Waseem Saddique Marketing has learnt that a number of marketing strategies are failing
as a result of poor planning. In a recent report issued by ‘Lionbridge’, 36% of
business leaders admitted to adopting a ‘scatter-gun’ approach when it came to
marketing strategy. This approach has seen an increase in the number of online
marketing campaigns doomed to fail before they even begin.
In a bid to
combat this trend, Waseem Saddique Marketing provides a few simple tips for
implementing a successful marketing plan.
Waseem
Saddique states: “The marketing plan is just as important as the marketing
strategy itself. After all, the plan lays the foundation for an entire
marketing campaign. If the foundation is not structured correctly, the strategy
itself runs the risk of failing.”
Marketing
commentators make the point that business leaders need to possess the ability
to step back and evaluate the progress of a marketing campaign to ensure that
the initial plan is being adhered to and that the company is heading in the
right direction.
So what are
the tactics for keeping your marketing strategy on track?
Step 1 –
Evaluate and Monitor: Waseem Saddique comments: “This cannot be emphasised
enough, the moment a business loses sight of the original marketing plan is the
moment that strategies go astray.”
Keeping track
of articles, social media, videos, blogs and adverts is a necessity and can be
achieved through ‘Google Analytics’ and other such resources. Adopting this
approach allows business leaders the freedom to evaluate which strategies are
working and worth pursuing and which marketing tactics are worth eliminating.
Step 2 – Seek
feedback: Request regular feedback and testimonials from clients as this will
give your business a key insight into whether your marketing tactics are having
the desired effect. Statistics from analytical tools only provide a partial
assessment of the effectiveness of a marketing campaign. However, consumers
will provide an honest evaluation of your campaign whether good or bad.
After all,
it’s consumers that your business is reaching out to and they’re the people
that truly determine whether your marketing approach is doing the job it’s supposed
to be doing.
Step 3 -
Always be planning: Planning doesn’t end at the beginning, marketing plans have
to grow in order to incorporate new ideas and fresh tactics. Waseem Saddique
states: “A marketing strategy is something more than a ‘once a year’ phase.
Marketing campaigns will take different courses throughout the year, adapting
for seasonal promotions and special offers etc…”
It’s
important to plan constantly, but without navigating away from the roots of the
initial marketing plan. A solid foundation allows business leaders to have a
freedom and flexibility, which enables them to adjust a marketing strategy
depending on trends.
The best
marketing campaigns are ones that are executed on the foundation of a solid
plan, ensuring greater longevity and overall success. Did you know? The CIM
(Chartered Institute of Marketing) surveyed 40 businesses in 2012 as to whether
their marketing plan had contributed to the overall success of an online
marketing campaign. 79% of respondents implied that the plan was key to the
campaign.
