Feb 23, 2012

Web Design isn’t a cold science, it’s more of an artform. There are a million things to consider when you’re designing a web site: the look and feel, the theme, what kind of content it will feature, whether it will support ecommerce (and how strong of an influence that will be), how to optimize it so it shows up well in the search engines, and so on.

There are literally thousands of outlets worldwide where you can get your company a web presence, but unless you have a web developer who actually understands your market focus, you may be throwing your money away.

• Your website should be custom, unique and original, something that stands out from your competitors.
• Don’t be too wordy with too much text and content. Get to the point.
• Customers should immediately find what they are looking for. Use bullets or outlines to make your points.
• Your site should have a lot of "Call to Actions" (reasons for customers to buy, call or give you their name, email and phone number).
• Once your website is live, consider how you will drive customers to it. (Search Engines, Advertising, etc.)

A website can be one of the "make or break" tools for your business. Every business operating today should have one, and it needs to be one that is up to date. Contact me today to get started developing your website.

Feb 23, 2012

A marketing plan outlines the specific actions you intend to carry out to interest potential customers and clients in your product and/or service and persuade them to buy the product and/or services you offer.

The marketing plan implements your marketing strategy. So what’s the difference between a Marketing Plan and a Marketing Strategy? The marketing strategy provides the goals for your marketing plans. It tells you where you want to go from here. The marketing plan is the specific roadmap that’s going to get you there.

A marketing plan may be developed as a standalone document or as part of a business plan. Either way, the marketing plan is a blueprint for communicating the value of your products and/or services to your customers.

While a marketing plan is an important part of your business plan, every business should update its marketing plan regularly. Contact me today to get started developing your Marketing Plan.

Feb 23, 2012

Whether you are starting a new business or launching a new product, conducting a marketing analysis is the first step in determining if there is a need or audience for your idea. Knowing the market’s needs and how it is currently serviced provides you with key information that is essential in developing your product/service and marketing plan. Too often, businesses spend thousands of dollars launching a “new” idea with a limited market because of competition. The owner is forced to reevaluate his strategy and determine if there is room for another player.

Although the quality of the product is critical, your development of the best product on the market will not necessarily correlate with the most sales. Up to 50 percent of a product’s price can be for marketing. The company who wins the marketing game generally will capture the larger share of the market.

Conducting a market analysis will help you:

• Prepare to enter a new market
• Launch a new product/service
• Start a new business
• Modify your existing approach

At the completion of a Marketing Analysis you should be able to:

• Determine if there is a need for your idea or product/service
• Identify a new market
• Analyze your current market
• Gain a competitive advantage
• Begin to establish a marketing plan

Contact me today to get started developing your Market Analysis.