It’s no secret that marketers are constantly looking for ways to improve their conversion rates. While there is always room for growth, not all of us are experiencing the same level of success. To ensure you’re using the right strategies to reach your full potential, you need to consider a brand’s objective and target audience before coming up with a plan of action.
Step one: Set a benchmark for your marketing plan
Before you get started, it’s important to set a benchmark and review why you’re doing what you’re doing. What do you hope to achieve by taking this step? The first step in the 10-step process is to set a benchmark and review why you’re doing what you’re doing. Start by taking a look at what worked well in the past and how you can apply it to your strategy.
Consider looking at your competition and what they’re doing. If you want to grow your business, you need to know what’s working and what isn’t. You can’t grow if you don’t know how to reach people. By looking at your competition, you can see what will and won’t work in terms of marketing strategies.
Step two: Form a solid foundation
Now that you have a clear idea of where you’re heading, you can lay the foundations. The second step is to form a solid foundation by establishing what you have and what you need.
From here, you can work on building a team, identifying your target audience, and designing your strategy around that. When you know the basics of what you’re working with, you can move forward confidently.
Establishing a brand voice and style are integral to forming a solid foundation. While you don’t need to follow what everyone else is doing, you should find the strength in what you are doing and represent it to the world. Doing what you do best and communicating it effectively will always put you a step ahead of the competition.
Looking at your competitors can also help you determine what you don’t know that you need to know. When you find a weakness, you can work on fixing it. Better yet, you can find people who can help you fix it. By working together, you can achieve great results.
Step three: Identify existing resources
Now that you have a solid foundation and a plan of action, you can begin to identify existing resources that can help you achieve your goals. The third step is to identify existing resources by looking at your current situation and what you have available.
It’s important to note here that you’re not limited to what’s available to you. Leverage whatever resources you have, whether it’s people, funding, or equipment. There are many ways to skin this cat. By taking advantage of your existing situation, you can find the best solutions and approaches to take your business to the next level.
Step four: Select the right marketing channels
Having the right tools is essential when tackling any project. Having the right tools makes the process easier and ensures you get the results you’re looking for. In the fourth step, you’ll consider which channels you should use to reach your target audience. The first and most important step is to identify the right channels for your product or service. Simply put, if you want to reach a group of people, you need to consider using a channel that they’re likely to be using.
Once you have that channel, you can begin to think about the type of content you’ll need to create and the words you’ll need to use to appeal to your audience. When executing a digital marketing campaign, always consider your end goal in mind. Does this campaign need to generate leads? Does it need to build brand awareness? Consider the channel you have and how you can use it to your advantage.
Step five: Build a plan
With a plan in place, you can begin to execute the strategy. The fifth step is to build a plan by considering your objectives and the resources you have available.
Depending on the nature of your business, you might not have all the resources you need to achieve your full potential. It’s important to consider what you have and what you need in order to build the best plan. This plan will consist of different tactics, each designed to achieve a specific goal. You can use this plan as a guide to reach your full potential. Just keep in mind that you’re not limited to what’s outlined here; it’s a starting point for your research.
Step six: Measure the success of your plan
In the sixth step, you’ll consider monitoring and measuring the success of your plan. The first thing you’ll want to do is set a benchmark and review how you did. By doing this, you can determine the effectiveness of your plan.
Once you have this benchmark, you can begin to consider how you can improve your performance. If you’re not seeing the results you want, it might be time to revisit the plan and strategical approach.
Step seven: Iterate
In the seventh step, you’ll consider whether or not what you’ve done thus far is working. If it isn’t, you’ll want to go back and do some research or take some time off to see if there’s something else you can try. Don’t be afraid to change course, if what you’ve done so far isn’t getting the results you want. Just because what you’re doing isn’t working doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with what you’re doing; it just means it needs to be changed to work.
Step eight: Reassess
Finally, in the eighth step, you’ll consider whether or not what you’ve done thus far is working and if you should continue executing this strategy. Just because what you’re doing isn’t working doesn’t mean you should give up; it means it needs to be changed to work. Consider what would need to be different in order for this plan to work and how you can make that change. By looking at what’s working and what’s not working, you can find ways to improve the results you’re getting. If, after reviewing your plan and benchmarks, you feel confident that this is the right strategy for your brand, you can move forward with confidence. However, if you feel that there are areas that need to be changed, you can develop a new plan and take another shot at executing it. Ultimately, this step is all about self-reflection and how you feel about what you’re doing. Is this the right strategy for your brand? Are you happy with the results you’re seeing? Or, is there room for improvement? Only you can answer these questions.
If you’ve gotten this far and still don’t know where to start or how to get started, here’s a simple guide that’ll help you develop a solid marketing strategy for your brand.