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Your Guide to Creating a Marketing Plan

Business Planning

By writing a marketing plan you will be able to combine the various avenues you are going to use to market your business. It will keep you focussed on being systematic in your approach.

Before you start writing you will need to remember the What, How, and When of the elements of your plan. Start with the objectives and work back. Then you can fill in the six key paragraphs of the plan.

Thoroughly research your market and present an analysis;

: Recall your vision

State those goals that you want your business to reach;

Define those crucial strategies you will use;

Break the process of achieving your goals into small, manageable chunks, and write out each step;

Cost out the marketing channels you have decided to use and if necessary revisit them to bring them within an affordable budget. Put down a figure for that budget with its sources.

Finally put a timeline to the steps you defined earlier.

Like your business plan, this section of it should be visited frequently and updated as necessary. For example, as your business changes you may need to adjust your marketing strategies.

If you need assistance with this part of your business plan the appropriate area of your state government will no doubt be able to provide you with advice and templates.

Terence Kierans CAVB (Certified Australian Virtual Business)
Principal, Cyberspace Virtual Services
PO Box 93 Quinns Rocks, Western Australia 6030
http://www.virtualservices.com.au – Experience the Difference
http://vacertified.com/client-info/ – First in the World to be VA Certified (and you can benefit)
http://www.avbn.com.au – Australian Virtual Business Network—You Deserve the Best®
http://a4vb.com.au/ – Alliance for Virtual Businesses, Australian Chapter—Supporting the Future of Business Through Innovative Ideas
http://www.ivaa.org – International Virtual Assistants Association—Your Worldwide connection to Virtual Professionals®
2011 Constant Contact™ All Star Award
2007 Thomas Leonard International VA of Distinction Award Nominee
Use our skills to help you succeed
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Marketing via the Internet

Get the Message Out

A business needs to be marketed using the internet. The following will help you establish if your website fits the bill.

Who designs your website?
Even if you’re a wiz with HTML, it is still more advisable if a professional team does it for you. When detailing your wants remember that it is a must that marketing is integrated to the web design.

How many keywords does your web site cater to?
If you have too many keywords or key phrases to focus on they will make your page ranking drop. Create smaller web pages with content that emphasizes only a few keywords will serve your marketing endeavours so much better.

Search Engine Optimisation

How search engine-compatible is your website?
Test to make sure that your website is a hundred percent search engine-compatible. There are about 10 major search engines online and your site has to work with all of them.

Do you know your competitors?

Take note of your competitors. Analysis and evaluation of the competition is mandatory to figure out your shortcomings and advantages over them. If this feature is not includedfrom your marketing plan, you’re selling yourself, and your business, short.

How efficient is the marketing plan?
For a marketing plan to be efficient, it must zero in on the following things: webpage development, link exchanges, web content, updates and technical support. Of course, include SEO, competition analysis and keyword density.
Always remember the aphorism, “Content is king”.

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What is a Business Plan and Why Should You Need One?

Start a plan

When most people think about writing a business plan, they envision a long, dry, extensively detailed document with masses of data and financial forecasts.

Unless you are seeking outside funding, your business plan doesn’t have to be all that complicated to be effective. It provides the blueprint for how you intend to build your business, so the plan only has to be as long as you need, depending on the size of your business. When writing your own business plan use it to map out your goals, action plans and financials. This will significantly increase your chances for success.

Who needs a business plan?

Many profitable business owners revisit their business plans on a yearly basis to get themselves organized for the following year. It’s a way of taking stock of their progress, examining what’s working – and what’s not - and laying out goals and plans for the year to come. Almost all of the very successful business owners will tell you that they revise action plans and business goals on a regular basis, sometimes as often as once a month.

Additionally , if you have been struggling in your business or are considering something new, the entire process of creating a business plan will help you see where you can be most profitable. It will also tell you where you are going wrong and what needs to change.

What are the key components for developing a business plan?

Most business plans comprise the following parts. If you are creating a proposal for a business loan, you’ll be given more precise requirements. But for your own business, these components should be sufficient to define your business plan structure. You will find a S.W.O.T. (strengths, weaknesses, opportunity and threat) analysis of great use when researching the material necessary for preparing a business plan with these components.

Description of your business model and target market. The kind of business you are implementing and your target market.
Your unique selling proposition. What you have to offer that makes you different from everyone else.
Business goals. Your specific, measureable goals that you want to achieve and when. Remember S.M.A.R.T. – Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based.
Marketing Plan. Your marketing strategies and their timeline.
Action Plan. The tasks you need to complete and when.
Financial forecast and budget. What this is going to cost you on an ongoing monthly basis, and what kind of revenue you expect. How long is it going to take to break even and then to make a profit?

Financial forecast

Many templates and useful articles relating to developing a business plan have been provided by Microsoft at:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/creating-a-business-plan-HA001159454.aspx .

When should you create a business plan?

A business plan is a living, breathing document that grows and changes along with your business. When first starting a new business, it helps determine if you have a good, financially viable idea. Revising it at the beginning of each year helps you to plan your goals and strategies.

You must revisit your business plan regularly. As market conditions change, government laws or regulations change, or you aren’t seeing the results you expected, then it’s time to adjust your plans. Use it as your guide and refer to it often as you plan each week, but don’t let it restrict you either.

Your business plan is your blueprint for success, and anyone operating a business will benefit from creating one – whether you are working online or offline. It doesn’t have to be the long, formal document that many business organizations prescribe. Let the level of detail be determined by how complex or simple your business is.

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The Heartbeat of Social Media

It is human nature to want to connect, feel needed, be acknowledged, be understood, appreciated for what we accomplish and contribute to our small circles and ecosystem as a whole.

