budget. It is extremely important to understand the difference between “efficiency” and “effectiveness”, and not get caught up with the latest trendy new tactic.Regardless of the specific marketing tactic, or type of digital or traditional media, you’re evaluating, keep in mind that cost efficiency does not necessarily lead to effective results. Also, and most importantly, the best source of marketing communications leverage is the quality of the message, not the marketing tactic.2. The scope and diversity of marketing and marketing communications tactics has grown faster than the ability to measure some of them. Marketers now are actually spending money without knowing how it impacts their profitability and ROI! Consider the variety of ways in which nearly $450 billion is expected to be spent in the US in 2018:· Sales promotion ($83 billion), telemarketing ($60 billion), direct mail (($46 billion) and events ($40 billion) highlight projected 2018 US Marketing Services expenditures;· The internet ($78 billion), television ($68 billion) and the combination of radio, newspapers and magazines ($47 billion) are projected to be at the top of the 2018 US Major Media spending categories.Source: Zenith Total US SpendingAnd while it may surprise you, 90 percent of consumers (and 94 percent of millennials) still use coupons. The coupons come from a variety of on-line and traditional mediums, but mail is most popular. Why do marketers still use coupons? The simple answer is because they’re effective in guiding purchase. In developing your own plan and budget, determine and recognize the effectiveness of all marketing tactics, not just their efficiency.ROI Focused Marketing And Marketing Communications ConsultantsIf you’re like most small and midsized companies, you and your team may not have the expertise or time to develop an ROI focused marketing and marketing communications strategy, plan or budget.Even major global brands are seeking outside advisors. In my May article, I discussed the dramatic growth of management and accounting consulting practices (33% increase in US revenue) at the expense of traditional global advertising agencies (0.3% increase in US revenue). One reason for this 2017 growth of consultants is their focus – not on trends or what’s in the news – but on marketing and marketing communications effectiveness, profitably and ROI.While you may not be able to afford the large global consultants, you should consider hiring a marketing and/or marketing communications consultant. The type of people you should hire should:· Have a focus on ROI, with significant experience across industries, b2b and b2c brands, both large and small, as well as for profit and nonprofit organizations· Be media neutral, apolitical, down to earth, be willing to be part of a team and “tell it like it is” so candor will flourish· Have flexibility to bring in other professional specialists when and as needed so that overhead isn’t an ongoing expense· Have strong convictions to measure what has been done and measure what will be done to improve ROI, perhaps including a marketing communications auditIn today’s challenging environment, a greater focus on strategy, planning and budgeting can go a long way toward leapfrogging competition and improving brand profitability. And the fresh eyes of a consultant can go a long way to building a meaningful future for your brand.

Online Business – Is It for You?

I am going to start with a bit of a ‘controversial statement (as I am quite prone to do):-Starting a Business, Online (or Offline) is NOT for everyone & actually may NOT be for YOU.If you are looking at working for yourself and starting up a business, you might be the best Joiner, Painter, Mechanic, Salesperson, etc, BUT it may not be for you – If you don’t have or acquire certain traits, skills and experience, you will probably fail (maybe ending up owing a lot of money!) and being an employee is probably better for you: especially if you prefer:-regular hours,regular pay,regular holidays,sickness pay, orare risk averse,lack willpower and stamina.Working for yourself and starting a business is definitely NOT a job. You have got to ask yourself if starting up and (hopefully) running a viable, successful business is for YOU – and no-one else.This is exactly the same for an Online business, maybe more so. Just setting up a website for your Offline business is definitely NOT classed as running an Online business – really, all Offline businesses should have a website as an online presence as a minimum, however if you are really set on setting up an Online business, then there are specifics that must be addressed:-It is NOT EASYIt takes TIMEIt takes MONEY (maybe not a great deal initially but it does cost if done correctly!)It is NOT a ‘Get Rich Quick’ solutionYou will need to LEARN & develop a new set of skills and be comfortable with MarketingAn understanding of Computers will be required & you must be willing to learnIn comparison to a ‘traditional’ bricks & mortar’ offline business, an Online business can be very cost-effective as a start-up. So… What do YOU consider as an Online business?Lots of people have found many ways to run a successful (profitable?) Online business, I have personally made a decent living selling items and information on a ‘popular’ auction site but the method(s) I have learned are only a few and I am currently still looking to learn other methodology and processes.As an example, please ‘Google’ (funny how this has become a ‘verb’!) or place in your search engine “make money online” – at the time of writing this gives 165 Million results, so there are many ways (some good, some not so!) regarding making money online. Have a good look around and see how big the online business is, and how vast the number of opportunities are. The only thing I recommend is NOT to buy anything before you have had a good look around – there are lots of scams and totally useless products/programs out there – so Caveat Emptor:- ‘Buyer Beware’!I want you to understand the range of opportunities out there, and that what may be suitable for some people may not be suitable for others.Looking at things from a positive angle however, I believe the plus points of an online business are:-Anyone can start and run a business, with no restrictions on age, race, gender, education, privilegeNo commuting or having to get up and get ready for an early or late startYou are working for yourself, not as a wage slave for an ungrateful boss/company

