“Sometimes I come to entrepreneurs who think they should do more with ChatGPT or Tiktok,'” says Elham Elham Mohseni, marketing coach and consultant at Brilliant Work. “Recently, I heard an entrepreneur say, ‘we definitely need to start using ChatGPT and TikTok more.’ When I asked about a specific plan for using ChatGPT, there was no clear answer. ‘No idea, but everyone is doing it,’ he told me. Also, the choice of TikTok was striking, given that their target audience is primarily over-50s.”
“I notice that entrepreneurs regularly tend to go along with the latest trends, Elham reveals. “Like Instagram, TikTok or ChatGPT, without having a clearly formulated marketing plan for it. However, this random approach does not produce noticeable results, especially when there is no clear overview of which marketing channel is actually relevant to their specific target audience.”
SWOT analysis unused on the Drive
“When I then inquire about their marketing plan, it often turns out not to exist. Or I am literally told: yes, an intern once prepared a SWOT analysis; it should be on the Drive somewhere. That’s a missed opportunity. With a good marketing plan, you can not only focus better and grow faster, but also evaluate and integrate new tools or platforms more easily.”
When do you start drafting your marketing strategy and how do you create a marketing plan? “In fact, you should have already thought about your marketing strategy before you register your business with the Chamber of Commerce,” Elham explains. “When you start doing business, you usually already have a clear idea of your product or service. It is then crucial to think about your intended target market right away.”
Marketing is more than just social media or advertising
“Specifying your customer and your product and/or service is an important part of your marketing. Many business owners often think of marketing only as posting on social media or advertising on Google,” Elham says. “But in reality, marketing is much more comprehensive than that. It also includes identifying your target audience, establishing your unique value-add and working out strategies to attract customers.”
“Your marketing plan can be the guide to your sales, your online visibility and the content for your website. This applies not only to start-ups, but also to experienced entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, too often I still enter SMEs that are eager to improve their performance, but do not yet have a (good) marketing plan.”
No plan, no good growth
And yet some companies manage to do well (in the first few years) without a plan. How can that be? “That may be because, for example, sales are through networks and they have good relationships,” Elham explains. “Then again, that’s a sales channel over which you have little control as an entrepreneur. Nor is a marketing plan necessary for every business; some companies function just fine without it. At the same time, it is also not always a guarantee of success,” he explains.
“In general, if you want to maximize your profits or grow, a marketing plan is invaluable. And it doesn’t have to be a huge document right away. Just start with the most important thing, like a service/target matrix.”
Service/target matrix
To create a good basic outline, below step-by-step what might be in there.
Start by writing down your services and target audiences. But then list your services and your target audiences and then start working on the roadmap for each service & target audience (combination).
Then elaborate on the combinations with the following elements:
1. Target
Provide a detailed description of your target audience. Consider aspects such as age, gender, location and other relevant characteristics. For example, consider whether they often own a home, whether they have children and what their disposable income is. Detailing these aspects will give you a clear picture of your potential customers.
2. Need
What is the specific need or overall goal of your target audience? What do they want to achieve?
3. Challenges
What problems does your target audience encounter in fulfilling their need or achieving their goal?
4. Value
What is the value of your product or service? Link this to the needs of your target audience and the problems they face.
5. Value Communication
You’ve established the value of your product or service, but how will you communicate it? How will you convince your target audience of this value?
6. Competitors
Who are your main competitors and what are their strengths? Mapping the market can help you determine and define your positioning.
7. Choice for you
What are your target audience’s reasons for choosing your company?
8. Counterarguments
Why would your target audience choose another? Is there a counterargument to that reason?
9. Acquisition strategy and ROI
How are you going to acquire customers? What channels are you going to use? How much time and money are you going to invest in this and what will it yield? The ROI (=return on investment) is not always directly measurable, but you can work with different measurable data. In the end, it should become clear which channels are most effective.
10. Data
Are you collecting data? What are you doing with it? Is there continuous improvement? Many companies have Google Analytics installed, for example, but then do little with it.
11. Retention
It is often easier to sell to existing customers. Are you using retention (=keeping customers) or re-marketing strategies? For example, do you send personalized newsletters?
12. Desired site
Based on the value you’ve described and how this conveys you, what should be on the site in terms of content? Test if your current site meets that!
“This is of course simply explained, but this is the basics,” Elham explains. “It helps you understand who your customers are, what they want, how to reach them and how best to promote your products or services. It gives insight into your competition and helps you stand out in the marketplace. Plus, it helps you manage resources efficiently and invest them where they will have the greatest impact. Good luck!”
Do you want marketing advice on how to do it and which sales channel does suit your product and/or service? Then contact Brilliant Work. Many of our coaching and consultancy programs are subsidized, so that you have more money for (online) marketing.
