“Let’s do some marketing!” is a phrase which is often uttered by business owners and their staff. Unfortunately, it is often accompanied by a variety of suggestions and then a gradual fading away of the enthusiasm and drive. Or, the other thing that tends to happen is that the same methods which have been done repeatedly are tried again and again. Perhaps the same ad in the local paper, magazine or radio is run again for another month, despite there not being any real evidence that it brought anyone in.

Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to lay out some simple and effective marketing campaign plans which you can implement along with our help and advice where necessary. These will be quite useful for many types of business, and we will endeavor to include at least one campaign that any business type could use. So be sure to follow our Facebook page to ensure you see the new plan each week.

Planned Marketing

When you are looking to get results in marketing, it is vital that what you do is well planned. This means not just looking at the method itself but also at the before, during and after of the campaign.

Before the marketing campaign

It is vital that the marketing method is chosen and I would advise against simply signing up to a campaign simply because the sales rep for the local news/radio/magazine called in and seemed convincing. Instead take the time to look at what your potential customers are involved in, where they would see an ad, what they would like to see and how to deliver such an ad.

You should also create a way to measure your campaign’s success. For example, have staff ask people how they heard of you, have a customer survey at the door as people are leaving. This person can double as a greeting person if appropriate.

During the marketing campaign

Your staff needs to know exactly what your business has said in the ads. If a customer calls to ask about an ad and the staff member is unsure then it seems unprofessional; they may even think they have called the wrong place.

Furthermore, your premises should reflect your ad and vice versa. Use your company colors on the ad, have signs or a banner in store which reinforce the ad message.

After the marketing campaign

Assess the success or failure of the campaign. Look at the surveys you did, see if any specific goals you had were achieved, talk to staff about what people have said to them. This part of a marketing campaign is crucial because it can ensure you either keep going with a successful campaign or drop an unsuccessful one. So many businesses I speak to continue to run campaigns without any real idea of how effective or ineffective they are. In many of these cases, I would wager that they are ineffective campaigns because when a campaign works, you can tell – customers or staff tell you.

Marketing is too important to do badly or put off

At Colorado Canopies, we know that marketing will work when it is done well and consistently. We encourage our customers to look at various ideas and to talk to us when they are considering any kind of promotion. We don’t do a hard sell on our products but can inform you about what is available to improve and adapt your marketing efforts. Your success is our success and with our in-house design team, we can even save you money as well as offer advice. Talk to us today