Our theme at the Chamber for June 2014 is
sales and marketing – a vital part of any and every small or medium-sized business. After all you might know you have the greatest product or service in
Sydney, but it won’t be of much use if you don’t get the message out there to
the right people – the ones most likely to be interested in what your business has to offer.
Determining marketing objectives
When it comes to marketing it’s important to
drill down into the nitty-gritty. There is a myriad of activities you could use
in your business marketing plan. The tricky part is determining which ones to use, and
where and when to use them. For instance should you start an email campaign,
develop a new brochure, focus on branding, advertise in the local paper, concentrate
on web content marketing or business networking, or
all of the above?
It could be easy to just to send the message
out there into the ether and hope for the best, relying on luck and chance.
However a marketing plan involves first setting sound objectives. You need to
know why you are doing what you are doing and what you hope to achieve. For
instance your aim might to increase your client base by 10%, enter into a new
target market, or boost sales on a new product by 5% and so on.
The SMART approach
You may have already heard of the SMART approach to marketing
objectives. Using SMART helps you to set very specific objectives that you
should be able to test and measure. SMART marketing is:
·
Specific
– you know what you want to achieve. You also know who your target audience is,
what it is they want and need, and what their buying behaviours are.
·
Measurable
– able to be quantified, analysed and compared.
·
Achievable
– able to be conducted as planned and not beyond your capabilities.
·
Realistic
– suitable for your business and able to be reached with the resources you have
available.
·
Timely
or Time-specific – can be achieved within a specific time-frame.
By using the SMART approach you should be
able to set the specific objectives you hope to achieve and compare them to
results. This should then assist you to refine your objectives and activities
as you go.
Marketing activities
Once objectives have been determined,
activities should be easier to decide upon, as you will have a clearer idea of
the types of activities to implement and pursue. Your activities might be as
straightforward as cold-calling or participating in trade shows, or as involved
as content marketing with great search engine optimisation.
Marketing activities don’t necessarily have
to be elaborate, flashy or expensive to be effective. Good marketing involves a
good deal of engagement with your audience. Simplicity and consistency can be the
best approach in many cases. Intouch Marketing in Baulkham Hills
has offered a few excellent tips to be ‘always marketing’ in a business. These
include:
- Sending thankyous to clients who have purchased from you.
- Offering customers rewards for referrals.
- Developing e-newsletters to inform clients about specials and other information.
- Contacting clients you have not seen for some time.
- Consistent networking with business groups.
Marketing events for small and medium business owners
To assist small to medium businesses in
Sydney with their marketing plans, the Hills Shire Council is offering a free
information night on 30th June about their upcoming three-month
Marketing Action Plan (MAP) program which commences in
August. This program is designed to help business owners decide upon the
techniques to use in their marketing plans and how to implement them.
The Chamber is also running a John Lees sales
training workshop in July – “Sell Pleasure First, Price Last” – which is
focussed on creating consistent sales success in business. More details on this
workshop can be found here.
