Marketing Skills Required for Successful marketing

Marketing Skills Required for Successful marketing

Marketing Skills refers the knowledge and techniques that is required for making a marketing campaign successful. You have to learn the marketing skills to market your products and services successfully.  You also have to train your team members so that they can get the adequate skills for their job.

Before starting a marketing campaign, you have to ensure that you and your team members have Basic Marketing Skills and marketing techniques to make the campaign successful. To ensure this, you have to find out where you or your team members required further training or coaching.

Improving the marketing skills of you and your team is a continuous process but there are three main areas where you should not have any doubt on your ability or your team’s present ability. These three areas of marketing are as follows,

Communicate, negotiate and network

To become a successful marketer you and your team should have strong communication skills and should be smart enough to run a business operation. For running a business operation or a marketing campaign, you and your team should have a great communication skill to make deals with your vendors and service providers. It also plays a major role in keeping an excellent relationship with your clients or customers. These marketing skills also help to create strong networks in your market or industries. This skill is also helpful for you internal communication.

Collaborate with your sales team

When you are running a bigger business, you definitely have a separate team for sales and marketing. A sales team of any organization plays a very important role to make the marketing effort successful. So you should involve the members of your sales team during making of your organization’s marketing strategies so that they will be motivated and give their full focus to achieve the organization’s objective.

If you are running a small business and do not have a separate team for sales & marketing, you still have to ensure in smaller businesses with fewer team members, and you still need to work to ensure that your marketing objectives are harmonizing with your sales targets.

SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is one of the most important marketing skills that you need before making any marketing objectives. SWOT analysis is a process to evaluate and understanding your business' strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. With the help of SWOT analysis you can take a clued-up decisions and it also help you to carry out your marketing successfully. You have to find out the good and bad side of your business's operating systems, financial promises, legal commitments and employees skills.

Marketing Skills cannot be limited with the above mentioned areas but these areas are very important to make your business or marketing campaign successful. You have to open your eyes to learn new skills that required for your business. You also have to be up-to-date with new techniques and need to provide adequate training to your team members so that they can get the required knowledge to perform their duties and responsibilities so that your organizations can achieve its goal.

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Why Does Your Business Need A Good Marketing Plan?

Author: Cash Miller

A marketing plan is a written document that details the necessary actions to achieve one or more marketing objectives. A Marketing Plan is meant to be a structured way of dealing with marketing issues, not a random collection of incomprehensible bits and pieces. A marketing plan is a key component of a business plan and is essential to planning the overall direction that you want your business to take. A marketing plan is not something that you write and then forget. It needs to be followed, monitored and updated. You want to regularly evaluate a marketing plan to make sure you are reaching the goals you set.

Marketing plan objectives are typically on the level of sales, profit, return on investment or, for larger businesses, market share. Marketing is a function of business and has many dimensions, including market research, customer service, advertising, targeting, packaging, pricing, e-marketing, and others. Marketing plans, even those created within a small company, can vary in scope, format, length, and level of detail they do however typically include similar types of information.

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Developing a good marketing plan is essential to the success of any business because you need to get everyone focused on the same issues and that's what your plan should do. You need to customize your marketing plan to suit your business and its objectives. Your marketing plan needs to be simple and to the point. In it you want to state your marketing objectives and do so in a way that your goals are very clear for everyone that might be involved with accomplishing the plan itself. Your marketing strategy needs to be clearly defined. It's your plan of action for achieving each of your goals.

Marketing Actions are the tactics you plan to use to give your plan a life of its own. Developing a solid marketing strategy is the foundation of a well-written marketing plan and must be carefully considered before committing to it. While a marketing plan contains a list of actions, a marketing plan without a sound strategic foundation is of little use.

The objectives in your marketing plan need to state just where the company intends to be; at some specific time in the future.

The marketing objectives must usually be based, above all, on the organization's financial objectives. If the marketing plan is to work, every exception to it must be questioned. Before you deviate from your plan you need to ask why you should do so. During the course of the year the lessons learned need to be documented so that they can be incorporated into the next year's plan.

A marketing plan for a small business typically includes descriptions of direct competitors, that are marketing similar products. What the level of demand for the product or service is. A description of the product or service, including special features. What your marketing budget is, including the advertising and promotional plan. A description of the business location, to include the advantages and disadvantages of your location. And what your pricing strategy is going to be. A marketing plan is, after all, a structured way of dealing with marketing issues, not a random collection of incomprehensible bits and pieces.

This kind of balanced view in a marketing plan is important to show risks are being recognized. Like a business plan, a marketing plan is an essential guide. Some business owners don't understand the value of a marketing plan, and still others just don't know what a marketing plan is. Every start-up venture and existing business needs a business plan, yet many entrepreneurs don't realize a marketing plan is equally vital to your business success. A marketing plan is required if you want your business to become a household name. Your marketing plan provides structure to the marketing efforts of your business.

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Brand Building Strategies

Brand Building Strategies

Author: drypen

PRODUCT BRANDING

This is of the type one-brand one product. In terms of customer perception and information processing, the most effective way to designate a product is to give it an exclusive name, which would not be available to any other product. In the product branding strategy the brand is promoted exclusively so that it acquires its own identity and image. This way the brand is able to acquire a distinct position in the customer's mind. The thrust is on making the brand acquire its ‘own' set of associations and stand on its own. Product branding allows a brand achieve exclusivity and differentiation.

