Have you ever been so excited and ready to start selling your product or service, but didn't know how to put all of your ideas into action?

Have you searched online for marketing plan templates and strategy suggestions?

For me it's all about following a formula for all of my marketing efforts. It gets the process moving in a forward direction for me and my client.

My formula to begin crafting a killer marketing strategy begins with these FIVE KEY QUESTIONS:

1. Can you describe the current situation of your business?

The first part if this discussion develops the building blocks for a standard situational analysis. The information will be placed into to a SWOT matrix (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats).

2. What types of marketing are you already doing, if any?

This information will help me to determine what assets are already available and what needs to be created to support the strategy.

3. What type of results are you looking for in your marketing? Grow a social following, drive more customers into a retail storefront, gain new leads for a sales team?

Of course, in most cases the goal is to increase sales, but it's important to lay it all out there to help determine tactics for our strategy.

4. Can you describe your target audience?

This is one of the most important questions. Without understanding who your ideal customer is (a buyer persona), how can you properly determine what type of marketing tactics and messaging to use? A business may have just a few or many personas depending on the type of product or service they offer. I find it helpful to focus on the top three.

5. What are your resources in terms of time and budget?

Understanding how involved a client will be for the implementation of marketing tactics is important to know ahead of time. In some cases, my clients prefer that I carry out most of the efforts. On the flip side, some have an internal team who I consult and support. A clear budget is necessary, but this doesn't mean you need a large one to have a successful marketing strategy. The budget should always aligned with goals to provide the best possible return on investment.

Happy Strategizing!

- Arica