The world of Web marketing seems, at times, like auto repair or psychotherapy: the customer is at the mercy of the service provider. When the service provider says you need a new timing belt or six months of biweekly sessions, you may not have the know-how to doubt the diagnosis or the recommendation. In Web marketing, sales people routinely diagnosis your problem as poor search visibility and recommend expensive and unnecessary solutions to get you “to the top of Google.”

For that reason, I’ve had the nagging feeling that being honest and straightforward with people can be a liability. The slow and steady marketing campaign that builds the value of your online assets over time isn’t nearly as sexy as being Number 1 in Google tomorrow. And so I find myself explaining the fine print of Google dreams and trying to dispel the myth that it takes magic to buy sponsored search listings. All the while I’m wondering why my prospect suddenly wants something quite different from what he initially asked me to do. How can someone’s objectives change so significantly in such a short period of time? And how do I address the sky-high promises made by an unscrupulous salesperson, without sounding like a rejected girlfriend?

Despite that nagging feeling, I still stick to the honest, consultative approach. We may not close all the deals this way, but we tend to keep the ones we do close. It’s a very bad thing, in my mind, to retain a customer who has unrealistic expectations; this inevitably ends in disappointment for everyone involved.

How is your business impacted by the aggressive sales actions of your competitors?

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• 61 percent of companies have tinkered with social media, without jumping in, full board, to a social media strategy
• 13 percent of companies are not doing anything at all

Do these numbers imply that the social media landscape is less competitive than, say, your local phone book or local search results? To answer that question, we’d have to know similar usage data on those other forms of media. One thing’s for sure, the popularity of social media is growing. Facebook traffic, for example, is exploding to the point where this site is the second most popular on the Web. And this means social media is poised to get more competitive over time.

Understanding this, do you think there’s a closing window of opportunity for your small business to secure a position in social media before Twitter, Facebook and others become bogged down with endless clutter, the way search engine results are currently? Could be. Remember when businesses first started launching Web sites? Those who got in early swooped up the domain names and ushered in fundamental changes to entire industries (travel and banking sectors come to mind). It was a lot easier to establish first-page ranking when you weren’t competing with the whole world, right? Those who came on to the Web scene later in the game have struggled to build and maintain visibility under generic key phrases. Could the same thing happen with social media (or has it already)?

So let’s hear it: has your small business committed itself to a social media strategy? If not, are you concerned at all with missing the social media boat?

The Econsultancy survey queried 440 people, 238 of whom were client-side pros and the remainder were outside vendors. The largest business sector represented is retail at 19 percent, followed by publishing at 15 percent. Healthcare, consumer packaged goods, financial services, real estate and travel were represented in roughly equal portions (7-12 percent). The remaining sectors participating were automotive, entertainment, telecom, charity, pharma, public administration, utilities and gaming. Read more about this survey here.

This cost may be measured in terms of money, time or even missed opportunities. That’s why it’s so important that you understand who your most profitable customers are, and focus your energy on finding and keeping them.

To do this, you’ll first need to define your ideal customer profile. This will help you focus your efforts like a laser, enabling you to get the best ROI for your lead generation efforts.

Take a look at your existing clients.

You may not realize it yet, but your ideal target client is sitting right there in front of you.

In business, there’s an “80/20 rule” which states that 20 percent of your clients will generate 80 percent your income. You need to analyze your current client list in order to isolate the top 20% of your customers, and make careful notes about all the characteristics that they have in common.

Once you’ve determined who your best clients are, invite these customers out for lunch and ask them why they decided to do business with you. You might be surprised by their answers.

Determine which problems you can solve

Now that you know who your ideal customers are, you need to figure out how you fit into their world.

• What problems can you help them solve?
• What causes do they care about, which you can help support?
• What communities do they participate in?

This will help you decide where to focus your energies for future campaigns.

A perfect example:

When Kimberley-Clark first introduced Kleenex disposable tissues in 1924, they were marketed to women as a means of removing makeup.