It does not share other products and does not take on company associations. The company's name takes a backseat and the product does not get benefits from the company name. The greatest advantage in this case is that a brand can be targeted accurately to a distinct target market or customers because its positioning can be precise unambiguous. Customers connect easily with product brands since what the brand represents tends to be clear.

P&G have been follower of the product branding strategy. P&G s into baby care, beauty care, feminine care, health care, fabric care, home care, food and beverages, etc. P&G has been an ardent follower of the product brand strategy. Its brands are stand alones; people don't even know that they all share a common root in P&G. the company does not share a common identity. Thus, a company following product branding is better positioned to venture into unrelated areas of activity without being a subject of market scrutiny.

Another advantage is that with an identifiable brand uniquely positioned and directed at a segment, the firm is able to cover an entire market spectrum by making multiple brand entries.

The drawbacks of product brands are essentially cost based. Creating individual brand is costly exercise. Only the firms that have deep pockets and long staying power can adopt this strategy.

LINE BRANDING

This is of the type ‘One brand many products'. Sometimes a brand is launched with a distinct concept e.g. Lakme ("source of radiant beauty") Winter Care lotion. The brand appeals to a distinct market segment who appreciate and like the brand concept. The core idea is that the brand connects with the consumer group. Now the customers do not tend to be content with the one product, which the brand offers. Rather they want additional product which go hand in hand with the brand concept or application; for example a Lakme user wants all the products which enhance beauty-beauty lotion, deep pore cleansing cream, lipsticks, nail enamel, eye make up etc.

Line branding strategy illustrates how well cultivated brand can be extended on to a host of related products under a common concept. This strategy seeks to penetrate the customer rather than penetrating the market. It seeks to fulfill all complementary needs that surround a basic need. Line brands start with a product but later extend too a whole range of complementary products. The products in the line draw their identity from the main brand. Marketing products as a line enhances the brand's marketing power rather than selling them as an individual brand.

Colgate has a whole range of dental care products. Colgate Total, Colgate Gel, Colgate tooth-powder, as well as the various toothbrushes.

BRAND EXTENSION

Brand extensions, which are a popular means of introducing new products to the marketplace, fall under the ‘One brand all products' type of brand strategies. In a typical brand extension situation, an established brand name is applied to a new product in a category either related or unrelated, in order to capitalize on the equity of the core brand name. Consumer familiarity with the existing core brand name aids new product entry into the marketplace, and helps the brand extension to capture new market segments quickly.

Brand extensions come in two primary forms: horizontal and vertical. In a horizontal brand extension situation, an existing brand name is applied to a new product introduction in either a related product class, or in a product category completely new to the firm. A vertical brand extension, on the other hand, involves introducing a brand extension. In the same product category as the core brand, but at a different price point and quality level. In a vertical brand extension situation, a second brand name or descriptor is usually introduced alongside the core brand name, in order to demonstrate the link between the brand extension and the core brand name (e.g. Marriott Hotels, Courtyard Inn by Marriott). Although a brand extension aids in generating consumer acceptance for a new product by linking the new product with a known brand or company name, it also risks diluting the core brand image by depleting or harming the equity, which has been built up within the core brand name. An inappropriate brand extension could create damaging associations, which may be very difficult for a company to overcome. The different types of brand extensions are:

Product form extension:

Product launched in a different form usually means line extension rather than brand extension. But if different product form constitutes entirely a different product category from customer behavior perspective, it would be called brand extension. For e.g. liquid milk and dried milk may not be perceived as the product category. Similarly chocolate bars and chocolate powder belong to different product categories.

Companion Product:

Brand extension is in the form of companion products is perhaps the most common. The idea perhaps is to capitalize on product complementarily. The consumer may view both products jointly and hence, provide scope for launching brand extension.

Customer franchise:

A marketer may extend a product range in order to meet the needs of a specific customer group. For instance, a company may launch a variety of products meant for e.g. nursery going school children. The focus here is not customer base but their diverse needs.

Company expertise:

Brand extensions often come in the forms of different product category introductions using a common name but emanating from a common expertise pool. This strategy is particularly true in Japanese countries.

Brand distinction:

Many brands achieve distinction in the form of a unique attribute, benefit or feature, which gets uniquely associated with the brand. In such situations the company can work backwards to launch different products, which essentially cash in on this distinction. For example, Parachute may have the expertise of coconut nourishment in customers mind over time. This would give the company Marico the opportunity to launch a variety of products exploiting this distinction.

Brand image or prestige:

A brand extension may involve a foray in to unrelated product categories based on a brand's exclusive image or prestige. Brand exclusivity or prestige bestows great extension opportunities. This is particularly true of designers and artist brands.

UMBRELLA BRANDING

This again is of the type ‘One brand all products'. An umbrella brand is a parent brand that appears on a number of products that may each have separate brand images. Firms have a short-run incentive to reduce quality and save costs, as consumers can only observe quality ex post.

Videocon's range of home appliances – air conditioners, refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, etc. Phillips also has a whole range of home appliances under the brand name Phillips-the mixers, irons, televisions, etc.

Umbrella branding scored well on the dimension of economics. Investing in a single brand is less costly than trying to build a number of brands. By leveraging a common name across a variety of products, the brand distributes its investment. Hence umbrella branding works out to be an economical strategy. Using an umbrella brand to enter into new markets (Tata making a foray into the automobile car market) allows considerable savings. The brand bestows the new product advantages of brand awareness, associations and instant goodwill.

