Strategic Marketing

Once your in business for yourself, it's easy to get tied up with the day to day operational activities that it take to be profitable and successful in your chosen business. With all the demands on the time of a busy business owner it's become increasingly difficult to manage a comprehensive marketing program that will drive more and more qualified customers to your business.

This is the first part of a series called "Marketing 101-Develop your Ideal marketing plan"

Step one: Needs analysis

The first step in developing your marketing plan is to do a needs analysis for your particular business. Each business has specific types of needs, there is no one size fits all when it comes to an Ideal marketing plan. your needs analysis should begin with a close look at what the current marketing strategy is. What sort of programs have been used in the past and what has been the result of those efforts.

What are the areas of your business you feel offer the most potential for increase in sales and profits?

What is going be your target market?

What sort of specialty products and services do you offer?

How much are you going to budget for your on going marketing activities?

Who are your customers and where are they coming from?

What do you feel will be an acceptable return on your marketing dollars?

What are your competitive advantages in your particular business?

Are you competing strictly on price or are there other factors to consider?

These are some of very important first steps to consider before you fire off thousands of dollars in advertising money and take a wait and see what happens approach to your program. Marketing is a essential and vital part of your business and if managed properly can lead to greater profits and greater satisfaction.

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Scott Florin - EzineArticles Expert Author