Communication is key to your success
spread the word
Marketing with a plan
spread the word
Whether you are looking for new business or ensuring that you keep existing clients, it is essential that you maintain communication with your audience. Keep people in the loop with your activities and developments, and impress them with your regular (but not too frequent) updates, whether it’s re-branding or simply updating your website.
But how do you know what marketing material you need, and are you convinced that this form of marketing is suitable and relevant to your business? Firstly you should ask yourself the following questions:-
- What product or service do we provide?
- Who do we provide it to?
- Why would someone use our product or service?
- What is our key message?
- How do we reach them?
Once you have determined what you need to say and to whom, you can start thinking about the different types of marketing material, such as:-
- Logo
- Website
- Brochure
- Leaflet
- Newsletter
Draw up a communications plan, identifying the types of marketing material you need and the exact types of messaging you need to use. Will creating a logo make your company more memorable? Do you have enough products for a brochure, or would a leaflet be more suitable? Would you be able to reach a wider audience via the web? And do you have enough news to think about producing a newsletter?
You may also want to think about using a copywriter if you have little experience in this field; you may find that you don’t have the time or the expertise to produce good copy. Remember, you want to deliver a clear message through marketing material which looks and sounds professional.
Before you do anything you should start with the communications plan. Most organisations and businesses have a financial, business and marketing plan but communications always seems to fall into a big black hole. A communications plan will help you to define your communication objectives and state your key message, as well as identify your target audience and reach them in the most valuable way.
If you want to increase your customer base, engage with your employees, keep your stakeholders happy then a clear communications plan and well written messages are essential.