One first explanation for brand extensions is that umbrella branding is a form of economies of scope, as it economizes on the costs of creating a new brand. Brands have an intrinsic value (status or otherwise) and are therefore like a "public good" in the sense that the more products are sold under the same brand the greater the total value created. A different perspective on brand extensions is that, in a world where consumers are uncertain about product characteristics (due to horizontal or vertical differentiation), brands may play an informational role. Umbrella branding may reduce uncertainty about a new product's attributes, a fact that increases value if consumers are risk averse. Considering these factors it can be said that umbrella branding is a superior strategy when there is a significant overlap between the set of buyers of each of the firm's products. This result extends the well-known notion that brand extensions and umbrella branding are only successful if there is a good fit between the different products under the same umbrella.

The main danger associated with umbrella branding is that since many products share the common name, a debacle in one product category may influence the products because of shared identity.

ENDORSEMENT BRANDING

Endorsement branding strategy is a modified version of double branding. It makes the product brand name more significant and corporate brand name is relegated to a lesser status. The umbrella brand is made to play an indirect role of passing on certain common generic associations. It is only mentioned as an endorsement to the product brand. By and large, the brand seeks to stand on its own. The brand gets the endorsement that it belongs to specified company.

Kit Kat gives the signal that it belongs to Nestle and Dairy Milk conveys that it belongs to Cadburys. Cinthol's communication stresses that it is a Godrej product.

Though these brands enjoy their unique image, somewhere in the image the makers association is also a part. Endorsement branding strikes a balance between umbrella and product branding.

In case of Cadbury's and Nestle, the brands mentioned above have their own unique position and image. Cadbury's or Nestle support the brands to the extent that they transfer certain qualities or associations, which enhance customer's trust. Brands are identified by their own name.

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Branding Systems - Keys to an Effective Branding Strategy

Branding Systems - Keys to an Effective Branding Strategy

By Nicole K Lundy

Most small business CEO's and entrepreneurs fail to realize this one simple thing. That is, the key to an effective branding strategy is being able to deliver. Seems simple, but it's missed by an insane amount of business owners. You must... No let me start that over. YOU MUST be able to back up your claims and produce exactly as you say. You got to walk your talk or else you will be walking into going out of business. The majority of your business sales and profits come from repeat customers. Because here's the thing, nobody is going to be disappointed by your services twice. And, that is exactly why, you need a rock-solid and profitable branding system, that involves:

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Brand is just a mere representation of your company. Therefore, it must reflect exactly what your business can deliver for the customers and build its reputation from there. If you cannot produce quality products or services, then regardless of how potent your branding system or strategies are, you'd never be able to turn your marketing campaigns into a sales force.

Therefore, you need to be as sensitive to your customers' needs as possible. But only to a certain extent that you still hold control over the image and reputation that you want your brand to exhibit.

Indeed, brand equity is a vital aspect in every business, especially consumer-based equity. It reflects the level of trust and attitude that a customer has towards a product associated with a given brand. This is impacted by the actual experience that a consumer has had with the product such that brand loyalty is affected by factors such as perceived quality and the delivery of the product.

CONSISTENCY

One of the most effective ways to build trust amongst your customers is to be consistent with the message you are trying to convey. Consistency is most important when exhibiting the values that are key and vital in your company. Then, focus on every aspect of your business to ensure that it remains consistent with the values professed by your company and that they make a good representation of the company's vision.

EXPANDING YOUR BRAND

Creating a brand for your company is not only limited to the creation of a logo. While it is essential, your work does not stop there. After all, a logo is just a representation of your professional image but there are several factors in between that would help translate them into sales. You do not even have to spend lots of money to fulfill them. In every form of communication that you use in your business transactions, include your company logo in it, whether you'd be using business cards, yellow page ads, newsletters, letterhead, invoices, envelopes, and many more. Your logo is of no use unless you are able to capitalize on it and make it do its work for you.

MANAGING YOUR BRAND

As market trends continue to change and evolve, so must your approach at branding strategies. While you set your own company's branding standards, you also need to look into exceeding those promises you've set and this is one of the most effective ways to generate more customers. On the other end, one failure could eventually ruin your business' reputation on a long haul.

If you see any opportunity where changes can be done or improvements can be executed, then don't be afraid to execute them.

This is one way for your business to stay on top of things and keep up with changing trends in the market for an effective business branding effort.

So, tell me, what are you working on RIGHT NOW to expand your brand?
And now I would like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to my "Hot Brand Action: 5 High-Performing Strategies to Dominate Your Market and Add an Extra $1K-$10K to your Bottom Line" training when you visit http://www.profitablepersonalbrand.com/hot
You'll get one "plug-n-play" workbook AND a 60-minute Audio Replay of a teleseminar about using the exact strategies to get more clients, increase your impact and get paid.
From Nicole K. Lundy - the Money-Making Brand Strategist.



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Stopping Advertising Couldn't be a great idea to save money

Where Does Advertising Fit Into the Marketing Mix?

Where Does Advertising Fit Into the Marketing Mix?

By Kathleen Ann


Many people get confused about the role of advertising in the marketing mix so here's a simple view of where it fits in.