Resorts Near Mumbai Offering Impeccable Luxury and Flavors of Nature

Mumbai is one of the most important metropolitan cities in India, featuring urbanization, infrastructure development, and commercialization at its best. It is also one of the major business centers in the world, renowned for its Stock Exchange and Bollywood, contributing a significant portion to the GDP. At the same time, Mumbai is the heart of rich cultural heritage and pleasing beauty, exemplifying a strong historical impact that trace back to the era of famous Maratha rulers. All these factors have contributed in making Mumbai one of the most preferred travel destinations, attracting footfalls from across the country and globally.Sightseeing In and Around Mumbai:A popular travel destination, particularly for its sightseeing places, Mumbai attracts tourists in pursuit of cultural heritage, natural beauty, and luxuries of modern life. Some of the most renowned tourist attractions in the city are Gateway of India, Haji Ali Mosque, Juhu Beach, Bollywood, Dhobi Ghat, Marine Drive, Hanging Gardens, Siddhivinayak Temple, Elephanta Caves, and Sanjay Gandhi National Park. There is plenty of fascinating sightseeing places around Mumbai as well, situated at only few hours distance from the city. This includes Lonavala, Khandala, Karla, Panchgani, Amboli, and Mahabaleswar.Accommodations:Being a renowned travel destination, Mumbai is the hub of splendid accommodation choices. On one hand, there are some of the world’s finest 5 start hotels in Mumbai, offering world class facilities and unparalleled services; on the other hand, there are budget inns offering quality services at reasonable prices. Catering particularly to the business travelers, there are plenty of top corporate hotels in the city as well, offering core business-amenities and dedicated services for a hassle free work experience. Adding to the delight, there are luxury resorts in Mumbai, providing the splendid view of nature and incredible luxuries of modern life.However, being an affluent city, accommodation is always expensive in Mumbai. Moreover, during the peak seasons, the hotels are always over flooded, making it inconvenient for travelers to find a suitable accommodation. Hence, luxury resorts near Mumbai become an ideal choice for the travelers. Situated at close proximity to the metropolitan city, these resorts offer unparalleled luxury and true flavors of nature. Away from the hustle and bustle of city life, the luxury resorts are a true haven of tranquility and comfort.Among plenty of choices available, Lonavala resorts offer some of the finest opportunities to indulge into the splendors of nature and experience incredible luxury. Lonavala is the perfect choice for luxury resorts near Mumbai, offering premium facilities and unparalleled services that will melt your heart. Nestled amidst lush hills and exquisite natural splendor, these resorts offer state of the art facilities like swimming pool, spa, health and fitness center, bar and restaurant, room heaters, recreation zone, beauty salon, and dedicated concierge services.In true sense, Lonavala resorts are the finest instance of impeccable luxury and unfathomed beauty of nature.