COMPREHENSIVE MARKETING PLAN
COMPREHENSIVE MARKETING PLAN WHERE SMARTTRACK IS WHERE SMARTTRACK COULD BE WHERE SMARTTRACK SHOULD BE Simple marketing plans, if researched and implemented effectively, have a much greater impact than higly structured ones. It is important to keep in mind that a marketing plan is a fluid document. Every business needs to begin with a well-structured plan that is based in thorough research, competitive positioning, and attainable outcomes. This marketing plan should set the pace and be the basis for SmartTrack’s marketing activities over the coming months. However, keep in mind that it can be enhanced and/or redirected based on what proves to be extremely successful.
A strong and effective marketing plan includes outbound marketing techniques (marketer-centric) and inbound marketing techniques(customer-centric).
Other than the physical tag used for tracking and tracing, what is available from SmartTrack that should be promoted? What about the dashboard is attractive, makes it easily understood, or allows it to be easily accesed? How will SmartTrack educate clients, potential clients, or craft workers on industrial sites about the depth of the features, how the data can be collected, how the data can be parsed for maximum impact, or what features might be available? PRODUCT TRAINING | BROCHURES PRODUCT LITERATURE | DIRECT MAIL
CREATIVE + MEDIA ADVERTISING Managing the CREATIVE (writing copy, design, strategy, etc.), combined with managing MEDIA (distribution of advertising across print, broadcast, digital, etc.) yields a planned and decisive ADVERTISING PLAN.
MARKETING = PUSH BRANDING = PULL Branding is the expression of the essential truth or value of SmartTrack and its services. It communicates the characteristics, values, and attributes that clarify what it is and what it is not. Marketing is TACTICAL. Branding is STRATEGIC. Every thought, every action, every policy, ever piece of product collateral, every ad, every marketing promotion has the effect of either inspiring or detering brnad loyalty to whomever is exposed to it. All of this affects sales. Branding is as vital to the success of a business as having financial coherence and a vision for the future.
It is SmartTrack’s compeition, rather than SmartTrack’s potential customers, that determine your revenues, market share, and profits. Even if you have the majority of your market, keep in mind to never be overconfident or complacent with your position. BE THE LEADER. Market analysis is the regular analysis of the markets in which you operate. If you are not, why aren’t you? If you are not, what will it take to put you in that position? What is the long-term profit potential of your products and services in your markets? Have your competitive strengths been analyzed?
Customer analysis is the regular analysis of the clients and customers you serve and hope to serve. What is SmartTrack doing to maintain strong and positive relationships to drive future or repeat business? What can marketing do to help mitigate those relationships? How often are customer relationship going to be audited to discover oppotunities or areas for improvement? When analyzing your customers and potential customers, SmartTrack should consider the following: Is their industry changing? What are their value drivers? What is their decision process? Who are their decsion makers? Have the decsion makers changed?
Is what you offer of higher quality or of better value than your competitors? If not, is there a way to make it believed to be so, through effective marketing? Can you offer something completely unique to SmartTrack? Analyzing this involves taking in in-depth look at what you are really selling how to properly package or frame it so that your benefits are obvious and clearly expressed above what your competitors offer. Your greatest mistake would be to assume that people will understand what SmartTrack is or feel immediately that they need SmartTrack.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS is your tool to finding and capitalizing off your differentiators. To effectively market, SmartTrack needs to be competitive with your products, services offered, promotion strategy, technology, level of customer service, etc. EVERYTHING. Where is SmartTrack weak? Where you find yourself weak, create a plan fo make SmartTrack stronger. What value adds do your competitors offer that SmartTrack does not? And vice versa?
Pricing of SmartTrack directly affects your perceived value in your markets. It is not intuitive that marketing should be involved in the pricing strategy of your products and services, but there is strong reason that it should be. Marketing is highly involed in guiding the perceived value of your products and services in the markets in which you operate. Marketing should certainly be involved in converstations when pricing is determined. SmartTrack should never be overpriced or underpriced in its markets.
Marketing needs to understand the goals of those who are charged with selling SmartTrack.
Marketing needs to idetifiy and create activities that support the golas of those who are selling SmartTrack. Marketing needs to arm sales with the tool needed to close deals and win business.
Part of a sales strategy is identifying how SmartTrack maximizes high potential accounts. Of those accounts, which can SmartTrack cross-sell to in the future as updates and additional products/services are made available?
A good publicity story is worth 20 ads. MANAGING AND GUIDING CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS PRESS RELEASES MANAGING COMMUNICATION INTERNAL MARKETING SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS (FUTURE) PHILANTHROPIC EFFORTS (FUTURE) COMMUNITY RELATIONS (FUTURE) Believe it or not, the root of public relations is all about managing customer or potential customer perceptions. Continually ask what SmartTrack could do to create and/or improve customer loyalty. How can SmartTrack share those relationship or encourage them to share it with others within the industry?
WELCOME TO THE AGE OF DIGITAL BRANDING, DIGITAL MARKETING, AND DIGITAL ADVERTISING. What does a DIGITAL PLAN include? Unless you want to spend a ton of time and money, SmartTrack must carefully craft its marketing materials to communicate to ...different types of people ...who are in dfferent roles and positions ...who are in different industries ...and have collateral appeal to all of them ...at the same time.
WEBSITE (DESIGN AND COPYWRITING)
APP AND TABLET USABILITY
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)
MOBILE MARKETING
SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING (SEM)
COMPANY BLOGGING
DIGITAL ADVERTISING (PPC vs PPI)
SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
RETARGETING CAMPAIGNS
E-MAIL MARKETING
This is the new standard for business communication.
DIGITAL MARKETING
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT IS THE NEW STANDARD. It is imperative for SmartTrack to create an online presence where it encourages and welcomes interaction. Engaging in two-way dialoge and word-of-mouth activities is what drives a substantial number of business interactions. SmartTrack can leverage online interactions to get one group of people to introduce and “sell” SmartTrack to another. Considering that SmartTrack is a technology product, consistent engagement in the right social channels shows users or potential users that the company is progressive about keeping up with technology, the way it is changing, etc. Additionally, it builds confidence inSmartTrack and gives the company and its products and services credibility for buying decisions. Not being involved on a social level means that SmartTrack will miss out on critical conversations. It will miss opportunities to responds to issues or concerns, or create new customer/client relationships. Additionally, SmartTrack will miss out on opportunities to control its brand and reputation. The digital space is where decision makers these days are finding out about products, their features, and their differentiators.
Proactive marketing is a form of marketing that allows for companies to be agile, real-time, data-driven, and adaptable to the ever-changing space of what their customers could be seeking. Proactive marketing will shows SmartTrack what’s happening in its landscape with all of its competitors now, and what path the company should take to reach their audience effectively before generating failed campaigns. Looking at SmartTrack’s marketing in a reactive sense is not the most valuable way to progress its campaigns forward. Since marketing has become more real-time, data-driven, and metrics focused, there are tools and platforms that will allow SmartTrack to aim and then shoot for success. With proactive marketing, SmartTrack can see what will attribute to more success in its campaigns. Being proactive allows for the company to benchmark in real-time, analyze data on the fly, and optimize it campaigns to all ensure overall value for the brand. SmartTrack will be able to see what works, head in that direction, and optimize its marketing faster than its competition.