In the traditional marketing model, we talk about the 4 P's

o Product

o Pricing

o Place

o Promotion
The last section - Promotion is what we mean when we say you are "doing your marketing". It's your communications or your actual marketing activities.

But first, let's get clear about the PURPOSE of marketing and why you want to get good at it.

"The PURPOSE of marketing or it's biggest task is to persuade prospects to visit you online or offline so you can present your offer. Done well they come waving their credit card and ready to buy so there's no need for hard sell."

Whenever and wherever you get in front of your potential market is your marketing opportunity - you are communicating or getting your message across. You could say this started as far back as Babylon when the Town Crier was the only delivery method! They went around town shouting out to people to go to the marketplace and you went to the marketplace with your goods  to "present your offer".

With the invention of print and other technologies you now have a smorgasbord of delivery methods or media to reach people such as

o Print - newspapers, magazines, catalogues, newsletters

o Phone, mail, fax

o Radio & TV,

o Internet - through websites, blogs, social networking sites, email, video & Audio podcasts

o Teleseminars & webinars

o Mobile media - Blackberrys and mobile or cell phones

o And lets not forget in person public speaking and networking

Now that range adds a level of complexity. But choice is good and you don't have to use all of these but they are available to you. In any event you'll either be speaking or writing. Simply narrow down what makes sense for you and your business and use your strengths to work out a plan.

JUST remember the marketing principles remain the same no matter the medium - so the PURPOSE of your marketing is still the same. To persuade prospects to visit you online or offline so you can present your offer.

So where does advertising fit into this?

Advertising is simply a subset of your marketing activities it's the SALES function when you make the sales pitch or "present your offer". This could be verbal or written in all the same media you use for your marketing communications. What adds to the confusion is sometimes big companies use image based ads for awareness so the "sales pitch" isn't obvious. But the primary purpose of advertising is to SELL. So you create ads in one form or another and get them in front of your audience.

Small businesses can't afford to waste money on image advertising that is designed for the masses to promote a well known brand. It simply isn't designed to sell, NOW.

What I do and recommend is Direct Marketing which is based on one-on-one relationships and uses proven direct response advertising techniques instead of mass advertising.

The purpose of a direct response advertisement is to get a response, NOW! Which means these ads actually ask the prospect to DO something.

Whether you're building a list, selling a product or service, an appointment or even something you are giving away - you still need to "sell" it to your prospect. And ask them to take the action you want them to take to move them through the sales process.

In a nutshell, advertising is a subset of marketing and direct response marketing and advertising is the champion for small business.

Direct response marketing expert Kathleen Ann is the "Marketing Champion for Small Business and entrepreneurs". Delivering simple techniques and tools you can use to increase sales and profits. Sign up for her free audio workshop "7 Secrets to Advertising Success" at http://www.powerupyourmarketing.com


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Using the Marketing Mix Strategy to Market Your Product

Using the Marketing Mix Strategy to Market Your Product

By Emma J Frost

When developing a new product or promoting a new business, the advertising strategy used is one of the earliest and most important decisions you'll need to make. The marketing mix strategy is a used by many. This plan is a good starting point for anyone in business. The marketing mix strategy is made up of what are referred to as the four P's - product, price, place and promotion. According to this strategy, these are the four areas that must be attended to in order to market a product effectively. Although some elements may be more pertinent to a specific business than others, the strategy as a whole is always useful for those in business. The more elaborate extended marketing mix includes additional elements, referred to as the three P's and the four C's. These additional three P's consist of: people, process and physical evidence, and the four C's are made up of: commodity, cost, channel and communication. This article will focus mainly on the initial four P's of the basic marketing mix strategy.

Within each of these areas, specific steps need to be taken. In terms of the product element, this refers to your decisions about product specifics. Along with a name and the features of the   product, this element also involves larger decisions. When thinking about the product, the marketer must also consider marketing to a niche market.

Many useful articles are available on using a niche group for marketing. In short, a niche group is a specific demographic of customers whom you choose to target with your product. Even more than making specific decisions regarding the features of a product, the product element of the marketing mix strategy refers to offers that accompany the product, such as warranties and guarantees. Although price is part of the features of a product, the marketing mix strategy provides a separate element for price. The price element is a very important decision because it affects the ability to market the product. Price refers not only to the direct price of a product but also consumer relations decisions regarding price, such as discounts given, specials and sales. These decisions directly affect the marketability of a product and its appeal to consumers.

The place or placement element of the marketing mix is extremely important. This refers to the placement of the product in the market as a whole and how it is presented and distributed to consumers. Promotion goes hand in hand with placement. The promotion element can be further broken down into four basic sections: public relations, advertising, sales promotion and personal sales. Together, these two elements cover decisions such as whether the company chooses to use representatives to sell their products or to sell only to distributors or only through the company store. Each of these options has its advantages and disadvantages, and it is crucial that the decision is made carefully. For example, if a product is sold only through representatives, this will affect customers who hope to buy online. Certain options are better for certain products. Promotion is probably the most important element of the marketing mix strategy for those looking to market their products online.

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The 7Ps of Marketing Mix

The 7Ps of Marketing Mix

By Medha Behera

Marketing professionals and specialist use many tactics to attract and retain their customers. These activities comprise of different concepts, the most important one being the marketing mix. There are two concepts for marketing mix: 4P and 7P. It is essential to balance the 4Ps or the 7Ps of the marketing mix. The concept of 4Ps has been long used for the product industry while the latter has emerged as a successful proposition for the services industry.

