Your marketing plan needs to reflect your customers.
When you put your company’s marketing plan together, what did you think about? Did you make it about your customers? I recently read a blog post by Brian Solis about the 5th and 6th Ps of Marketing, one of which was people, and I thought it was worth echoing the importance of this consideration here.
The 4 Ps of Marketing
If you aren’t familiar with them, the 4 Ps of Marketing are product, place, pricing and promotion. They’re part of a traditional approach to marketing, which Brian modernizes by adding people and purpose to round out the list to six. At least for this post, I’m going to focus on the people aspect. Here’s how Brian’s post summarized this aspect of marketing:
- It’s been argued though that people are already at the core of each of the existing 4 P’s. But I disagree. If we measure actions rather than intentions, it’s easy to overlook the importance of people in the mix.
- Understanding the needs and expectations of people inspires an important element often missing in day-to-day business strategy…empathy.
- Once you feel, really feel what people experience and what it is they need, or do not know to need, innovation follows.
- Understanding and appreciating people, and the individuals that make up our markets, teaches us how to in turn become more human…especially at a time when brands are becoming people and people are becoming brands.
Making Your Marketing Plan About the People
How do you make sure your people are at the core of your marketing plan? Before you start putting your strategy for the next six months or year together, answer the following questions:
- Who are my people (or customers)?
- Why should they want to do business with me? What makes my company different?
- How is the competition reaching them effectively? Are there any lessons I can learn from them?
- What are my goals for serving my customers during the next six months? What about the next year? And five years?
Once you’ve answered those four questions, start thinking about how you’re going to accomplish your goals. What steps will you take? What marketing methods will you use? Whatever activities you decide to include, make sure they point back to your customers. After all, without your customers, your business wouldn’t exist.
Do you need help developing a marketing plan for your company? Three Girls can help! Contact us today.
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