Small Business Marketing Kit For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Chapter 23

Ten Steps to a Great Marketing Plan

In This Chapter

Tailoring a marketing plan for your small business

Using the plan to reach your goals

Though every other page of Small Business Marketing Kit For Dummies, 3rd Edition, is new and adapted to the changing marketing world we live in, this chapter remains relatively untouched because the steps you follow to write a marketing plan are the same, regardless of new communication channels and ever-changing customer mind-sets. You still have to know what you want to achieve. You still have to know about your target audience, your market environment, and your competitive situation. You still need to be clear about the image and message you want to convey. You still have to be certain about the strategies you’ll follow to achieve success. And you still have to choose the tactics you’ll employ to reach your customers and move them to action.

Yes, marketing tactics have changed over the past few years — dramatically. And yes, customers have changed. They’ve been empowered by social media, review and rating sites, and interactive communication tools that give them not just any seat at the table but the best seat in the house.

The rest of this book provides information and advice for shifting your marketing tactics from traditional ...