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The 7Ps of the marketing mix can be discussed as:

Product - It must provide value to a customer but does not have to be tangible at the same time. Basically, it involves introducing new products or improvising the existing products.

Price - Pricing must be competitive and must entail profit. The pricing strategy can comprise discounts, offers and the like.

Place - It refers to the place where the customers can buy the product and how the product reaches out to that place. This is done through different channels, like Internet, wholesalers and retailers.

Promotion - It includes the various ways of communicating to the customers of what the company has to offer. It is about communicating about the benefits of using a particular product or service rather than just talking about its features.

People - People refer to the customers, employees, management and everybody else involved in it. It is essential for everyone to realize that the reputation of the brand that you are involved with is in the people's hands.

Process - It refers to the methods and process of providing a service and is hence essential to have a thorough knowledge on whether the services are helpful to the customers, if they are provided in time, if the customers are informed in hand about the services and many such things.

Physical (evidence) - It refers to the experience of using a product or service. When a service goes out to the customer, it is essential that you help him see what he is buying or not. For example- brochures, pamphlets etc serve this purpose.

Interesting Topics:

How to create your Linkedin Profile?

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Key Reasons Why Business Photography Is A Marketing Mix Must

Key Reasons Why Business Photography Is A Marketing Mix Must

By Chris A. Harmen

When putting together your company's specific marketing mix, it's important to not only include some of the more recent cutting-edge trends, but to also incorporate some tried and true traditional promotional tactics as well. What's a current trend that tends to fall into both the traditional and trendsetting categories? Professional business photography. Yes, professional business photography has been a core staple of marketing strategies in virtually every vertical. However, as camera technology advanced, many entrepreneurs began to use in-house employees to take the pictures needed for both print and online promotional campaigns. While this may have, initially, seemed like a resourceful way to save money on outsourcing the job to professional photographers, more often than not, these executives discovered firsthand that their initiatives lacked punch and impact. It became painfully obvious that the best way to manage their print and online efforts was to partner with a professional business photography firm.

Benefits Of Working With A Qualified Business Photography Studio

Still contemplating using internal employees to fulfill your business photography needs? Understanding some of the significant benefits that working with a professional studio delivers may quickly change your mind.

A qualified corporate photographer offers:

Skilled and experienced expertise: Professional photography is an art form that can take years to perfect. Working with a skilled and experienced provider means that you are entrusting your company to a professional who has mastered this marketing genre for optimal return on your investment.

Access to needed equipment: 

Sure, that point and shoot camera housed in your desk's top drawer may be adequate; however, in order to truly deliver a marketing initiative that wows, you may need access to bigger, better and bolder pieces of equipment. A knowledgeable business photographer will have all the equipment you need to make a major impact on your audience, both online and in print.

Extensive image uses:

It's no secret that a successfully promoted organization incorporates both print and online tactics to advertise their services and wares to the masses. A reputable provider will be able to capture your images in a format that can be used with your web marketing efforts as well as printed material to ensure your company delivers a comprehensive promotional front to consumers.

Fresh marketing perspective:

Most importantly, a professional business photographer isn't just an imaging expert, he's also an advertising specialist. Your chosen provider will be able to see things about your organization that you may be visually immune to at this point. In short, partnering with an outside source for your photography needs will broaden your perspective on your various campaigns to help give each initiative a fresh, new spin that helps reconnect with previous customers as well as effectively engage with new clientele.

More internal bandwidth:

Best of all, by outsourcing your imaging needs to an outside provider, you'll instantly be increasing your internal staff's bandwidth. By no longer having to navigate through the potentially overwhelming territory of "office shutterbug," your internal employee will be able to refocus on the tasks and responsibilities that you initially hired her to do.

Design & Promote, a leading online marketing firm in Chicago, offers professional business photography as part of their comprehensive marketing mix. If you're ready to add professional images to your marketing approach, Design & Promote can help. Visit the company's site today at http://www.designandpromote.com for more!


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Impact of Branding on the Marketing Mix

Impact of Branding on the Marketing Mix

Impact of Branding on the Marketing Mix

By Sam Traffanstedt

The impact of branding on the marketing mix is seen in every aspect of our society. The ability for consumers to identify with your brand and associate it with a product is a powerful tool in marketing. The more you are recognized, the more you will be thought of when the needs for your products arise.

1) Brand Names - Coke, Pepsi, Nike... When you see the words, you imagine the products, the logos, maybe even the times you used the products. This is a wonderful thing if you are one of these companies. These are what we call brand names. Branding that is so powerful that the products take on an air of being the best or the most popular automatically.

2) Lifestyles - Some brands even illicit behavior traits and lifestyles. Raiders, No Fear, Bob Marley... these are symbols that have taken on an almost iconic brand. Many have associated the brand with the feeling of the brand and have modeled their lifestyle to fit that feeling. They decorate their vehicles and homes, choose clothing, and buy other products that they now identify with.

3) Presence - You need to set a bran for yourself and get it out there. It is very important to consider the style and tone you will be setting for your company and company presence. In time, the brand you make for yourself will stick and you will have issues to confront if you try to change it. Just think of the new coke issue and you will understand. People like what they are used to. Choose wisely and you will be pleased with the persona your company takes on with your branding efforts.

