Why Having A Long-Term Marketing Plan Is Vital To Your Business

“Once born, a brand needs advertising to stay healthy.” – Al Ries

“Marketing is about creating the future” – The Chartered Institute of Marketing

Every CEO on the planet will agree that marketing is not just important to the success of your business, it is absolutely vital. However, while large businesses engage in comprehensive, long-term, and consistent marketing strategies, a surprising number of small and medium-sized businesses do not have a marketing plan and do not have personnel focused on marketing, branding, and advertising.

At Brand Edge Marketing, we specialize in making sure that small and medium-sized Montana businesses have a marketing plan for success–and that that plan is executed, analyzed, and improved year after year.

Is your business suffering because you fall into the following short-term marketing traps?

  • You don’t have a dedicated marketing budget, so you market whenever you have some extra funds to donate to the cause.
  • You don’t have a dedicated marketing or advertising staff, so you only engage in marketing when you or someone on your team as a few spare moments to squeeze it in.
  • You don’t have a marketing plan or marketing strategy, so you just make things up as you go along.
  • You don’t analyze the success of past marketing tactics and ad campaigns, so you develop new campaigns without learning from old ones.
  • You’ve set up a marketing plan with the help of professionals, but now that they’re gone, you haven’t changed anything about your plan for months or years.

The Benefits Of A Long-Term Marketing Strategy

Why should you spend time and money developing and nurturing a long-term marketing strategy? There are lots of reasons:

 

  • It gives you clear goals. As the saying goes, if you aim for the moon, you will land among the stars. A big-picture marketing plan gives you the opportunity to really let your imagination run wild and really think about how you want your business to grow.
  • It helps you get to know your customers. A comprehensive marketing plan involves in-depth analysis of the consumer and your customers. It will give you a window into the minds of the people who keep your business successful–and the tools you need to deliver what they want and need.
  • It helps your budget. Not having a solid marketing plan means not spending money on marketing with much thought. A comprehensive plan comes with careful pricing and careful pricing means not over-spending or under-spending.
  • It gives you the opportunity to analyze data. When you run an organized marketing plan, you have the opportunity to collect vital data about which campaigns are working and which campaigns aren’t.
  • It illustrates the value of your products and/or services. A thoughtful marketing plan determines the right marketing messages and right branding before you even begin. Taking the time to develop a long-term marketing plan means understanding exactly what you are offering to customers and exactly how to let them know what you offer.

 

  • It gets a leg up on the competition. You would be surprised at how many of your competitors are not dedicating significant time and effort into marketing. Imagine what would happen if you started doing what no one else has: committed yourself to marketing smart and marketing for the long-term.

Create Your Marketing Campaign Today With Brand Edge’s Team

Are you ready to create a long-term marketing plan? To as a question, schedule a meeting, or learn more about our specific services, contact us today online or call 406.258.0258.