Small Business Marketing Plans

2. PRODUCT & USPs

Write down everything you know or believe about your product and/or service

This will include looking at:

i) Content - Define what your product or service is?

ii) Presentation - How is your product or service packaged?

iii) Utilisation - How is your product or service utilised?

iv) Positioning - Where do you visualise your organisation being in the market place?

v) Distribution - How do plan on getting your product or service to the customer?

vi) Availability How available is your product or service currently?

When you have written the answers down you can then produce a list of your USPs (unique selling points) as you see them.

Now you can move on to:

3. COMPETITION

You will now need to perform the same deliberations as above this time by analysing your competition in the same way.

You now to combine all the information about your business and your competitors in a quick glance format. In order to do this I recommend that you produce a grid. Across the top line (the x-axis) write your business name and then those of your competitors, ending with a +/- column at the end. To the left (in the y-axis) write down the first USP you have come up with for your business and tick the box (cell) under your company. If your competitor has this USP also then check the appropriate box (cell). Work your way down both your lists.

Finally in the +/- column check/ tick the box (cell) where you have a USP that none of your competitors have. This column should have at least one tick in it and this subject will be a key element of your marketing strategy.

The +/- column blank? Problem. Re-think the whole process above through and if you still can’t come up with a single unique USP then you seriously need to question the wisdom of continuing on.

Now that you have clarity as to what product or service you are offering and are now armed with at least one major USP, it’s time to consider your 4. STRATEGIES

See Also:-

The First Steps In Your Market Planning Strategy
Definitions Of Marketing
Preparing Your Small Business Marketing Plan
Small Business Marketing Strategy
Direct Business Marketing Plan
Sample Marketing Plan – SWOT Analysis
Marketing Plan Example For Price And Brand Positioning
Outlining For Budgets
B2B Marketing