1. Executive Summary – This section is the headline, the [...]]]> Writing a marketing plan for a business or product is the first and most critical step in making it a success. In this article Limeminds aims to provide you with a template from which you can develop your own marketing plan over and over again.

1. Executive Summary – This section is the headline, the grabber and the summary of your plan. Whilst it will be positioned at the front of the plan it will most likely be written last as it encapsulates everything your marketing plan aims to deliver.

Try to keep the summary around the 350 words mark and make it to the point.

2. Situation – What is the need for the business/product? What does the current market look like?

You should look to answer these questions and others through a mix of techniques

a. SWOT analysis

b. PESTLE analysis

c. Competitor analysis

This section should also include commentary on the market and its current trends, an overview of you company and it performance in this area and an overview of the customers including size of market and type of customers.

3. Objectives or Targets – This section should be used to define what success will look like. Provide your marketing and financial goals along with some commentary as to when they are there.

4. Strategy – Here you will describe the plan to deliver your objectives, work around the 4 P’s (Product, Price, Place & Promotion). Highlight your USP and describe in detail how you will reach your target market.

Within this section you may want to include an overview of alternative strategies, this may add weight to reasons why you decided upon the chosen strategy.

5. Implementation and Budget – The final section should give the details of how and when you will implement the plan and how much you expect it to cost. Detail and accuracy are key here especially if you require an investor or manager to agree to your plan.

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1> By the Minute – Hire LimeMinds to advise your business on online and offline marketing, analyse [...]]]> LimeMinds have now launched a new service for Small Businesses to help them create effective marketing plans. LimeMinds can how be put to work in developing a marketing strategy for your small  business in 3 ways:

1> By the Minute – Hire LimeMinds to advise your business on online and offline marketing, analyse your competition  and industry.

2> Create a Marketing plan or Strategy - LimeMinds can be hired to create your business an effective marketing plan.

> Act as your virtual Marketing Director - Many small businesses would benefit from having a dedicated marketing director or manager. LimeMinds virtual Marketing Director allows your business to access to have that resource.

For more details about these and other services click here.

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The terms themselves aren’t that important its the concept which they stand for that is, and that concept is of user interaction and user generated content. The idea that today’s [...]]]> Social networks, Blogging, Online directories, Web 2.0, micro-blogging,  Online forums, are just a few of the terms you may or may not be familiar with.

The terms themselves aren’t that important its the concept which they stand for that is, and that concept is of user interaction and user generated content. The idea that today’s customers and clients live in a connected world which they can control and that includes their perception of you company, brand and services. Whilst most of are aware of the many social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, etc, but how many really understand the impact that forums and bloggers can have on our businesses, positive or negative?

For many small businesses online marketing and PR through social networks can be a cost effective way of reaching your audience on a global scale. Imagine finding a forum which main thread of discussion surrounds your niche market, this forum picks up on your service through appropriate marketing and within days has a long list of reviews and discussions about your products and services. Imagine how powerful that user generated commentary about your business would be to potential new customers vs the standard sales literature found on a static website on in a offline ad.

The power of SNO is credibility!

Harnessing the potential of SNO can control and negate bad press and opinion, whilst maximizing your global web presence and customer base and creating credibility around your business and brand. It’s this interaction and credibility building is the key difference why SNO is so much more powerful than simple SEO and therefore its importance can’t be understated.

We recommend any business, web based or not, should start looking at how they approach SNO and suggest the following questions to ask when looking at Social Network Marketing;

1. Where are potential customers discussing my industry/products/services?
2. What are the hot topics/issues that these bloggers/forums are raising?
3. What interaction does my business have with these forums and their issues?
4. What opportunity do we offer to both our exsiting and potential customers to feedback to us and interact with us on the internet?

Find the answers to these questions and you can be well on the way to tackling SNO and influencing more customers than you ever imagined.

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