The Marketing Appraisal | The Marketing Appraisal |
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"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the trick is to discover them." Galileo
Do you want to look professional, increase sales and the value (or sale value) of your business?
The Marketing Appraisal is our most popular product. Available from just €200, it can actually SAVE on your publicity budget and help turn your business round.
How?
If you feel that you are spending endless amounts of money on leaflets, websites, indescriminate advertising, business cards, and so on, just stop for a minute. Is your current promotion actually working? Are you TESTING the results? Could you actually SAVE some of this money (and still get the same level of publicity) or use it for something else? Indeed, could you invest some of it in a Marketing Appraisal that has long-term value and identifies areas that your business can flourish?
How long does it take?
We do some initial research. We then meet with you for one or two hours (depending on the size of your business) to discover more about what makes it tick, the marketing of the business, the opportunities, benefits, solutions, your Unique Selling Proposition, etc, and your goals, . We offer an independent, outside view that is totally confidential.
We then go away, do some more research, look at the competition and so on, and produce a report (about one week later) for your discussion.
That's it.
The important thing is that it is an INDEPENDENT person who is troubleshooting the marketing of your business - an OUTSIDER with an objective (and professional marketing) view, someone who can see your business as the public sees it (and not just as you see it yourself - examining your own operation from your own introspective viewpoint).
Bare layout of typical Marketing Appraisal Example Company (last examined 00/00/00)
Products & Services 1) Describe the Unique Solution Your Company Provides What products, or services do you provide to the market. Often described as an elevator pitch, you should be able to quickly describe your solution to a prospect within 20 seconds. Think about this as your purpose. What need was identified in the market that led to the development of your solution to fulfil that need.
Include: Integrated Marketing Communications Plan - basic examination:
* Brand (including house-style, logo and general design appearance as well as the overall 'feel-good' factor experienced by people when they hear or see your name) * Press / PR (your presence both in other media and 'out on the street' as regards customers, suppliers, agents, staff and bankers). This includes 'word-of-mouth' image and sponsorship deals. * Point of Sale / Premises * Advertising (your own website, other websites, newsprint, magazines, directories, radio and TV) * Printed Matter (stationery, business cards, brochures / leaflets, newsletters and mailshots) * Electronic matter (newsletters, email shots, social and viral marketing and blogging) * Photographic quality * Audio visual mechanisms * Customer Service (face-to-face, telephone, email) * Testimonials
Include: Place and which segment you are targeting (young adults, families, business people, etc):
2) Define Your Target Market Defining the target market often proves to be the most challenging aspect of the plan. However, if you do not choose the right markets to target, you will often never achieve complete success. Too often companies see that their solution can serve the needs of multiple markets and they go off trying to establish multiple markets at the same time. Ultimately this may lead to failure because they overextended themselves and didn't successfully meet the needs of any market. Choose a well-defined market when you write your marketing plan and stick to it until the market dictates a change.
3) Write the Benefits of Your Products or Services When companies describe their products and services, they often talk in features, or advantages, when what the customer really wants are benefits. If your customer ever says to you, "Hey that's great, but what's in it for me?" then you are guilty of talking features instead of benefits. Features describe a product, or service, but the benefits help your customers understand how they'll use it, and most importantly why they will use it.
4) How will You Position Your Products or Services Take a position and defend it. For your customers to make a decision, they need to know what you have to offer and why it is different from your competition. We see this most readily with consumer products as companies seek to define their products and build their brand. Your positioning defines your location in the market and will drive your price and how you market your products or services. Finish the statement "we want to be known as " the Example company" and you will have the first piece of your positioning. What is the competition??
5) Define Your Marketing Methods How do you plan to tell the world about your products and services. We refer to this as the Integrated Marketing Communications Plan. The communications plan defines the methods you will use to promote your products or services, for example, advertising, online marketing, and/or public relations. For each of these aspects of the communications plan, you'll need to choose the proper deliver vehicle, budget and resources to implement them. The best communications plan is an integrated program that works together to promote a consistent message to your customers.
6) Revisit and Refine Your Marketing Appraisal Once you have a marketing appraisal, it is a working document that can be used to lay out the future of your business and its plans. You can come back to it often. You may find aspects of the appraisal that need to be updated, or modified to reflect changes in the market. Set specific goals within your marketing appraisal/plan and evaluate your performance against those goals as time goes by.
Contact Us today for an independent, OUTSIDE and professional report on the marketing of your business. You will wonder how you ever lived without it! |