But, as you might have guessed, their best customers found an alternative (and less pleasant) use for these tissues. Although the company initially objected to having their brand portrayed in such a negative manner, they did their market research and decided to follow the money… even if it was less glamorous.

After the re-branding, the product became so successful that Kleenex is now a part of our everyday vocabulary.

Remember, your brand reputation is determined primarily by your customers. (Not your company) Talk to your most profitable clients today and find out more about how you can help them interact with your brand more effectively.

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The caveat is this: the more effort you put into to analyzing the information that creates your marketing plan, the more useful it will be to you. Consider your plan a work-in-process, and be open to making adjustments as new information about your competitive situation becomes available.

Why make the effort?

Writing a marketing plan is not a quick and easy process. And it is something you can hire a professional to do for you. There are, however, benefits to getting involved in the process, even if you aren’t the one doing the writing. The process of compiling and organizing the data will help you understand your business landscape better. In many cases, it may prompt you to ask deeper questions about your competitors or to do additional consumer research. Plus, since small business owners wear many hats, it’s likely you will be responsible for implementing the plan you create.

If you do choose to hire a professional writer to work with you on the project, make your selection carefully. The professional you choose should be willing to work closely with you, direct you on what information is necessary, and explain in detail what assumptions have been made within the plan. Otherwise, you may end up with a nice looking document that fails to provide any useful information.

1. Executive Summary

2. Mission

3. Opportunity Overview

a. Product Description

b. Target Market

c. Consumer Research

4. Competitive Landscape

a. Industry/Market Description

b. Competition

c. Gap Analysis

d. S.W.O.T. Analysis

5. Marketing Strategies

a. Product

b. Pricing

c. Promotions

d. Place (Distribution)

6. Marketing Objectives

a. Objectives

b. Benchmarks

c. Measuring Progress

7. Budgets

Before getting started…

In the sections of this article that follow, we will walk through each of the above items in a similar format. First, I will define the item and what it entails. Then I will note the information you need to collect, if any. Next, I will discuss the questions you need to ask before you begin writing. Finally, for most sections I will provide a condensed example of the finished section. The Executive Summary is easiest to write last, so we will cover that after the Budgets section.  As you go through the writing process, you may decide that certain topics aren’t applicable to your business. If this happens, keep the topic in your plan and make a few notes as to why it isn’t applicable. This keeps you from skipping over topics and forgetting about them.

Note: Examples included are based on a fictitious company called KidsWorld. The company’s goal is to launch a kid-safe Web site that would initially offer a membership-based, user-friendly search engine designed to help elementary and middle school students with their homework. Over time, the site would add more services, such as instant messaging among members, personal profiles, games, and lifestyle content.

Tips

• Take a stab at your mission statement now, and then revisit it when you’re finished with the marketing plan.
• Many businesses have mission statements posted on their Web sites; if you are unfamiliar with the mission statement concept, visit the sites of well known, public companies and read how their missions are phrased.
• Avoid narrowing the focus too much, as your mission should allow for future growth and expansion.
• Word the statement to impress the people or organizations that buy your products or services.

What you need:

√Your company profile. You have probably written one for your Web site, or for inclusion in a trade association directory.

Questions to ask:

• Why did you start your company?
• Who are your customers and what would you like them to know about you?
• What image would you like to portray?
• What are your company’s strengths?
• What products and services do you offer? What needs do they serve?

The Example

KidsWorld was established in 2005 to provide families and their children a safe, user-friendly Internet community where kids can research, learn, and interact, without fear of coming across inappropriate content or malicious spyware. Designed by parents for kids, KidsWorld is Internet the way it should be: fun, wholesome, and informative.

What you need:

√ Product brochures, catalogs, previously written descriptions, product releases, product specifications, sales materials, etc. Questions to ask:

• What need does this product fulfill?
• What features does this product offer?
• What benefits does this product provide to the user?
• What is the primary selling point of this product? The secondary selling point?
• Is the product manufactured in-house or purchased from a supplier?
• How is the product currently priced: premium, competitive, or price leader?

