inside the office

So, you may be asking why a web developer is writing about Business Plans and Marketing Plans. To put it simply, I have a vested interest in my clients – current & future – clearly knowing how their business is doing, where they want it to go, and how it’s going to get there.

Developing a marketing plan will help you keep on track to achieve your goals, and the plan should be your step-by-step guide to getting there.

1. Target Market
   Refer to your Business Plan for this information. Your target market are the people who’s problems you’re going to solve. Knowing their location, education level, income level, pain points and strengths will help you to tailor your marketing message to be the most effective.
   If you find that you have more than one target market, or that there are extreme difference among segments of your market, consider developing different marketing messages to appeal to each of these segments.
2. Marketing Goal(s)
   What do you want to accomplish over the next year? Make sure your goals are specific and measurable. A goal of “get more clients”  or “increase sales” is not enough. Without specific, quantifiable goals, it can be easy to give up to quickly, or for goals to seem too daunting to be realistic.
   Doesn’t something like “get 10 more clients” or “increase sales 25%” sound much more attainable?
3. Strategies & Tactics
   A strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. Tactics are the specific actions taken to get there. You’ve identified your goals and your target market. You know what you want to do and who you want to help. How are you going to get your message to them?
   Be sure to include all media that you plan to employ, such as direct mail, your website, email marketing and social media marketing in this section.
4. Cost & Budget
   Now that you know what to do, figure out how much it’s going to cos and is this cost within your budget? You can come up with greatest marketing plan or campaign that’s ever been conceived for your industry but, if your business can’t handle the expense, it’s not going to do you any good.

A business plan is one of those things that many people try to avoid when starting a business. When you try to research why you should have one or how to write one, you’ll most likely get results that make a business plan sound complicated, tedious, and unnecessary unless you’re looking for financing or investors. However, a business plan is a great asset to anyone serious about being successful in their business ventures.
Unless you are applying for financing, a business plan doesn’t have to be a long, polished document. It could just as easily be done in bullet points on index cards or the notes program on your BlackBerry. Most of the value of a business plan to you, the business owner, is in the research and thought work that goes into drafting it. Below are some of the basic components you’ll want to have in your business plan.

Mission

What is the purpose of your company? Who do you plan to help with your products or services? What is the problem that you are providing a solution for? How will you be helping this target market?

Vision

Think about where you want your company and your brand to be in three, five, and 10 years. How much sales volume will you be doing? Will you have expanded market share, market reach, or products or services? How will your company have grown or changed to accomodate or influence this growth? How does the change affect you and your personal life?
There’s a concept know as te law of attraction. Visualizing where you want to be in the future and reading over this, internalizing it, making it part of your routine can have amazing power to influence things to help you achieve the vision that you have created., whether you realize it or not. I’ve experienced this first hand in my business and it’s truly amazing.

Financial Assessment & Predictions

Take stock of the current state of your finances. What are you assets vs. Liabilities? Profits vs. Loss? Are you in debt? What is your project income over the next one, three and five years?
Think about the vision that you have just completed. What will it take to get you there? Will your current sales get you there, or will you need to increase sales volume? Will your current staffing situation get you there, or will you need to consider hiring employees or freelancers?

Market Analysis

Think of your target market – the people who’s problems you’re going to solve, based on your mission statement. Where are they (location)? Who are they (demographics)? Who are your competitors? What are their strengths? What are your (or your products’) weaknesses?

Marketing Strategy

Now that you’ve identified who your customers and target market are, when, how and how often will you contact them? Will you see them in person at networking events or industry meeting? Will you send them newsletters and postcards?
How often will you send press releases to the media? What criteria will determine if an event is worthy of a press release? Who will you send releases to? Have you identified a media contact list? Do you have a media kit ready if someone asks for it?

I know this seems like a lot, but each topic builds on the previous one. If you approach it step by step, you’ll likely find youself finishing quickly and with a clearer understanding of where you are, where you’re going, and how to get there.

We all know the importance of routinely backing up our important files, right? Software systems and online services abound that make this seamless and easy for you. But what happens when your backup fails?
It is important to have two backup systems. Ideally, one should be on site and one should be off. Use archiving software and an external hard drive (never backup to your primary drive – this defeats the purpose!) for routine backups. You’ll also want to have a backup kept off site, such as CDs or DVDs in your safety deposit box, or at your best friends house.
Why two backups? Having one on site is great for when you accidentally delete a file, or your hard drive crashes. But if something happens to your office, such as fire, flood or theft, that completely compromises both your primary hard drive and your external, you’ll be very glad to have an off-site backup that you can retrieve data from.
Many computer security software suites, such as those from Norton, McAfee, or TrendMicro, have backup options available with certain flavors of their software. Frequently, external hard drives will also come with backup software, either already installed on the drive, or packaged on a CD with it. Depending on your needs, it becomes a matter of finding which software fits your needs and your lifestyle best.
Web-based services such as Carbonite and Mozy run in the background on your computer, and copy the files that you designate to their servers for safe keeping. You can set the backup to run daily, weekly, or even constantly, so that it updates every time you save changes to your files. This is very convenient, but can also be problematic if you have a major error with a particular file, and don’t realize it until the corrupt file has been backed up through your automatic service, whether on site or online. Having this secondary backup can help save you hours and dollars of recovery time and effort.
What’s your favorite backup system?

Everything has to get done – but do you have to do it?

Small business owners wear many hats, and sometimes it’s hard to remember to take one or two of them off. Think of your many job descriptions, a determine which ones you really like doing. Out of the remainder, determine which you can outsource to a reliable professional. How about a virtual professional? By delegating some of the chores of running a business, you get to actually do what you’re good at and what you like doing. After all, isn’t that why you started your business in the first place?

Make a date – with your business!

Ask any veteran business owner and they will tell you that the key to being successful is planning. Creating a business plan as part of your start-up can help you determine how much initial capital you’ll need, who your competition is, and how to position yourself for the best exposure. Your business plan continues to be important after you’re up and running – maybe even more so. Make a date with yourself once, twice, even four times a year, to review your business plan. Evaluate what strategies worked and which didn’t, review your current operating expenses, and draft a budget based on upcoming expenditures and opportunities.

“State of the Business” address

The president does it once a year, why shouldn’t you? Review your contracts with vendors and suppliers. Do they still meet your needs? Can you renegotiate for a better rate or larger quantities? Then take a look at your customer arrangements. If you have contracts, review them and determine if they need to be updated to include new policies. Do you need to raise prices to compensate for higher expenses? Now is also a good time to inform your customers of these changes and when they will take effect.

Enrich your mind

Is there a new skill that you’ve been wanting to learn, but don’t have time for a formal class? The opportunities to learn online abound – and many are free. Search for free classes to complement your current business skills, such as bookkeeping or marketing. Or maybe just something for fun. Plus, many cities and towns have Adult Education classes for all sorts of things like cooking, pottery and dancing, for free or nominal charges.

Make a date – with yourself!

Small business owners, especially those that work from home, often find it hard to separate their business and personal lives. If you find yourself falling into this routine, do something about it. Once a week, put time on your calendar to not work. Take time off to get your nails done, have coffee with a friend, or just sit and read a book. If you don’t take time for yourself, you just may end up finding yourself burnt out and your work performance could pay the price.