The ultimate impact of branding on the marketing mix is in your sales. If your customers are comfortable with the company that they have come to know, they will continue to purchase from your company. Setting up your branding is one small aspect of marketing, but an important one. A good mentoring and education system in marketing can help you understand branding and other aspects of marketing much better.

Sam Traffanstedt is here to help you get the education you want. Click on our site to discover how to claim your 3 FREE training sessions. http://www.dreamstofact.com


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Era of Internet Connection

Writing business plans will help the business move farther

Author: assignmentsolution

The future of any business is the business plan. Writing business plans are one of the most important things. Writing a business plan is all that is needed. The written business plan contains the goals of a business which the business is expecting to fulfill. A written business plan consists of the various products and services the business is planning to launch. The plan has the detail of what the company is expectation to carry out in the near futures. Many just write the business plan in a scrap of paper but there are specialist business plan writers to convert the information scribbled into a scrap to a final presentable draft. The importance of business plan is therefore unimaginable and so every company needs expert writers to formulate their plans.

As there are lots of details to be written in a business plan therefore the plan must be written down in an organized way. To write down the plan in an organized way business must hire professional planners. There are many business plan writing solutions which are available online. Hiring these services will prove to be very beneficial to the businesses. If you are thinking about starting a business you can hire these services. When you start a business you might require loans. These writing solutions built a draft of the business plan so that these are presented at the banks so that the loan is approved without any hassle. So now you understand why planning is necessary and why one needs to hire there planning services. These professionals who will provide your business with the plan are themselves business owners or experts in business planning. They understand the importance of business planning and the situations of business. They know that each business plan is unique and that each business requires a cu
stomized tailored plan.

A compelling business plan composed by these service providers has the following features-

•    Defining the business parameters

•    Formulating a loan application

•    Generate the equity funding

•    Define business policies and mention clearly about the business programs

•     Detailed explanation of the new product and services the company will launch and  even new expansion and campaigns

•    Establishing new business and review and course correction process

•    Detailed description of the agreements signed

•    Determine the value of the business when it will be on sale

Mentioning all these detail about business plan help in making matters and topics clear. Thus there will be no confusion of people involved getting confused.

Other than those instructions some important instructions are that the idea must be carried out clearly and precisely. There should be no confusions in any concept. The matter must be brief. Relevant charts and graphs should also be provided so that it becomes each to understand.

Hiring these services will help your company move ahead in future. The plans will help you business succeed and be successful. There are many companies online which provide such solutions. They are quite affordable so it is recommended that you chose them for business planning.

The business plan may be divided into three parts. These are; the business concept; the marketplace section; the financial section.

In the business concept section, you write about your organization, the service you plan to provide and how. In the market place section you discuss the potential buyers or customers, who are they and where also why you choose them.

You also describe your potential customers here. In the last, financial section you include the income, balance sheets, financial ratios etc. You may seek help from your accountants here.

A business plan, depending upon what you are using it for can be of various lengths. Typically it can be of about 20 pages in length. This isn\'t a norm though. The length is decided by the purpose.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-publishing-articles/writing-business-plans-will-help-the-business-move-farther-6506215.html
About the Author
Assignmentsweb is write up tells about the Writing Business Plans and Engineering Assignment Help Know more information please visit www.assignmentsweb.com

Writing a Powerful Business Plan: Key Questions You Must Answer

Writing a Powerful Business Plan: Key Questions You Must Answer
By Ken Hayward
The process of writing down a business plan requires dealing with the who, what, when, where, why, and how. We will be focusing in on logical, practical and methodical.
As a budding entrepreneur, a business plan serves as your road map for your business. With this, you will know where you are heading to and how to get there.
It also serves as a benchmark in measuring your progress. It contains an action plan and a set of strategies for your business to reach its maximum potential.
Logical - Creating A Marketing Plan
There must be a particular portion of the business plan dedicated solely to market analysis. In it, you must describe the profile of your target customer, the characteristics of the market, the competition, and your strategies in order to gain advantage over them.
In other words, this is a particular point wherein you need to have a marketing plan that will focus on the distribution system, products or services offered, price charged, and promotional efforts.
You need to describe your specific product or service in general terms and provide instructions how it will be utilized. This is also your opportunity to explain what your products or services are, their benefits and features, and other important facts your target market needs to know.
On the other hand, pricing must be based on the cost of doing business, expected competitive actions, your marketing goals, and the perceived worth of your products or services.
Moreover, the distribution portion of the marketing plan must describe how the products or services will be distributed. It must give details on how the product or service will be distributed or sold, may it be through retailers or direct sales.
Practical - Financial Plan And Legal Issues
As a rule of thumb, your business strategy must outline the most cost-effective and practical way to achieve each objective. With this, you need to have a financial plan which includes how much money will it cost as well as getting the needed funds.
Your financial plan is considered an essential part of developing an estimate of the profit potential and evaluating a new investment opportunity. This particular section must discuss the present financial status and the current forecast of your future financial statements. Your forecasts of revenues, expenses, and product demand must be as good as your assumptions, so they need to be realistic and valid.
On the other hand, you should also protect your business from imitators by giving importance to trademarks and service marks. With this, the marketing symbols of your company's products and services will be protected.
Methodical - The Implementation Of Marketing Plan
When creating a business plan, you must identify your strategy. In this connection, you must have an outline of the steps required to achieve the objectives and goals you have identified. This outline includes the day-to-day operations of your own business.
This also signifies market plan implementation. This is a particular point wherein you need to create an optimal combination of marketing strategies to get the attention of your potential customers.
Keep in mind that your business plan should also have an executive summary which gives highlights to specific features, such as your business mission and goals, products or services, marketing plan, management team, funding requirements, key elements of your daily operations, profit and cash forecasts, as well as return to the investor.
A Final Thought
As a budding entrepreneur, remember that a business plan can help you communicate your idea to your employees, potential employees and customers, and suppliers.
It will serve as your communication tool, that is why it must be carefully developed, comprehensive, and detailed. It will serve as a reminder of your objectives and plans, so always review your business plan.
It is best to review your progress on an annual basis for you to measure the actual performance of your business. Keep in mind that the market and nature of your business will change over time, so it is best to update and revise your business plan once a year.
Starting a small business involves building a strong foundation at the start. Budding-entrepreneurs can experience the most profitable success and rewards a new business can offer if correctly handled. Please visit my site/blog residing at http://publishtotheweb.com. This site has helpful tips, strategies and videos providing knowledgebase growth into starting a small business.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Hayward
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Writing a Business Plan Effectively for Free