The Example KidsWorld currently provides a kid-friendly search engine, designed to be used as a tool for research papers and other school assignments. The search engine uses a network of G-rated sites, which are continually reviewed for compliance with our strict advertising and content guidelines. Parents can allow their kids to access the wealth of information on the Internet, without fear of discovering adult/inappropriate content or advertisements.  The site is programmed by a freelance staff, overseen by a full-time, in-house product manager. Features Include: Personalized workspace, easy-to-use navigation bar that remains in place even when accessing information from other sites, relevant layout and navigation bar options, monitored content pages. Benefits/Primary and Secondary Selling Points: Worry-free searching for kids and their parents in a format that emphasizes that learning is fun.

KidsWorld is a subscription-based, membership community. Current pricing is $15.99 per member, per month. While there are no directly similar services available, this is considered premium pricing. Families seeking to experience the Internet safely can attempt to do so by other, less expensive means, such as one-time purchase software and parental controls settings. As well, for those who aren’t concerned about filtering out inappropriate content, similar information can be accessed freely via a general search engine.

In some cases, the consumer who pays for your product won’t be the same person who uses it. As an example, private tutoring or infant toys are purchased by adults, but used by children. If your product falls into this category, define both the purchaser and the user. This will prompt you to analyze whether you need to market to the purchaser, the user, or both. Toys, for example, are often marketed very effectively to kids, which prompts those kids to ask (or beg) their parents to buy the item of choice. These marketing strategy decisions should ultimately be supported by your consumer research.

Tip

Be as specific as possible about what defines your customer, using demographic and lifestyle descriptors. Narrowing your focus now will help you implement more effective marketing programs later.

What you need:

√ A thorough understanding of your product and the need it serves

√ All consumer research data that supports the marketability of your product

Questions to ask:

• How can I define the consumer group that is most likely to have the problem that my product addresses? How are these consumers similar?
• How might they be different?
• What personal characteristics would prompt someone to buy my product?
• Is the person who pays for my product the same person who actually uses my product?
• On what scale will my company distribute the product: locally, regionally, nationally, or globally?
• Will our distribution system limit our potential customer base?

The Example

KidsWorld users will be English-speaking children between the ages of 9 and 14 who have Internet access at home. KidsWorld purchasers will be financially stable parents who: 1) consider the Internet to be largely adult-oriented and 2) take an active role in their children’s education.

Ideally, you should use consumer and industry research to:

• Validate your product concept
• Confirm that your logo and brand messaging resonates with your consumer
• Test your pricing schedule
• Develop your understanding of your consumer’s lifestyle, needs and wants

The cost of conducting focus groups, administering statistically valid surveys, and interviewing consumers puts the highest quality research out of the reach of most small business owners. You should, however, do as much research, formal or informal, as your resources allow. Trade organizations are often great resources in this regard; they may provide their membership with published industry reports and/or access to low-cost, customized research.

What you need:

√ Copies of surveys, questionnaires, reports

√ Copies of relevant published research reports

√ A working summary of what you already know about your customer and your market, based on your own industry experience

Questions to ask:

• How was the research conducted? Who was the audience?
• What was the objective of the research?
• What conclusions were made about the product? Can you make any conclusions about the most effective advertising channels?
• What questions were raised?

Condensed Example

KidsWorld offered free membership to approximately 5,000 families nationwide for six months. These families were reached initially via a combination of direct mail and Internet advertising. In return for the free membership, families were asked to complete a brief survey at the end of six months (attached as Appendix A), rating the service on ease of use, relevance to their needs, and perceived value at the suggested pricing. Consumers were also asked for open-ended responses on how the service could be improved. No demographic information was collected.

Research Findings…

Research Conclusions…

Actions Taken…