Available:*
Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000010254217 | HF5415 B595 2009 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
On Order
Summary
Summary
Successful marketing consultant Robert W. Bly cuts through the clutter of short-lived marketing techniques and trendy gimmicks and reveals the12 critical steps necessary to build a practical marketing plan that produces the results of an expensive consultant without the hefty costs. Entrepreneurs learn how to zero in on their marketing goals, choose the best marketing tactics, integrate timeless and up-and-coming techniques, create a success measuring system, and more. They also discover the pay off of big-picture thinking, focusing on what works not what's hot--ultimately, creating a long-term plan for marketing success. * Addresses two to the most common queries among new business owners and entrepreneurs--How do I write a winning marketing plan? and Is there a sample marketing plan I can reference? * Provides 12 steps for developing a marketing plan that an outside consultant would charge $5,000 to $10,000 to create * Includes practical, utterlypragmatic, battle-tested marketing tactics proven to work in the real world * Covers new marketing technologies and current trends
Author Notes
Robert W. Bly has been an independent copywriter and marketing consultant for more than a quarter of a century. He has worked with more than 100 clients including Boardroom, Phillips, IBM, Nortel, Agora, Prentice Hall, and Grumman. He is the author of more than 75 books, and he currently writes regular columns for Target Marketing Magazine and The Writer.
Table of Contents
Preface | p. XV |
Chapter 1 Harness the Power of Vision | p. 1 |
Design Your Business to Deliver the Lifestyle You Seek | p. 3 |
SIDEBAR Write Conversational Copy for the Best Marketing Results | p. 9 |
Go Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams | p. 11 |
Begin With the End in Mind | p. 12 |
Paint a Picture of the Possible | p. 13 |
ACTION Write Your Vision Statement | p. 15 |
SIDEBAR Crafting Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) | p. 18 |
Let Your Vision Protect You From Making Bad Decisions | p. 21 |
Chapter 2 Decide What Business You're In | p. 23 |
SIDEBAR Crafting Your Elevator Pitch | p. 26 |
Creating a Business to Fulfill Your Vision | p. 27 |
What is a Niche? | p. 28 |
SIDEBAR Micro-Niche Your Way to Success | p. 32 |
Why Is This a Good Niche for Us? | p. 34 |
ACTION Describe Your Niche | p. 40 |
SIDEBAR Are You Too Old to Start a Business? | p. 41 |
Chapter 3 Get to Know Everything about Your Ideal Customer | p. 43 |
Qualifying Prospects | p. 44 |
Create a Customer Database | p. 46 |
Know Your Customers' "Core Buying Complex" | p. 50 |
What Do I Want to Know About My Ideal Client? | p. 52 |
SIDEBAR What The Apprentice can Teach You About Knowing Your Customers | p. 54 |
Don't Ignore Government Markets | p. 56 |
SIDEBAR 12 Government Market Facts at a Glance | p. 58 |
Nonprofit Marketing | p. 59 |
Know the Lifetime Value of Your Ideal Client | p. 60 |
Know Why Your Client Buys | p. 62 |
Know What Benefits Mean the Most to Your Client | p. 62 |
SIDEBAR Marketing to GOM (Grumpy Old Men) | p. 63 |
Know the Steps in Your Clients' Buying Process | p. 64 |
SIDEBAR Five Steps to the Perfect Guarantee | p. 65 |
Know Where Your Clients Go to Look for Information | p. 67 |
Know What You Can Learn from Your Current Clients | p. 68 |
Where Should I Look for Information? | p. 70 |
ACTION Describe Your Ideal Client | p. 72 |
Chapter 4 Who is the Competition? | p. 75 |
SIDEBAR What They Say about You Online | p. 76 |
Who Is Your Top Competitor? | p. 76 |
Look for the Gaps in Service to Your Niche | p. 77 |
How Do I Learn More About My Competition? | p. 80 |
SIDEBAR Trade Shows in Your Marketing Mix | p. 80 |
ACTION Write Your Description of the Competition | p. 84 |
SIDEBAR Competition for the Information Marketer | p. 86 |
Chapter 5 Strategize: Position Your Business | p. 89 |
Bull's-Eye: Position Your Business | p. 89 |
How to Build a Stronger USP | p. 91 |