Author: Darrel Giann

Writing a business plan can be a daunting activity if it is the first time you've tackled such a detailed, thorough project. Too often, entrepreneurs rely upon templates or a sample business plan as an example for their own proposal, and in the process lose the creativity and energy that they have about their idea. There are many options for writing a persuasive and effective business plan without spending a lot of money on a writing coach, proposal writer, or additional resources.

Web Resources

Chances are, you're already relied on the internet to gain guidance about projects you've never done before, or looked up instructions for a complicated process. There's a lot of information online about writing a business plan and you can easily find a sample business plan, but not all of that information is quality, or worth your time. So how do you effectively search for web resources that will actually help you instead of wasting your time? Much like any kind of internet research, the tip is to begin by using only credible resources. In addition to searching for 'writing a business plan', or 'sample business plan', type in 'business school' as well. Many business schools around the nation have free, available information for the public on how to write a business plan. They may include links to area-specific resources, or provide tutorials or downloads for a sample business plan.

Another great resource for writing a business plan is your local Small Business Administration center. Most major cities have these types of small-business assistance resources, either in a brick-and-mortar office or online. These SBA websites almost always offer comprehensive resources for start-ups like a sample business plan, business plan development ideas, events, counseling and training services, and local resources. Check to see if your SBA website has free, online business planning webinars. Even if you local chapter doesn't offer them, you can easily find a website in another region that does. These online seminars are typically self-paced, 30-minute long resources that help you understand the components of writing a business plan (which provide much more insight than a simple sample business plan), and may be offered in a variety of languages.

Podcasts are another web resource that not many people think of when they think 'business plan'. True, you don\'t get the same visual education from a podcast as you do from a webinar, but listening to someone describe the process might be just what you need to motivate you while on a long commute, at the gym, or sitting at home. And with a lack of visual information, they might seem less overwhelming than looking at an online presentation or sample business plan.

Books and Printed Material

The internet is a fantastic resource for writing a business plan, but for some people, nothing beats a good old-fashioned book. Your local library has entire sections dedicated to the multiple aspects of business development, and you can be sure to find several books about how to write a business plan. Best of all - these are free! If your local branch does not have the book you're looking for, check the catalog and request a book transfer. Sometimes, the perfect books about writing an effective business plan or ideas for a sample business plan are just an inter-library loan away.

Be sure to check out your local college library as well. Often, academic libraries will have more comprehensive business planning books than local libraries, and may offer a wider selection of in-depth materials regarding not only writing a business plan, but strategizing how to continue with your business development afterward. Keep in mind that many university libraries are open only to students, so call the resource desk before you make a special trip onto the campus.

Seminars

If you do have a SBA resource center in your area, check their calendar of events to see if they offer periodic classes or workshops, or can help you rework a sample business plan. Often, an SBA will offer a class dedicated to writing a business plan - at no cost! The advantage of attending a live seminar as opposed to an online seminar is that you can often ask the facilitator questions at the end which you can\'t do online. Typically, the person leading the course is a professional with years or decades of experience crafting effective business plans. They'll likely be able to assist you with tips, tricks, and shortcuts to develop a plan.

Finally, it's important to consider that when you're writing a business plan, you don't want to cut corners or rely on a sample business plan from a book or website. The business plan is a representation of your professionalism and your desire to succeed, and the quality of your content should reflect this. So while tips and tricks are good for making the most out of your time and resources, it's never a good idea to gloss over important aspects of your plan - namely, the quality of your writing. While writing a business plan necessitates the inclusion of facts, figures, numbers, graphs, financials, etc., the narrative surrounding the why of your proposal is what will likely draw people into helping you achieve your vision. Do you sound passionate about your product? Do you sound knowledgeable? Does it sound like you have what it takes to not only start your business but develop it and work through anticipated and unseen challenges? No? Does it sound like you relied on a sample business plan instead? Well it may be a good idea to check out some of the writing seminars available for assistance with writing a business plan. Many of these seminars do cost some money, although others can be attended for a very nominal fee. Courses like these can help you find your 'voice' and deliver a more compelling proposal.