It’s no wonder that social networks such as Facebook and Twitter have taken off as a force to be reckoned with.

What makes Facebook and Twitter sticky?

What are the successful social networks doing better than other networks? Why do people gravitate to one social network over the other? What makes them stick around?

Why is Facebook able to attract everything from my 70 year old mother-in-law to my 7 yr old son?

Facebook satisfies some of our basic human needs. Our needs to belong, to be provided for, to fit in.

In one simple status update or 140 character tweet we can ask for help, brag about a great day or accomplishment, or simply ask for a prayer when in need. Within usually seconds we get a response. Someone sends a verse of inspiration, words of wisdom, a virtual pat on the back via a “like” or share.

It’s more than technology.

It’s the power of community that makes these networks special. It’s not the network, nor the technology infrastructure that is the community. It’s not the like button or the comment box. It’s definitely not the annoying new Facebook timeline.

The social networks are simply the medium that connects people to other people. So what is it? What is that keeps the social heartbeat of Facebook? How do social networks such as Facebook and Twitter keep the healthy pulse morning, noon and night?

I host the #GetRealChat every Tuesday night at 9pm et. We get between 12-25 million impressions on a typical night. However, it’s not the impressions or opt-ins that keep the community thriving. It’s the people. People that I can remember joining a year ago who could hardly tweet or retweet. Yet today they are now leading their communities. They are helping others, and we are all succeeding together as a team, not as one. Twitter is simply the medium that lets us connect weekly with folks across the globe. Tweeters who can sometimes bring a tear to my eye in a simple 140 character tweet. To me, that is powerful and what keeps me stickin’ and tweetin’ around.

Yes, Google plus has good momentum. It is now clearly understood for businesses that depend on the search engines for web traffic to drive business leads that they can not ignore Google and Google plus. However, I question if Google will ever win the heart. I question if they will ever be able to keep up the pulse with the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Forcing us to +1 something for search results is far different than someone sharing a business article to help a friend who needs a job or a picture of a new baby with a Grandma who lives across the country.

The heartbeat of social media is you and me.

The heartbeat of social is the people. That heartbeat gets stronger, louder and becomes viral as more people feel and hear it. It’s what they see, talk about, share, listen to, watch, virtually touch and feel that keeps them coming back. It’s the emotion of good, sad, bad, frustrated, happy and grateful. It’s the ability to share all of those special times and moments with others. It’s the sharing of hopes, dreams, ups, downs, prayers, accomplishments that keep us bonded. It’s new friendships that start with a Tweet on Twitter and turn into a like or friendship on Facebook. It’s the friendship that evolves to in real life friendship.

The heartbeat of social is people sharing life together. Yes, we share business. Yes, we share blog posts, data, expertise, tips and tricks. However, at the end of the day, people buy from people. People are at the heart of communities. Communities are the heart of the social networks. You can’t have one without the other.

My question for you….

Are you part of the beating heart? Or are you just a part of the noise contributing to the stress, confusion and disbelief in the value of social media.

I challenge you to ponder this question in your online work in 2012. Do something of value. Do something that makes people smile. Do something that creates communities doing good things together. Do something that outlives you. Focus on helping others achieve their goals and chances are achieving yours will happen by default!~

Heartbeat of Social Media Series

This blog post is the first in a new series I am kicking off titled “The Heartbeat of Social Media“. It will include a deep look at how communities work, what people are doing within them and how businesses can better understand how they can fit in, provide value and derive benefit as both a business as well as individual people.

Subscribe to the series for updates and access to special videos, webinar training and more. Would love to hear your input and have you participate in discussions and debates as we challenge each other to be part of what makes the social network heartbeat healthy and alive in 2012!

Pam Moore – The Marketing Nut
http://www.pammarketingnut.com/

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How to Make Blogging Easier

Blogging is not a difficult process but some aspects of blogging can be difficult for new bloggers or bloggers who do not have a great deal of Internet experience.

Fortunately, there is a number of products which can simplify the process of blogging. These can be very helpful to the blogger by simplifying the design process or helping to make the blog more appealing to blog readers. This post will discuss three areas of products currently available to make blogging simpler.

Software Programs
Some of the more obvious programs which make blogging easier are specifically designed Blogging software programs.

These programs are readily available — many of them free to use. These programs can greatly simplify the process of publishing a blog especially if the blogger employs the templates to simplify the design process.

The blogger may only have to scroll through a list of options and select those which are most appealing. Then, based on these selections the software will generate the blog with the appropriate layout, colours, fonts and even advertising options. The templates may be customised, but this is not necessary, the blog will post OK without any additional customization.

Website Design Software
Website design software is a useful tool for new bloggers who want to create a blog which is functional and also aesthetically appealing.

These software programs make it possible for bloggers who do not have any design experience or skills to create a blog with a unique appearance. Using this type of software the blogger can scroll through a series of options, make changes on the fly, preview changes and even upload photos for use in the blog. As these changes are made in the software design program the code for these design options is automatically generated, updated and stored as required.

Keyword Generators
To attract web traffic to a website bloggers should consider the use of a keyword generator to assist them in determining which keywords they should be using in their blog.

The priority is to make the blog interesting and informative, but the judicious use of keywords throughout the blog and in the code of the blog can contribute to higher search engine rankings. High search engine rankings often translate to high blog traffic. This is because Internet users heavily rely on search engines to assist them in finding the best websites which pertain to certain keywords used during their searches. These high search engine rankings essentially act as free advertisements for the blog owner because Internet users expect the highest ranking websites to be the most informative.

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Marketing via the Internet

What is a Business Plan and Why Should You Need One?

How to Make Blogging Easier

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