Promote Yourself to Director of Marketing

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by Virginia Cooper

Whether you’ve just launched a new business or are getting ready to, ask yourself this important question: What effort can you add to provide the best opportunity for success? Work both sides of the profit equation by becoming your own marketing department. Done well, you will maximize your revenue and customer base while minimizing expenses to increase profitability.

Product, Price, Place, Promotion

Some people will tell you classic marketing is dead — not true. The concept of the 4 Ps, first developed in the 1950s, remains equally relevant today. Give your company a distinct competitive advantage by balancing each component into your marketing mix.

Go Step by Step

You’ve developed your product or service and its compelling value proposition. The following steps are essential in guiding the right customers through the purchase process and providing the highest level of customer service:

• Research. Learn your industry, know the competition, and identify your customer.
• Strategize and Set Goals. Develop fresh strategies and establish measurable goals.
• Brand Development. Create the look, feel, and promise of your product or service.
• Message Composition. Author the mission statement, brand promise, tagline, and buyer persona to tell your unique story.
• Channel Selection. Select the online and offline media channels to convey your messages to target audiences.
• Content Creation. Engage the customer with compelling content, selling a solution to their problem
• Plan Implementation. Schedule and execute all components of your marketing campaign.

Make Thoughtful Choices

Today’s consumers are professional shoppers. The internet is fortifying them with in-depth product information, multiple sourcing alternatives, and user reviews. Your branding elements can be composed of unlimited design styles, hundreds of typefaces, and varied color palettes. Accompanying messages can also differ wildly in content, tone, length, and word selection, depending on your audience.

Offline media marketing channels can be as simple as a page stapled to a telephone pole or as multi-layered as a national billboard campaign. Online channels involve evaluating website development, social media platforms, and email programs. Creating unique, engaging content requires an understanding of all types. The directive to your marketing department team is to make appropriate, consistent, and memorable choices aimed at your specific target audience.

Implementing marketing plan initiatives is all about timing. To streamline processes, you can save time with a free invoice maker. Select a pre-made template, add your logo, adjust the color palette, and you are immediately in possession of professional billing documents.

Measure, Analyze, Evaluate, and Revise

Measuring the effectiveness of activities is an important component of your overall marketing plan. Determining how department expenditures contribute to company profits is essential information, allowing the executive team to make long-term plans and set achievable goals.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are marketing metrics intended to provide measurable results for various activities. At a minimum, you should calculate the Return on Investment (ROI) for each marketing activity. Cost per Acquisition and Conversion Rate are also good indicators of solid plans.

Get A Little Help From Your Friends

Undertaking all the responsibilities of the marketing department is an ambitious and challenging project. Don’t overlook the myriad of resources available online to assist you, including plan outlines, project templates, and help with branding element design.

Visit Scottsdale’s premier online educator, Learn-u, to explore additional learning opportunities.