The most important thing to consider when writing a business plan is to take your time, be thorough, be accurate, and above all, believe in yourself and your product. Don\'t just rely on a sample business plan, create a proposal that you\'re proud of, and that you are convinced will compel others to help you realize your dream.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/writing-a-business-plan-effectively-for-free-4230427.html

About the Author
Darrel Giann, a financial consultant and businessman, is the founder of Just $14.95.com, a website that helps people earn extra income by embarking on a career in finance. Giann, who faced financial struggles in his own life, now works to teach others how to get ahead in life, eliminate credit card debt, and achieve financial freedom. For more details or to begin making money for yourself, please visit www.Just14-95.com.

The Four Key Reasons To Write A Business Plan

Author: Mark Blayney

All businesses, of whatever size or stage in its development, need to have formal business plans in place, prepared by the management and not their accountants, and fortunately there are many now many free business plan templates available on the web to help you in business planning.

Why Prepare A Business Plan?

There are four main reasons why you should prepare a business plan. These are not mutually exclusive, and as the business changes and grows the business plan should be regularly revisited and reviewed since these issues will apply equally well to an established business as to a start up.

- The first is to plan in the widest sense. In preparing a business plan you are preparing first and foremost a plan and the process is one of thinking through what you are going to do in the business, how you are going to do it, what are the separate projects that will have to be completed to reach the end goal and when by, what resources you will need to have in place and when, what the risks are and how these are to be managed, and so on.

- The second is, as a result of setting out the plan of action, to assess and understand the likely financial performance and requirements of the business, the key sensitivities involved in your forecasts and the financial risks, and potential rewards involved.

- This is critical as the third reason for preparing a business plan, which is often seen by some managers, mistakenly in my view, as the real point of the exercise, is to provide it to investors or lenders in support of a request to raise funding.

- The fourth reason is to then provide an objective benchmark and milestones against which to judge the progress and success of the business.

So, whatever the initial reason for carrying out a business planning exercise, management should always use the process as a chance to genuinely plan the business, and not just as an exercise to produce a document that is never looked at again.

What Should A Business Plan Contain?

You can now find many examples of business plan templates on the web which will vary in the content and headers they use as there is no definitive list of contents. In general however, a business plan should cover the following items, which will provide a pack in a format that prospective lenders or investors will generally find acceptable.

- Company details including company number, registered office address and logo;

- Contents;

- Executive Summary - a brief summary of the plan covering all areas and being no longer than say 2 pages;

- History and Current Position;

- Products or Services;

- The Market;

- Operations;

- Management and Staff - including an organisation chart where appropriate;

- Financial Analysis - a summary of the financial projections;

- Investor or Funder Deal and Exit Plan - where the plan is to be used to raise finance you should set out here details of the support you are seeking and what is in it for the funder; and

- SWOT Analysis - a summary of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing the business.

The plan should also be backed up by appropriate appendices giving the financial information such as historical Statutory or Audited Accounts, up to date management accounts and three year financial forecasts, all of which should obviously tie in with the body of the plan itself. In addition there needs to be the non financial information required to support the plan which will normally include CV's for each of the Directors and any other key personnel, examples of marketing material, details of the business's professional advisors and any other supporting documentation that may be relevant such as significant new orders.

To What Extent Can Or Should You Vary The Format?

If you do use a business plan template, don't hesitate to tailor it to your business's particular circumstances. Every business has its own characteristics, and each writer will have their own style so every business plan will be different.

Whilst the headings given above are relevant for most businesses, the focus of attention will vary depending on the purpose of the plan and the intended recipients.

If the plan is being written for internal purposes then it may concentrate on tasks such as Marketing or Operations and be used to attribute tasks, set timescales, targets and rewards, and then used to help co-ordinate and monitor an agreed overall agenda.

If you are preparing the business plan to support an application for a loan then the financial and trading data, and in particular the cash flow analysis, will be critical parts of the document. Lenders will be particularly interested in the assets available as security, any other existing borrowing, and will closely scrutinise the detailed financial forecasts.

If the plan is to be shown to potential investors then you will need to be careful that you comply with the requirements of the Financial Promotions Order as failing to do so can lead to criminal penalties. Like lenders, potential investors will review the financial forecasts and proposal within the business plan, but they will also be looking to establish a potential valuation of the business at the time of the proposed exit.

What Makes A Good Business Plan?

As hopefully will be clear from the comment above, this will depends partly on what it is to be used for, however any business plan should be:

- Concise - it should be short and to the point;

- Comprehensive - a potential funder more likely to provide finance if they are able to clearly understand the product, market, funding requirement, opportunity, the skill sets of key personnel and the financial projections, then if they can't;

- Clear - it should be written in clear plain English, (and be properly spell checked and proof read), but the message or propositions should be clearly stated so that the target audience can understand what it is that you want from them, as well as the all important what's in it for them;

- Owned - you must clearly be able to present it and answer questions on it, including on the financial projections and assumptions, from potential backers.

The last point is a critical one. All too often when potential financial backers speak to business owners about the numbers in a plan that has been presented, they receive the answer 'Oh my accountant put the numbers together for me', which immediately raises questions about how realistic the forecasts are.

After all, if you don't understand what the projected financial performance of your business is, the how is a funder expected to believe that you can make it happen?

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/the-four-key-reasons-to-write-a-business-plan-4350324.html
About the Author
Mark Blayney is a business finance raising expert and business author. To request a free Business Plan Guide and Financial Forecast Template contact him at: http://www.business-loans-info.co.uk