Offer Proof for Your Positioning Statement and USP | p. 97 |
SIDEBAR Testimonials: The Quickest and Most Powerful Way to Support Your USP | p. 99 |
Describe What You Want to Accomplish This Year | p. 101 |
Your Business at a Glance: The Capabilities Brochure | p. 102 |
SIDEBAR Don't Forget the Yellow Pages | p. 106 |
ACTION Write Your Goals for Your Business for the Next Year | p. 108 |
Chapter 6 Build Out Your Product Line | p. 113 |
Cost of Customer Acquisition vs. LCV | p. 115 |
Creating New Products | p. 117 |
Features and Benefits | p. 118 |
Turn Product Flaws Into Selling Points | p. 121 |
Buying Motivations: The FCB Grid | p. 123 |
Pricing | p. 124 |
Selling High-Priced Products | p. 131 |
SIDEBAR Pricing Strategies for Selling Services | p. 133 |
SIDEBAR Sell a Lifestyle, Not a Product | p. 134 |
Chapter 7 Assess Your Tactics | p. 137 |
Determine the Response You Want from Your Target | p. 137 |
Decide What Message Will Stimulate This Behavior | p. 138 |
Decide Which Marketing Tactics Will Best Support Your Strategy | p. 141 |
Tactics That Reach Your Target Market | p. 143 |
Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing Tactics | p. 144 |
The Busy Doctor Syndrome | p. 147 |
The Silver Rule of Marketing | p. 149 |
Choose the Best Three to Five Tactics to Begin | p. 150 |
SIDEBAR Keyword Due Diligence | p. 153 |
Marketing in Larger Companies | p. 155 |
ACTION Identify the Tactics You'll Use | p. 157 |
SIDEBAR Selling to the "Starving Crowd" | p. 158 |
Chapter 8 Integrate Online and Offline Marketing | p. 161 |
E-Mail Marketing | p. 161 |
SIDEBAR Five Ways to Get Your Website Ranked Higher on Google | p. 164 |
Writing and Publishing a Free E-Newsletter | p. 165 |
SEO Your Website | p. 167 |
SIDEBAR Add a "Recommended Vendors" Page to Your Site | p. 171 |
SIDEBAR How I Find Fresh E-Zine Content for 50 Cents per Article | p. 177 |
Increase E-Mail Address Capture | p. 177 |
Blogging | p. 180 |
Social Media | p. 182 |
SIDEBAR Getting Started on the Right Foot at Twitter | p. 184 |
Chapter 9 Put Your Measurements in Place | p. 187 |
What Metrics Should You Measure? | p. 188 |
Calculating Marketing RDI | p. 190 |
Calculating and Measuring ROTI | p. 192 |
SIDEBAR Doubling Hour and Doubling Day | p. 194 |
Measuring Web Metrics | p. 197 |
Marketing Performance Reporting | p. 204 |
Create the Tracking System | p. 206 |
Determine How Often to Review the Data | p. 206 |
ACTION Write what and How You'll Measure | p. 207 |
SIDEBAR Predicting the Probable Success or Failure of a New Product or Marketing Idea | p. 208 |
Chapter 10 Write Your Plan | p. 211 |
Write It Down to Get It Done | p. 211 |
SIDEBAR Use a Swipe File to Write Promotions Better and Faster | p. 213 |
Create a One-Year Plan | p. 215 |
Budget | p. 217 |
Plot Major Campaigns First | p. 220 |
Break It Down | p. 222 |
ACTION Write Your Plan | p. 223 |
SIDEBAR 10 Ways to Stretch Your Marketing Budget | p. 224 |
Chapter 11 Work it!-Implementation | p. 229 |
What Stage Is Your Business In? | p. 230 |
Copy: The Foundation of Implementation | p. 232 |
Write the Way Prospects Talk | p. 234 |
Writing Great Headlines | p. 237 |
More Copy Tips | p. 240 |
Make Liberal Use of Free Offers | p. 242 |
SIDEBAR Promote Yourself by Writing Articles | p. 247 |
Schedule Your Action Steps for the Next 30 Days | p. 249 |
Follow These Keys to Success | p. 249 |
Chapter 12 Review and Troubleshoot Your Plan | p. 251 |
SIDEBAR How Good a Marketer Are You? | p. 252 |
What You Should Review | p. 254 |
A Sales Tactic for Overcoming Price Resistance | p. 254 |
Good, Better, Best | p. 256 |
SIDEBAR The Psychology of Pricing | p. 257 |
Testing Your Marketing Campaigns | p. 259 |
What Price Pulls Best? | p. 262 |
How To Troubleshoot Your Plan | p. 264 |
What to do When It's Not Working | p. 265 |
Non-Marketing Causes of Marketing Plan Failures | p. 266 |
Honor Your Refund Policy Pleasantly | p. 269 |
SIDEBAR Don't Waste Your Customer's Time | p. 274 |
Appendices | |
A Glossary | p. 277 |
B Forms & Worksheets | p. 287 |
C Model Marketing Plan | p. 305 |
D Marketing Consultants | p. 315 |
E Sources & Resources | p. 321 |
Index | p. 325 |